[KS] Re: anti-Americanism and individual experiences...

[Michael Hurt]

Regarding advice offered to others on this list -

I offered my experience not as a prescription for others to behave, but=20=

rather as my observation on what has gotten me and others here in=20
trouble, in my own and my friends' experiences. And I feel that no=20
matter what, one cannot actively control how others perceive you, no=20
matter how much you bend over backwards to assuage whatever prejudices=20=

about you.

Professor Robinson solicited opinions about the nature of anti-American=20=

sentiment here. I and several others offered them. I thought the=20
discussion this sparked an interesting one, and somewhat relevant to=20
the topics discussed on this list, in that it had to do with how=20
members of his tour group might be received as they came to Korea.

However, I do not appreciate being given advice (especially in all caps=20=

and exclamation points) as to how to comport myself in public. My=20
experience is not one to "object" to, to be quite blunt. You may=20
disagree with my opinions as to what the cause of these reactions to me=20=

are; but, Mr. Bug, you are in no position to offer prescriptions to=20
everyone in Korea as to how to successfully avoid confrontations just=20
because in your own experience you have been able to do so.

So if you mean to imply that my African American friend and I walking=20
down the street brought being called "nigger" upon ourselves, and also=20=

that she being almost physically assaulted by him and his two friends=20
was due to our lack of "acknowledging people on a personal level" so we=20=

might "satisfy in a minor, intimate way their desire for political=20
acknowledgement on an "international" level", you're way out of line.=20
Minding our business, which is what we were doing, IS and SHOULD BE=20
good enough not to be verbally or physically attacked.

 =46rom your argument, it seems as if the onus of responsibility for the=20=

behavior of some drunk or belligerent people is on the person on the=20
receiving end. Sorry, uh uh, no way. I draw the line here:

"The point is how do you return that
attention? If you just ignore it, some locals will
find that attitude standoffish and feel insulted or
provoked by it and want to do something about it."

"Attention?" Last month when I was crossing through the turnstile of=20
Shinchon subway station, alone and in a good mood, about to walk=20
towards one of the exits, a man appeared out of the throng of people -=20=

I had not even seen him - and grabbed my wrist forcefully and pulled me=20=

close to him, at which point he yelled something intelligible in what I=20=

think was English. He absolutely reeked of liquor and his face was red=20=

as as a beet. It was obvious he was blasted beyond return. I simply=20
broke his grip and briskly walked to the exit. I know enough from being=20=

here not to get angry in such situations and just walk away. He was not=20=

behaving in a manner he likely thought to be belligerent; he probably=20
saw me as an interesting foreigner through his drunken haze and wanted=20=

to engage in conversation or go drinking or some such. It's happened=20
before.  But I knew instantly that this was a dangerous situation,=20
since I had been in them many times before. I did not provoke or=20
solicit it through my ignorance. On the contrary, ignoring people's=20
verbal taunts is a survival strategy, whether they are anti-american=20
jabs here or racist slurs in the States. I don't think this particular=20=

man had ill intent, but as drunk as he was, I know that can change in=20
an instant.

I take offense to you implying that foreigners somehow passively=20
provoke others into attacking them. I am not a gum-chewing, swaggering=20=

buffoon who gets on subways yelling and swearing in English, Korean=20
girls on each arm, giving older men the "evil eye" with my American=20
arrogance. Even if I were, I have to right to not be physically=20
assaulted.

In the situation in which my Korean American female friend was slapped=20=

for speaking in English on an inter-city bus, it was not a situation=20
that could be prevented by the maxim "all politics is local", an astute=20=

observation that is completely out of context here. People looking at=20
an individual as a symbol of something that is hurtful to them are, in=20=

the end, responsible for working out their own issues. If some young=20
Korean American woman is seen as crass for speaking English, the=20
living, breathing symbol of her immigrant parents having "abandoned"=20
Korea during its hardest times, that is not her fault. If I, as a black=20=

man, cause people to think my female companion is a woman of low=20
breeding and ill repute just because she is standing next to me, that=20
is not my fault. If he attacks me or my companion, the onus of moral=20
and legal responsibility is on him.

