tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post7511450027797036239..comments2023-11-12T00:30:15.262+09:00Comments on Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*: LAT on South Korea's new volunteerismkushibohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10306033998028548550noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-87476157330042338012013-07-18T09:26:18.345+09:002013-07-18T09:26:18.345+09:00[i]It might not be Korea-bashing per se (John Glio...[i]It might not be Korea-bashing per se (John Glionna does not strike me as a knee-jerk Korean basher), but it did smell of a sort of "Korea discount." Like if somebody had really brought up Hwang Woosuk (as I jokingly did) in reference to the controversy over Oh Eunsun's ascent of Annapurna in the race to reach the top of all 8000er peaks. Sloppy journalism.[/i]<br /><br />Glionna has a chip on his shoulder regarding Korea. You should read his other articles like one about the foreign horse trainer in Korea as well as another that I linked to in one of my posts on Sonagi Consortium, something about how being bumped in the subway was a sign of Korea's xenophobia. He definitely has a chip on his shoulder like many kvetchpats, but he is a bit more sophisticated in how he presents it. I don't believe that he could ever write an objective article about Korea. itissaidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10234994514840320466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-1260200212904420262010-04-25T14:19:36.530+09:002010-04-25T14:19:36.530+09:00I know one guy, who truly believes that no act of ...I know one guy, who truly believes that no act of kindness is not done with some sort of payoff in the end. He says even that euphoria from doing good is a payoff. So, he says there truly is no selfless act.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-42538707956897367502010-04-25T03:01:30.246+09:002010-04-25T03:01:30.246+09:00Thanks for that.
As I was writing this, I was th...Thanks for that. <br /><br />As I was writing this, I was thinking of the fact that many schools in the US and increasingly in South Korea as well (and in other countries, too, I'm sure) have been requiring volunteer work for graduation. <br /><br />This forced altruism would not sit well with some, I suppose, but it puts people in a situation where they are exposed to people in need that they might not otherwise have been exposed, and this can spark a sense of altruism and community that might have been latent or even non-existent. <br /><br />Really, I was kind of bothered by the <i>unsupported</i> criticism (<i>who</i> says is "chiding South Korean volunteers"?) that under the guise of providing some sort of balance or phony objectivity only knocked people who deserve some admiration. <br /><br />It might not be Korea-bashing per se (John Glionna does <i>not</i> strike me as a knee-jerk Korean basher), but it did smell of a sort of "Korea discount." Like if somebody had really brought up Hwang Woosuk (as I jokingly did) in reference to the controversy over Oh Eunsun's ascent of Annapurna in <a href="Yang%20Guanghongethnic%20Miao%20doctor***Check%20spelling%20please." rel="nofollow">the race to reach the top of all 8000er peaks</a>. Sloppy journalism.kushibohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10306033998028548550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-45524226930295260622010-04-24T22:56:27.251+09:002010-04-24T22:56:27.251+09:00And I would wonder on the flip side, how many volu...And I would wonder on the flip side, how many volunteers, anywhere, don't have self-serving reasons for being volunteers. And as you point out, what is wrong with that. Having a self-serving reason (such as padding a resume, traveling the world, getting close that hot girl you met on the bus) for volunteering doesn't preclude having more altruistic reasons as well. If there isn't something in it for the volunteer, whatever it is, then will the volunteer feel satisfied with the experience? It has to work for both parties. And in the end, isn't it the results that matter, the end that can be pointed to with pride on all parts, and the being able to say that disadvantaged people were helped?Wandering Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17385607861520620261noreply@blogger.com