Gusts Of Popular Feeling: The 2005 English Spectrum Incident

Part 59: Video On Demand service for "I Want to Know That" temporarily suspended
Part 60: TV Program Warms Up Foreign Teacher Controversy

Part 61: A country where foreign English instructors play
Part 62: "Let's not use foreign actors": Controversy spreads over SBS's 'I Want to Know That' report

Part 63: Anti English Spectrum distributes pamphlets in Seoul taking advantage of the SBS broadcast, part 1

Part 64: Anti English Spectrum distributes pamphlets in Seoul taking advantage of the SBS broadcast, part 2

Part 65: Problems with the report on native-speaking English instructors

[Note - changes to Blogger's coding means it's difficult to update each part to insert the full list of articles above, so it's best to just return to this post to navigate the series.]

Part 1: English Spectrum and 'Ask The Playboy'

(See *note at bottom)

In January 2005 Korean netizens discovered the site English Spectrum, and their anger towards the English teachers posting at the site was covered by the mainstream media and internet news sites. This was the beginning of negative media coverage of foreign English teachers that is still present today. Much like The French foreign language teacher scandal of 1984 series, I'm going to take a close look at what happened in January and February 2005 and post a series of translated articles from that time. Let us begin...

According to this site, English Spectrum was first registered in November 2000. As this blogger described it in early 2005,

Englishspectrum.com is known to many expatriates in Korea as a primary portal for communicating with other expatriates about life in Korea. You can find just about anything expatriate-oriented on the site, whether it be information on social events/clubs in and around Seoul, to job postings for English teachers, to even a guide and chat area for whatever anyone felt they wanted to express.

As this blogger put it at the same time,

It's advertised pretty heavily in Seoul (I've seen several large posters during my rare trips to Itaewon), and it's basically a place for foreigners to find jobs in Korea and chat and so forth. So far, so good.

Now, I haven't really used their job services, but I can tell you that their message boards are quite an ugly story. I spent a few minutes clicking around in their unmoderated Fun Forums, and it was...well, it was some of the most virulent, hate-filled crap I've ever seen. This was far beyond the 'Oh I am bored with Korea LOL'-level stuff I normally see -- this was heavy-duty, Aryan-level propaganda stuff. Very dark.

While I never looked at English Spectrum before the incident, a friend of mine used the site regularly to look for jobs, and would read the forums described above. I always got the feeling, from his description of them, that he did so despite his better judgement, as if unable to turn away from them. I can remember him one day shaking his head and saying "Man, I looked at the English Spectrum forums today, and this guy posted a question asking if anyone knew where to find a synagogue in Seoul. I just thought, 'Oh, here it comes,' and the first response was, 'I thought Hitler killed all of you guys.'" Lovely. It gets worse, though, according to this person posting at Korean ESL:

What burned me the most on English Spectrum were the derogatory writings with full of racial slurs on Koreans foreign teachers posted on "Living in Korea" column. In Living in Korea, you guys from other countries were having fun comparing Koreans to animals, a cretin was gathering gang members to destroy gooks, some high school dropouts were seeking advice where they could make counterfeit degree certificates, and some drug addicts were looking for a place to get grass.

It wasn't the 'Living in Korea' forum which ended up getting attention, however, but a different one:

In addition, they also had a message board area called Ask The Playboy, in which the cream of the ESL circuit would write for advice on, for example, scoring with married Korean women, and receive advice back along the lines of make sure you know the husband's work schedule. It was that bad.

Here is a screen shot of the Ask The Playboy forums:

As can be seen on the right above, were also other 'Ask...' forums, such as Ask The Drunk, Ask The Lawyer, and Ask The Ajumma. This blog copied and posted 'The Playboy's bio':

Playboy's Bio:
Name: The Playboy
Age: 30 & aging fast
Occupation: Int. playboy
Nationality: Proud American
Present Location: In bed

The Playboy was born in Berlin, Germany around about 1972 and raised in the sunny state of Florida. He graduated a bizarre, Davidian cult-like version of medical school following a heroic tour with the University of Miami soccer team, making a living working late nights in the streets of Overtown harvesting bone and tissue from some of the more unfortunate cadavers; both famous and infamous.

Unable to face a lifestyle of the rich and inane, the Playboy deferred his doctorate degree and took to a nomadic life helping the poor and infirm in western Asia. After a stint in the Army and being stationed in India for several years, the Playboy eventually worked his way into the sex industry and became one of the most requested harem instructors in New Delhi. After the novelty wore off, he headed east along the historic Silk Road, learning and enhancing the skills of his craft; from Bangkok, through the casino districts of Macau, all the way to training some of the notorious geisha of Gion Corner, Kyoto Japan.

