Why do Koreans Take on Black Music?

Dear Korean,

When I listen to Korean radio stations I hear 90's R&B imitations, right down to the 'oohs' and 'aahs'. For a nation of people that look down on blacks, why adopt the music and dance?

Andrea

There are certain dumb questions that get asked in high frequency, and this has been one of them.

First of all, let's make sure to state what the Korean has stated numerous times before:  racism in Korea against darker-skinned folks is real. If you are a darker-skinned foreigner in Korea, you will be treated differently from Koreans. That much is true.

What makes this question dumb is the inability to distinguish different shades of racism. No one -- certainly not the Korean, who has written many, many posts decrying racism -- disputes that racism is vile. Yet there plainly is a difference between the type of racism behind firing off a callous racist joke, and the same behind burning a cross on an African American's front yard. Many, however, slap the same "racism" label across the board and refuse to think much further. The result is a dumb question like this one.

This inability is not simply annoying. It damages and delegitimizes our ability to address racism effectively. Our response against racist actions must be graduated (that is, be put forth in various differing degrees) according to the depth and effect of the racism behind those actions. Failure to do so reduces the fight against racism to a butthurt, over-sensitive arm-waving. It turns the fight against racism into a joke.

Why do Koreans take on black music? Come on. United States in the 1950s was incomparably more racist than Korea today. There was an official policy of segregation for much of the country; most institutions for social mobility (e.g. colleges) were unavailable to African Americans; rape and lynching were common, and no one was ever convicted for those crimes. Yet Elvis Presley -- who expressly acknowledged the African American roots of his music -- was the greatest superstar of that decade. Gee, why did a white American like Elvis adopt black music and dance?

Allow the Korean to reiterate:  racism in Korea is real. A lot of Koreans genuinely believe that color of your skin is associated with the content of your character. Foreigners with darker skin are often treated poorly, especially if they are in a situation to pose a threat to Korea's racial majority. But that does not mean that a black person would be pelted with stones while walking down the streets of Seoul. That does not mean that Koreans have a categorical and unflinching stance of rejection toward everything African or African American. Koreans take black music and dance for the same reason anyone else did -- because they are beautiful and awesome.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Korean Last Names Series: Jeon-Ui Lee

Dear Korean,

I moved to America at the age of 9, and have retained most of my Korean fluency (although it's only about Elementary school level). However, I lost most of the history that I learned during school. One of the things I miss the most is the history of my last name. Unfortunately, no one in my immediate family can give a detailed answer. All my extended family is in Korea and I do not keep in touch with most of them. Is there any way you could help me out? Since I can still read and understand Korean, I was able to track it down to this website (http://www.surname.info/i/jeon_ui.html), however once it gets into hanja and such, it gets too complicated for me. I saw that you had answered some of reader emails regarding specific last names and was hoping that you would look into mine.

Kevin

Three years after the last installment of Korean last name series, we have another entry. Our questioner Kevin belongs to Jeon-Ui Lee clan [전의 이씨], the fourth largest Lee clan in Korea with over 130,000 members living in Korea as of 2000.

Jeon-Ui Lee clan, unfortunately, does not have a story as interesting as Gyeongju Son, which involves a mystical stone bell and such. The first Jeon-Ui Lee was a man name Lee Do [이도], who was a high official for the first king of Goryeo Dynasty. Jeon-Ui refers to an area now known as Chungcheongnam-do Yeon'gi-goon Jeon'ui-myeon, a rural area between the cities of Cheonan and Cheongju where Lee Do received his fiefdom from his king.

The website for Jeon-Ui Lee clan's lineage society is here.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

"Gook" is a bad word

Dear Korean,

Lately, the guys at my school have started calling my Korean friends and I "gooks". At first we just thought it was an immature thing that they had made up, but it turns out that when my older cousin was in middle school, her math teacher called her and all the other Asians the exact same thing. Is it supposed to be a racist word or just another name to call Koreans/Asians?

Sincerely, Confused "Gook" Girl

This post is more like a PSA, because the Korean believes (or hopes!) that most people would know about this. But apparently, at least some people in the world does not know this, so here it is:

"Gook" is a racist term denoting Asians. In fact, it is right up there with "chink" as the most offensive term to describe Asians.

If you ever hear this term, do not let it slide. Get in the face of the slur-utterer and shake him/her down like s/he owes you money. Because the only way to get the racists to change their ways is to make them learn that they are fucking with the wrong gook.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

V is for Vendetta?

Dear Korean,

Why do Koreans throw up the peace sign whenever they take a picture?

Sparkle

You mean, like this?

(source)

And like this?

(source)

And like this?

(source)

Oops, maybe not like the last one.

