Blog about Korean society - true or false?

Anhyong haseyo. Post Korean related stuff here.
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Rainberry
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Blog about Korean society - true or false?

Post by Rainberry » Oct 18th, '11, 13:26

Anhyonghaseyo!

Since this is my first post here I wanted to say hi and present myself: I'm university student living in Kraków, Poland. I have crush on Korean culture specifically and on Asia in general :P Nice to meet you!

Browsing through the internet I recently bumped onto this blog claming to cover topics associated with Korean society and media: http://thegrandnarrative.com/ Maybe it's something rather well-known and only I didn't know but anyway I'm quite surprised about many things written there, this post in particular: http://thegrandnarrative.com/2010/09/17 ... ent-korea/

I haven't stumbled upon this issue before. Could you please share your opinions on this blog and the topic mentioned? I'd be very grateful, I have a strange feeling that author is a bit sensitive to objectifying, sexualizing and other "-ings" but then again I haven't been to Korea yet so who am I to judge?

Please, excuse my English.

Ethlenn
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Post by Ethlenn » Oct 18th, '11, 13:39

As all seen only one-sidedly, it can be misleading.
You can deconstruct Gilgamesh and Bible with gender studies, but why?
And some of those issues are not found exclusively in Korea, it's a worldwide trend to over-photoshop women bodies.
As everything, it should be taken with a cool head.

Students here are cordially welcome :salut:

Orion1986
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Post by Orion1986 » Oct 18th, '11, 13:50

Her waist in the photoshop is creepy. I get photoshoping some details or just prettying up an image a bit. But the woman is stunning and certainly doesn't need a new creepy waist.

And yes, these are global issues. As for the groping and harassing, it might have something to do with the restrained front such societies put up and the "what people might think" idea.
Asia is a lot about being "decent", the way I see things. Be proper, be respectful, be ridiculously polite. So, that oppresses people and creates more violent reactions than other societies.

You can't be too wild, you can't be gay or lesbian, you can't be a free spirit, have a lot of sex or be sensual. And when you try and put a stop to people's natural instincts, they fight back.
And then we have perverts and rebels who know what they are doing is indecent and get a kick out of it because of that. Societies which are more open about their libido don't have that.

But that's just my own take on it. And welcome indeed. DA is quite a nice place. Not overly taken over by fangirls so opinions are pretty much all welcome as long as no personal insults take place.
We've recently had an interesting case here on DA so if you find any weird individuals or if anyone bothers you, you should say so because most of us are pretty level-headed here. Enjoy the forums! ^^

P.S: You are also allowed to use swear words here, as long as they are not meant as insults. We use them a lot for works, characters or even with each other. Some of us.

One example might be that if the lady above sends me a really beautiful picture of the man bellow me.. uh... I mean bellow my posts, I will call her a rotten b*tch for guttering me.

Neliets
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Post by Neliets » Oct 18th, '11, 14:05

Welcome!

Huh. I have heard of perverts in Korea. Nothing much to discuss here, though. I advise you to not believe anything you read on internet, except what I and Ethlenn say :D

I read a part in that article, where a girl was complaining that a guy touched her butt and grabber her breast. I am not a woman, so I can't totally understand how you feel, but I think that there is almost nothing wrong with boob-grab. :D But I may be the only one out there. Breasts were made for touching, weren't they?

But if you need more specific statement, then I must agree with Ethlenn. It's neither un-seen in every other country or even something worth thinking about, because we haven't been there, haven't been touched and we don't know everything about the situation.

P.s. - It's spelled "Annyeonghaseyo".


EDIT: By the way, I have heard this kind of stuff and even worse about Japan, for example. But I just don't care. :D

Orion1986
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Post by Orion1986 » Oct 18th, '11, 14:10

Female boobs were meant to be touched by boyfriends, husbands or doctors. Anyone who has her permission, either for medical or sexual purposes. Lol.
They are tied to our sexuality so they are reserved for said people, just like crotch area in both men and women should be touched by said people only as well.

