Equal time

In the Trayvon Martin killing, I've pretty much come out in support of those who believe George Zimmerman was out of line on several counts, and that his racial profiling and aggressive stance are the fundamental reasons why the killing occurred.

But I thought I should give equal time to the other side. This gentleman's well articulated argument seems to typify most of those I've read in forums supporting Mr Zimmerman or trying to destroy the reputation of Mr Martin, so I thought he'd be the best choice.




Okay, then. Here's something I'm certain is meant to be satire:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

...

Kvetchpat of the day: Do you know South Korea?

KoreaBeat, among other places, highlighted this video by one David Dutton.



A well-done piece of work, one which tough-guy KoreaBeat himself said made him feel "a little misty-eyed with nostalgia."

But wait, to just let this blatant propaganda slide would be disingenuous, nothing more than promoting false advertising.

See, some people think I only write shiny, happy stories about people in Korea holding hands, that I ignore all that bad stuff because I'm trying so hard to protect Korea's image, whatever that means.

Well, on the off chance they're right — and they might be, if you ignore all the critical stuff I write — I thought I would print, without editorial input, the following comment from one of KoreaBeat's commenters, giving it "equal time" as today's Kvetchpat of the Day:

This video is a great example of how camera + editing = lies. South Korea is a depressing country which thinks that e-sports are better sports than real sports. It has a fast increasing gap between rich and poor. Pollution problems that are as the soundtrack sings 'poisoning your body'. The longest ongoing war in modern history with more than a million casualties. South Korea is losing it's soul as its culture is eaten from the inside out by the gaudy golden arches of Americanization. But don't take my word for it that Korea is to anyone but the most shallow tourist a depressing place, just check the suicide rate statistics...the highest in the OECD. Funny though, the video didn't show anyone throwing themselves in front of a Seoul subway train; an event that happens at least once a day here.

Hmm... perhaps I should fisk this, talk about how anyone who has been in Korea for a significant length of time knows pollution is considerably better than before, not worse, and although South Korea has a serious problem with suicide, the Gini coefficient (a measure of the gap between rich and poor) is fairly manageable, but right now my real-world responsibilities aren't giving me the time to do so.

...

Equal time

Some people think I only write shiny, happy stories about people in Korea holding hands, that I ignore all that bad stuff because I'm trying so hard to protect Korea's image, whatever that means.

Well, on the off chance they're right — and they might be, if you ignore all the critical stuff I write — I thought I would print, without editorial input, the following comment from another blog:

I say bring on the robots! Robots wont complain with late or missing paychecks, wont complain about substandard housing, wont complain about being assaulted, raped, or murdered. Robots will work overtime for free, gladly work through vacations doing desk service and wont expect the yearly 5manwon a month raise. AND Korea will be number one in use of robots in the classroom. Meanwhile, all foreign devils previously working in Korea will go to ____(insert local)___ and offer outragious tuition rates for illiterate (in English of course) korean students to come for home visits & one on one intensive emmersion lessons.
These vast hordes of freshly educated Korean students will also pick up novelty ideas like: equality, democracy protected by civil rights, racial tolerance, intolerance for corruption and a thirst for western style justice. They will then all return to Korea as enlightened becons and lead their nation into the modern era with progressive social change and political integrity.

Hey...why not? the robot fantasy is good enough for the masses to buy into... why not a social revolution led by foreign educated intelligencia? 'cause you know THAT's the real fear... we'll infect the lil ones with *IDEAS* that foster *indepentant cognition* HA

There, former candidate for the presidency of ATEK. I've just increased your audience by at least twenty-four.

I'd like to use this post to inaugurate a new Blogger feature that looks for related posts, but I take no responsibility for the results.

You might also like:
Why can't some English teachers spell?

Equal time

Some people think I only write shiny, happy stories about people in Korea holding hands, that I ignore all that bad stuff because I'm trying so hard to protect Korea's image, whatever that means.

Well, on the off chance they're right — and they might be, if you ignore all the critical stuff I write — I thought I would print, without editorial input, the following comment from another blog:

Korea is like a retarded prostitute's pussy.People from around the world come to Korea to fuck it. Do we care about her long term well-being, probably not. Will we call in the morning , Hell no. All the expats you see are here to fuck it for all it's worth and then get the fuck out of here.Some are here to bust that student loan nut, others are pounding away to pay for grad school , still others are creaming all over the Han River to finance their walkabouts. Now I'm only doing a little bit of fucking I teach my contract hours and generally stay out of the way. But I know a lot of fellas fucking Korea like they have three dicks. They are teaching private lessons, on tourist visas, and boning k-girls like they just discovered sex. And all of that is o.k. because Korea wanted it. Like a cheap floozy. But what about your articles on Korean bullshit you say? That's just locker room talk. If a friend asked me if he should ask a retarded girl out I would say she's fucking but this is the retarded bullshit you have to deal with to get to the ass. After reading my blog some people might say that retarded bitch Korea isn't worth it while others would love a chance to fuck retarded Korea, retardedness be damned. As for me I still recommend Korea for some easy retarded pussy. She's gotten a little arrogant in the last two years but she'll let you fuck her if you are persistent.

There, Mike in Korea, I've just increased your audience by at least twenty-four.

[above: This picture came with the original post, so it was only fair that I reprint it, too. If you're wondering about the head tilt down and upward glance pose, many women in Korea, Japan, and other East Asian countries prefer to take pictures with their head positioned this way because it creates an optical illusion of sorts, seeming to enlarge the size of the eyes and other features.]

Equal time

Some people think I only write shiny, happy stories about people in Korea holding hands, that I ignore all that bad stuff because I'm trying so hard to protect Korea's image, whatever that means.

Well, on the off chance they're right — and they might be, if you ignore all the critical stuff I write — I thought I would print, without editorial input, the following comment from another blog:

Um, could you comment on the story that Brian's blog had about the murders of young Koreans in Russia?

I have a feeling that you're going to have my response -sad as that is, how about the greater number of foreigners who have died or been assaulted/raped in Korea by Koreans?

Take the young teacher in Jeollanam about a year and a half ago who was minding her friends' dogs in a room. A hateful, drunk Korean threw his cigarette on a sofa outside the door of the room.

Coincidence that he knew a foreigner lived there? The woman opened the door of the room and was burned so badly she died a few weeks later.

What about the poor teenager (American) who was found dead in the Korean sauna? Those of us who went to them once but were turned off by 'straight' Korean men trying to harass us think there is more to that death than meets the eye.

What about the guy who had medication forced on him and died? Supposedly he was 'crazy' but he was about to go home for good.

How about the 3 cases I've heard about of rapes of female English teachers?

I'm sure there are more and your readers can help. These cases are probably the tip of the iceberg.

And I don't care what anybody says - I've seen Koreans in foreign countries and behave very much like ignorant assholes who are begging to be at least punched in the face.

It wouldn't surprise me if those dead Koreans in Russia did their usual staring and laughing at those who attacked them fatally. Or pushed their way past Russians. You can't do that with such dangerous people as skins.

There, Tiredofdoublestandards. I've just increased your audience by at least twenty-four.