The Playboy went back to the States, practiced medicine for some time and realized his passion was still in the Orient. He then booked a British steamer to Korea, linked up with the Cameroonian Lil?Bro, the surprisingly successful owner and creator of English Spectrum.com, and decided to earn his living as a striker for the Seoul British Football Club and as a writer.

The Playboy is currently a productive gigolo; raising money to ensure his preordained entrance this fall into the Yonsei Graduate School for International Studies.

P.S. It is believed the Playboy's uncanny carnal knowledge and general perversion stem from excessive breast feeding as an infant, the accidental seventeen viewings of an Asian-dubbed version of Porky's at the age of five, and the live Prince Purple Rain concert he witnessed at age nine where he was hit in the face with juice sprayed from Prince's guitar as he simulated a combination of sex and masturbation with several groupies on stage.

Direct all concerns, inquiries or contributions to Classic_Playboy@hotmail.com

Anti English Spectrum posted this image from Ask The Playboy:

Here are snippets of some of the comments at English Spectrum's Ask The Playboy forum which caused offense (via this blog post):

I've been here in korea for about 2 years and for the last year and a half i've had more k-pussy than you could shake a dick at. I constantly had a 5 girl rotation going and would often cut starters when new rookies came to the fore and proved their worth.

In Korea, getting a hot chick is relatively easy. A girl who is game will be attracted to you for English practice and stress free sex.

The K-girls I love are diamonds in the rough...like ripe juicey apples begging to picked off a tree and bit into. They've never had their pussies licked...never had an orgasm...never showered with a guy...never been able to relax.

I fear there is one thing I can't live without. Asian pussy. Korean pussy especially.

(PB)Don't trouble yourself. I've got a slew of girls waiting for you when you come.

(PB)I'm amazed daily at the numbers of hot, friendly chicks without guys. During the daytime, go to any coffee shop or "western" restaurant, like Outback, TGIF, or Bennigans and look around. K-Guys don't like these places and the chicks tend to migrate in packs alone...a great opportunity. At nighttime, you can find them in board game cafes, restaurants, COEX mall, coffee shops...just about everywhere. If you're looking in bars, finding a nice, "good" girl is hit or miss. Stay away from Itaewon unless you're looking to get laid, then hit Limelight, Geckos, Bricx, or Helios. In Sinchon, the hip hop club, Zen, is decent. In Hongdae, go to Saab Club, Stompers, Gold Bar, or M2 to find some girls.

(PB)Strangely...me, too. Fuck, either way, we've tagged one of the same girls due to statistical odds. Imagine that.

I have been here almost a year and these Chicks here are so easy to get into here. I can't believe that people pay for sex here.

Hide your watch and mobile phone. Go up to the chick and ask her for the time (in Korean, of course). She'll be intrigued that you speak a little Korean and that's your stepping stone, you can then talk about where you learned the language, how long you've been here, what you're doing here, you can play age guessing games and whatnot...it's a lot of fun. Oh, and she'll give you the time, as well. This is the "I've been here a while, know the lingo, smart guy approach". A winner every time.

Get a subway map and tap the girl on the shoulder in the train. Ask (in Korean or English) how you go from here to there. Again, she will hopefully try to help and then that will lead into the how long you've been here, what you're doing here, you can play age guessing games and whatnot...etc. This is the classic "dumb, new guy approach". Proven success.

Another rather tasteful post from the site was quoted by a commenter at the Marmot's Hole at the time.

Title: A million things I hate about K-girls

1. Ugly Korean chicks trying to score on the internet.

2. Bitches that look at me like I like them or something…usually I walk away laughing.

3. Every bitch here has the same style. ie. black stockings, plaid or black skirts, with those annoying suede boots

4. That stupid face they make..like their blowing up a ballon or something.

5. That stupid wide-eyed look they make when their taking a picture.

6. Schoolgirls that try to impress me with their shitty english on the train.

7. Rot breath on the hottest chick.

8. My date telling me, “Oh many foreigners like kimchi.”

9. Dramatic conversation…especially when they are asking for something.

10. Ajuma’s that think they look good.

11. Fat bitches that look at me.

12. Fat bitches that look at me and think that I am looking back.

13. Fat bitches that think I’m looking at them, and they joke and giggle with their fat friends.

14. Fat bitches.

15. Big bushes…someone need to teach these chicks how to shave.

16. Bitches dating dorky college fags because his dad has an Equuis and works for Hankook tires.

17. Any bitch in Kangnam….truley gold-digging whores out looking to marry the first rich adeshi they can find.

18. The chick I met at Slimelight that claims it was her first time…

19. Bitches that think they are black…wearing dreds and all that other ghetto shit.

20. Fuck all these ho”s!

I 'truley' hope that person wasn't an English teacher...

