tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post6663898093219926594..comments2024-02-23T23:53:54.842+09:00Comments on Gusts Of Popular Feeling: Foreign teachers become propaganda tools in exchange for trip to Dokdomatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296009437690229938noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-73771932005376698622012-10-06T19:42:35.322+09:002012-10-06T19:42:35.322+09:00One of my students told me last week the Korean go...One of my students told me last week the Korean government was going to use Psy to promote Dokdo and I say they have already succeeded by using his music while he stands by saying nothing or acting like it ain't happening. More to come I'm sure! When I saw Psy dress up, sing, and dance around like Lady Gaga I said he was a tool, and now he is a government tool. I used to teach a Psy English lesson to young Korean students but now I'll have to reconsider or make additions/changes to it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-24047997828618437892012-10-06T01:58:46.819+09:002012-10-06T01:58:46.819+09:00I was a public school teacher in Seoul for a few y...I was a public school teacher in Seoul for a few years, and during my last semester (spring 2011) my head coteacher handed me an invite to one of these trips. I looked at it about long enough to realize that they wanted me to pay for it and handed it back. My co, being an intelligent sort of woman, was very understanding of the fact that I had better things to do with 200,000ish won (don't remember exactly) than be someone else's propaganda tool. From what SweetCecilia is saying, I'm glad I didn't go!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-56280107450300328752012-10-05T18:55:35.990+09:002012-10-05T18:55:35.990+09:00By the way, my "Oh of course" was in res...By the way, my "Oh of course" was in response to the post, not to Sweet Cecilia's comment. <br /><br />I forgot to provide a link for the follow-up news. FWIW:<br /><br />http://xportsnews.hankyung.com/?ac=article_view&entry_id=259548 gordsellarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11465812613427778240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-33600917426434385862012-10-05T18:52:30.423+09:002012-10-05T18:52:30.423+09:00Oh, of course...
In related news, the most brilli...Oh, of <em>course</em>...<br /><br />In related news, the most brilliant of the masses have begun wondering whether Psy's viral popularity could be used to catapult Dokdo to the public stage in American media. I think they don't know anything about the American media. <br /><br />Someone asked whether the government had asked him to do so, but whoever was speaking from an official position said, essentially, that they would consider it but have not done so yet. (Psy confirmed that he had not been contacted to do so, and would have to think about it if he was. Because, you know: the ire of fanatics, versus the American audience's baffled, "What's this dude's problem? What are these rocks supposed to be?" is, well... easy call. <br /><br />(And besides, the people calling for him to talk about this issue in the States seem not to grasp that he's popular over there in part because he plays a kind of "safe" Asian clown figure in his video.)gordsellarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11465812613427778240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-12535560759964987532012-10-05T18:42:09.611+09:002012-10-05T18:42:09.611+09:00I am a 7th Generation TaLK scholar still in the pr...I am a 7th Generation TaLK scholar still in the program. I vehemently objected to the propaganda and especially the sign and dance. I am not pictured in ANY photo with that sign, I know of another scholar who also chose to not be pictured with the sign. One of the museums' guides said we would see an objective point of view and objective documents, much to my chagrin, it was the same propaganda stuff, along with information such as "Korea doesn't have to go to the Hage to debate the issue because Dokdo is Korean"... ummm.... Petulant child much? Many of the TaLK scholars are very young and may not realise the kind of statement that they were really making. Along with that are the gyopo scholars who are trying to connect with their culture, and as mentioned before, perhaps in some of their eagerness to learn and "become more Korean" they miss some things. <br /><br />The trip was spectacular AFTER visiting Dokdo. We were able to see much of Ulleungdo and experience parts of Korean culture that I haven't seen since arriving the first time in Korea in 2006. Ulleungdo is breathtakingly beautiful. SweetCeciliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04421602660444694372noreply@blogger.com