I resent that you even bring me to even state this, but I will: I am=20
conversationally fluent in Korean, comport myself politely in public,=20
and even smile quite a bit. We black folk are known for having to do=20
that a lot in "mixed company." Always have, will have to for as far as=20=

I can see. I bow deeply when meeting people older than me, hold my=20
drink glass with two hands, and have even eaten all kinds of=20
still-moving, soon-to-be seafood offered to me as a gesture of good=20
will. I've done my part for king, country, and good international=20
relations many a time in the noraebang by singing all the Elvis and=20
Beach Boys any Korean people have requested of me. I've smiled=20
respectfully and bit my tongue when older men at dinner yelled at the=20
top of their lungs at me for drinking too much of the Coca-Cola they=20
assumed I wanted to drink but didn't, for being too fat, for not being=20=

married, or Christian, and even been scolded for getting tan in the=20
summer because I was already "too dark."

I've done more than my fair share of taking up the social slack for the=20=

minority of  ill-behaved and rude Koreans who really and truly do=20
exist. And I know these people do not define the norm; if I believed=20
that, why would I be here? Why would I be on this list? Why would I=20
even be talking to you? But the only reasons I have been (and I said=20
from the beginning - only rarely) subjected to violent behavior has=20
been because I simply EXIST here. A very few people, mostly after much=20=

drinking, think I shouldn't. It's that simple. And no amount of nodding=20=

"acknowledgments", smiling, shuffling my feet, or doing a tap dance is=20=

going to change that. If I get beat up in the deep South for being=20
kissy with a white woman, am I guilty of not rooting myself in the=20
behavior of "local politics"? In America, we call that a hate crime. I=20=

guess you define this in the Korean context as a failure of=20
"international relations" played out on the personal level. Should we=20
then call hate crimes in the States "failures of race relations" on the=20=

personal level?

How dare you arrogate yourself to 1) completely dismiss other people's=20=

experiences w/o any direct knowledge of what transpired (since you=20
weren't there), and 2) think you can tell others how to behave?

It's great you're all kissy-poo with your Korean girfriend, holding=20
hands and whispering sweet nothings in her ear in all the most public=20
of places. Whatever floats your boat - I can't tell you how to live=20
your life. But even assuming for a moment that I were the type of=20
person to publicly engage in such tasteless displays of affection, I=20
would fear that meeting the gazes of drunken ajussis sitting around me=20=

could me misinterpreted as a challenge or a boast. But that's just me.=20=

It's probably related to how I look, how people perceive me. And I=20
probably fall into different racial/social categories (based on other=20
people's assumptions about me), in their eyes, than you do. I don't=20
know you nor you me, but I think that's a fair assumption. I trust that=20=

you've adapted to life in Korea in the way that's best for you; I=20
simply ask that you don't discount and condescend to others based on=20
your own single experience.

I apologize for the flame, but Mr. Bug, you were way out of line. Offer=20=

your point of view based on what you have experienced or observed, but=20=

don't think you're in a position to prescribe catch-all remedies for=20
how to live successfully in Korea. A lot of us are doing just fine at=20
it, thank you very much,  despite occasional hardship or bumps in the=20
road.
No one can prevent bad things from sometimes happening to good people.
-----
Michael Hurt
Korea-American Educational Commission
Fulbright Building
168-15 Yomni-dong, Mapo-gu
Seoul 121-874, Korea
011-822-702-6734 (h)
011-8216-512-9665 (c)

"Criticism, in short, is more than a right; it is an act of patriotism=20=

=96 a higher form of patriotism, I believe, than the familiar rituals =
and=20
national adulation."

                                        - J. William Fulbright