Another example, from here:

Name: James
Title: Sex and sleep rules...

hi playboy.

i wanted to know what do you do when you get a K chick to your house and you end up sleeping with her... but she just wants to go asleep.

Usually i find that there is the usual process of her lying in bed, and once the lights go off, one of the following happens...

1. sex straight away.
2. pretend sleeping, and touching till sex happens.
3. out of late night exhaustion mutual desire to nap till both of us wake each other up a couple of hours later and sex romp begins.
4. feeling that sex can wait till the next morning instead as more chemistry between the 2 of us may need to be established.
5.take "no" as "yes", and force sex to happen... obviously this means reading the signs that "no" really does means "yes", in which is usually does.
6.kissing + touching happens and the standard "i dont like one night stands" line is said, and then sex happens.
7. a "no" is a "no" due to her body being turning away from you, hidden in corner of bed leaving massive expectations dashed and great frustration and even at times bitter resentment for my time wasted.

My question is, whats the best way to handle number seven? Personally i feel if a girl is sleeping in my bed, sex must happen. how do you play the situation to increase likihood of a romp to occour? with the other factors i mentioned, there is always the idea that sex is probably just right around the corner, so i find it hard to actualy belive that she means "no". I am a belivier that you should stay the course if you smell an opening but on the otherhand, i dont want to look desperate, so I have to cut my losses sometimes, but it really pisses me off especially if ive made my intentions clear once the light have gone off... lose of face and control of situation being reasons.

How do you handle or advise on this?
can u help me out?

-------

James,

I don't know if I can help you out or not, because I swear I've never had #7 happen to me yet. You have shown your experience through your Top Seven List, as they are all very accurate and I was very amused reading them.

Obviously, for reasons that don't need to be spelled out, be very careful with your "no's" and your "yes's"...you are right about the meaning of them, we just know that's a line we need to be very sure about.

In my tour here to date, I've had many girls decide to spend the night. That act, all by itself, means sex. K-Girls rarely (and I mean rarely) decide to go to a guy's house and sleep there without the desire (or at least the resigning of oneself) to sex. K-Girls can be naive, but they know the guy's house-guy's bed scenario very well. With that said, no girl has ever slept at the Playboy Villa without walking away penetrated somewhere and moisturized.

I think the worst I had was a girl that refused at night and truly went to sleep...similar to your #4. But by morningtime, a bit of body rubbing and ass tickling got her going enough to seal the deal.

Any playboy will tell you that you don't win every game (just most of them). Sometimes, you have that white whale that cannot be caught...you need to recognize it as the impossible dream and admit defeat and move on. Some girls will use the sleepover as a staged event to test your mettle. Tell her to eat ****e and go home. Go take a shower, crank one out, and get dressed to hunt again the next night.

The Playboy

Anti English Spectrum also preserved the following announcement from English Spectrum. Though it may have been posted after the incident, it gives some idea of how the site raised revenue.

Banner
Advertisement
________________________________________
Thank you for your interest in sponsoring the most popular ESL/EFL websites, in Korea. (EnglishSpectrum.com)
English Spectrum receives between a hundred to a thousand accesses each day from ESL/EFL Institutes, Teachers, Students and other Experts living and working in Korea.
Below is information about our current ad rates:
• English Spectrum's front page - 200,000/month
• Other pages - \ 100,000/month
• Banner dimension - 200 X 70 pixels (can be flexible)
20% discount if you are paying for 1 year in advance. 5% discount if you are paying for 6 month in advance.
On our main page, we can guarantee your ad will be seen by every visitor to our website.
We can also help design your banner or use one that you have created. Your banner should be in GIF or JPEG format. We also accept animations.
STEPS TO BECOMING OUR SPONSOR:
1. Once you have decided to sponsor our web site, we will send you our contract form to be read and signed.
2. Fax or E-mail us a copy of the signed agreement.
3. E-mail your banners to Englishspectrum@hotmail.com as well as the web address you want your banner linked.
4. We will send you our bank account for payment.
5. Once payment has been confirmed, we will have your banner up.
We look forward to hearing from you,
Walter T.
EnglishSpectrum.com

Such banner ads were not just used to advertise sponsors, but to advertise promotional parties held by sponsoring bars and clubs. (Click to enlarge the top photo to see who was 'Proudly Sponsor[ing]' the Playboy Forum.)

While the written content of the Ask The Playboy forum would raise the ire of Korean netizens, it was photos of what happened at an offline Ask The Playboy party that would turn a minor incident into a full fledged scandal, one which made 'foreign instructor' the third-most popular online search term at Daum that week. This series will explore the media response to the incident.

*Note - the English Spectrum website was bought by Hi Expat several years ago and is a completely different site now.

Monday, March 26, 2012

The 2005 English Spectrum Incident - Part 1

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