So, a public boob-grab by a stranger is a no no, man. It would be like a woman coming up to you and grabbing your crotch, to get a sense of how big a no no it is. :P

So... don't tempt us here... Why are you making me discuss people's crotches? Too much gutter during these last few days. Mah poor hart can't handle dis. XD

Rainberry
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Post by Rainberry » Oct 18th, '11, 15:54

Thank you all for warm welcome! :-)
Ethlenn wrote:As all seen only one-sidedly, it can be misleading.
You can deconstruct Gilgamesh and Bible with gender studies, but why?
And some of those issues are not found exclusively in Korea, it's a worldwide trend to over-photoshop women bodies.
As everything, it should be taken with a cool head.
That's what I think - it's so easy to manipulate people by the way of talking/writing about things. I try to be cool-headed and somewhat scientific ;) that's why I've asked for your opinions. Also, I know that some of those issues are to be found everywhere but author seems to view and present is as Korean phenomenon because is happens in Korea :crazy:
Orion1986 wrote: And yes, these are global issues. As for the groping and harassing, it might have something to do with the restrained front such societies put up and the "what people might think" idea.
Asia is a lot about being "decent", the way I see things. Be proper, be respectful, be ridiculously polite. So, that oppresses people and creates more violent reactions than other societies.
Yeah, same goes for Muslim societies. Maybe not excactly but still similar.
Neliets wrote: I read a part in that article, where a girl was complaining that a guy touched her butt and grabber her breast. I am not a woman, so I can't totally understand how you feel, but I think that there is almost nothing wrong with boob-grab. :D But I may be the only one out there. Breasts were made for touching, weren't they?
Really? Have you tried to grab some girl's boobs, say, on the bus stop? :-)
But if you need more specific statement, then I must agree with Ethlenn. It's neither un-seen in every other country or even something worth thinking about, because we haven't been there, haven't been touched and we don't know everything about the situation.

That's right but I guess the thing changes if WE are planning to actually be there, doesn't it?

Ethlenn
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Post by Ethlenn » Oct 18th, '11, 15:54

Orion1986 wrote: Mah poor hart can't handle dis. XD
Ori, pleaze, don't use werds that can be easily mistaken for something else, and I'm realy low now... I mean... oh you know, you rotten woman!! :alcoholic:

And I have to add that not being in some country doesn't automatically exclude us from knowing a lot about said country. Some specialists on North Korea have never been there.

Orion1986
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Post by Orion1986 » Oct 18th, '11, 15:58

What? Dis? It wouldn't be my hart that couldn't take "dis". And I am sure the other thing can taek dem just fine. You killed me, woman... XD

Neliets
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Post by Neliets » Oct 18th, '11, 17:49

Ethlenn wrote:
Orion1986 wrote: Mah poor hart can't handle dis. XD
Ori, pleaze, don't use werds that can be easily mistaken for something else, and I'm realy low now... I mean... oh you know, you rotten woman!! :alcoholic:

And I have to add that not being in some country doesn't automatically exclude us from knowing a lot about said country. Some specialists on North Korea have never been there.
I would like to disagree but I won't. You look too pretty today. Image

Peggy
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Post by Peggy » May 28th, '12, 04:22

In my neck of the woods in school Biology I always learned that the female breast was solely for the nourishment and feeding of the infant of said female.
I guess that was a long time ago ? I know that US is a country where they are totally hung up on breasts and the size of same. It always seemed rather childish to me.

If I was attacked in some manner on a bus or train I would definitely haul off and punch the person between the eyes with evil intent. Pain and humiliation should go to the pervert who was the initial attacker. It would be too difficult to give him a kick in the groin in a crowd don't you think.

forweg
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Post by forweg » May 28th, '12, 04:45

It seems many westerners like to spread negative propaganda nonsense about East Asian societies with racial undertones. Don't believe a word of it.

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Post by Peggy » Jun 1st, '12, 16:20

I really hope the last posting did not in any way refer to what I posted. I have no racial problems in my soul. I do not see differences in countries and people as being negative just because they are not things that occurred in my own country. Differences make life interesting. If we all had lessons in school about different cultures and learned how to be well mannered I think we might begin to start understanding and thence arrive at peaceful conclusions instead of military ones.

forweg
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Post by forweg » Jun 2nd, '12, 02:20

No Peggy, I was referring to the blog the OP linked. That type of idiotic propaganda really infuriates me and I can't hold my tongue on such things.

But really, this topic should just be deleted, there's no use for it here.

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