Got some free time? Why not grab a pitcher and some of that popcorn-like stuff and watch the entire 53-minute SBS broadcast that sparked anti-foreigner sentiments throughout Korea. This was aired in 2005 after some less-than-brilliant posts on the English Spectrum website.

[ Permalink ] [ Submit to:   ] [ Comments ]

I'm not surprised this caused anti-foreigner sentiment at all. Most people are educated by the mass media and take whatever they espouse as gospel. This phenomena is not limited to Korea but is also demonstrated in any country around the globe, even though most stuff has no factual basis. Noam Chomsky highlights this in his video Creating Consensus in a Democratic Society.

This phenomena becomes more severe when a country is experiencing an economic depression as it searches for a scapegoat. Just like the rise of fascism in Germany, or anti Aboriginal sentiment in countries like America, Australia or the Kurds in Iraq and Turkey etc. etc.



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2007 11:32PM by Mongdori.

Is it just me, or is this kind of thing increasing?? How can we educate Korea about the good points of foreign English teachers, and how can we make them think it's wrong to classify everyone into one big chunk?

We foreigners need to somehow put out some program that critiques these anti-foreigner videos. We need to make Koreans aware of the "good" foreigners too! And educate Koreans about the downfalls of "foreigner hate" and "racism" and how those things can negatively affect their society.

Any ideas on counter-propaganda?

It's only getting worse in the near future. KBS has a special in the works which they're already interviewing people for. I suppose you could contact them and try to get them to show some of the positive things foreigners do, but I'm not sure they're going to listen.

Brento, you say Koreans shouldn't classify everyone into one big chunk. Then you go on to use the term "we foreigner" thus, classifying us into one big chunk. In addition you manage to classify Koreans into "one big chunk."

If they keep finding drunk foreigners in Hongdae that help them perpetrate their trash then good on them.

I, personally, haven't felt or noticed any differences since before the English spectrum scandal in 2005 up until now. I've always found the majority of Koreans to treat me based on me and not based upon propaghanda.
Anyways, time is to short to really give a damn so just keep on keeping it on and don't worry about this crap.

I'd say there's been a big change in the past month. Especially after the news report of the youtube subway video. I was in a restaraunt when that came on, and I could feel everyone glancing at me. I could just be getting more paranoid, though, with the added stress of Mongdori in my life.

But I'm not that worried. There will probably be a big bust soon like the one a year or two ago that netted about 200 or so illegal workers, then everything will die down again.

Personally I am making my co-teachers and students aware what the media is all about by teaching critical thinking skills. It's only education that will create a paradigm shift which Koreans so desperatly need to survive within the global community.