At any rate, it is true that when taking a picture, Koreans very commonly throw up the "V" sign. But why?

Truth is, Koreans themselves are not particularly sure. It is a habit that is practiced without much thought behind it. It is not as if Koreans care much more about peace than any other people in the world, as Koreans generally know the sign as a "V" sign, rather than a "peace" sign. When pressed, some Koreans may give an answer that the "V" sign was popularized by Winston Churchill to signify "victory," and simply caught on thereafter. While the explanation may be plausible (as Churchill did popularize the "V" sign,) this explanation does not reflect that reality that Koreans are hardly thinking about "victory" when they are taking a picture.

In fact, Koreans are not really trying to convey any meaning as they throw up the "V" sign. If one really tried and forced a meaning behind the gesture, it would be:  "Yes, I am aware that I am having my picture taken, and I am mildly happy that I am doing so."

Then why do it? The best answer might be -- why not? When taking a picture, particularly while standing still, what to do with your hands always presents an awkward dilemma. Might as well do something with them, and a "V" sign is as good as any. It's something, and it kind of looks cool. This explanation may be unsatisfying, but given that Koreans hardly assign any meaning to the "V" sign as they are taking a picture, it may be the only possible one.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Ask a Korean! Wiki: What to Tell Your Family?

Dear Korean, 

Please comes to know this stranger from the East Coast, U.S. henceforth as the Blankard. The Blankard is a recently certified ESL teacher. The Blankard comes from a family that greatly disapproves of the Blankard's choice to pursue South Korea to teach, for they fear for their Blankard, even if the Blankard himself feels apprehension only about 'leaving the nest,' as they say. I have read The Korean's posts from 2010 (Q: Is Korea a dangerous place? A: "No, no more than it has been in the last 40 years"), as well as the more recent posting about the Japanese radiation. These topics are cited as causes for "that part of the world being very volatile." The Blankard himself seeks ways to reassure his concerned family.

The Blankard

Well, the Korean has never had any issue with the Korean Family about his desire to be in Korea. (In fact, the Korean Parents would likely favor it.) As the Korean is recovering from his vacation, let's turn this one over to the readers:  readers, if you came to Korea for a mid- to long-term stay, how did you deal with your over-anxious family?

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Gone Fishin'

The Korean will be on vacation for about two weeks, dear readers. Please be understanding if there is no new post, or your question is answered even more slowly than usual.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Boundaries, Man, Boundaries

Dear Korean,

I am an American woman but have been living in Korea for almost five years now. There has been something irking me lately. Even though I'm fluent enough to have general conversations in Korean, many people in my social circle seem to regard me as an English tool. My Korean boyfriend, who is currently changing jobs, has lately asked me endless English questions and wants me to help him with English essays. Of course, as his girlfriend, I want to help. But he also has asked me to help another friend with his essays, and another of his friends, upon finding out I am a native English speaker, also requested help--- a 16 page essay!!!! >.< This was way too much, and although my boyfriend admitted it, he still said "please help my friend." Meanwhile, another friend has been wondering if I could tutor her younger cousin in English. And another previously asked me to help her with English reading.

I love the Korean friends I've met and I certainly enjoy the company of my Korean boyfriend. But am I doomed to be considered an English tool who should cough up her English knowledge whenever and wherever it is requested? Do all Koreans see my white face as an English skill? Is there any way to have a relationship with a Korean and not to be considered useful this way at the same time? How do I establish boundaries within my Korean relationships that show them I want to be accepted as a person, not as a potential language tool!? 

I'm an English speaker, not a walking dictionary

Here is a problem that the Korean rarely encounters, if only because he is living in the U.S. So once again, here is a guest post from I'm No Picasso. As an English teacher in Korea, she would be in a better position to answer the question.

---------------------------------------

As my boyfriend and I sat down to dinner at a galbi restaurant one night, he abruptly launched into a tale about how his friend, a college-aged woman, had recently broken up with her Western boyfriend. As those of us who live here and who are surrounded by these kinds of intercultural, interracial relationships know, there are a few go-to reasons for why the break up may have happened. I asked him which one it was.

"He was really grumpy. He always got mad at her about small things."

Fairly normal breakup fare, intercultural relationship or not. But my boyfriend is not prone to dishing out gossip about other people just to have something to talk about. I had a feeling he had something on his mind, something he maybe wanted to run past me.

"Why was he grumpy? Or is that what you're trying to ask me?"

It was. It turned out the small thing his friend's boyfriend was continuously being grumpy about was her requesting his help with her English assignments. Before my boyfriend had gotten halfway through his explanation, I was already visibly cringing. 

(More after the jump)

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.