From: phantom@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (James Choi)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.korean
Subject: Re: Orange-jok
Date: 13 Dec 92 18:01:07 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.1992Dec13.180107.29513
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.

One thing U.S. culture lacks is the "guide line" by the school or by the
government on how to behave, what to read, what to do.  I do not see it as
a "lack" but as a strong point of the culture.

Korean culture is a uniform, homogeneous kind.  Everyone is expected to
have the same mentality and behave the same.  If someone acts differently,
two consequences are expected. 1. He/she quits whatever he/she is doing.
2.  Everyone else follows him/her.  Judging from the fashion, music or
anything of any subjective taste, Koreans move in mass.  The fact that all
your neighbors have it is a good enough reason to buy something.  In such
society, orange-jok who has an assertive behavior is a problem because the
rest have to follow them, since they can not change the orange-jok.

Indeed who cares how they spend the money they made?  Isn't it nice that
they are dumping the money inside Korea?  Stop criticizing and join the
party.  Open a bar, open a club and suck their money dry.

In article <gf_pbyG00XsL8QN0RO@andrew.cmu.edu> wc1q+@andrew.cmu.edu (Woncheal Choi) writes:
>Secondly and more seriously, they are top frontiers in importing low
>grade dirty cultures to Korea like using drugs, money worship,
>promiscuous sexual behaviors. Their behavior is beyond the imagination
>of normal koreans. Their mentality is totally different from that of
>average normal koreans. 

The "low grade culture" listed above are international trend.  I think
Koreans will get it with or without the help of OJ.  I do not know what
normal Korean is, but I think the word "normal" is relative.  One day, OJ
may become normal, and the rest left-over from the past.

>The problem is that they affect to other people and contaminate normal
>people's ethics.

This rings too much like one of those sermons at church.  Just out of my
own curiosity, do you listen to sermons regularly?  Church going people
seem to be well trained in passing judgements.  I got to the point where I
even recognize the vocabulary commonly used for such purpose.  Correct me
if I am wrong.

>  It is different between rich people in US who spend a
>lot and do whatever they want, and OJs who are doing the same thing in
>Korea.  Korea is more compacted society.

It is not its geographical "compactness" but it is uniformity that is
threatened.  Diversity is discouraged, individualism is avoided.

>It's like
>having  a diseased chicken in a chicken coop.  Their influence can be
>shown as a simple example.

True if the other chickens are stupid enough to envy the deseased chickens
and try to get sick themselves.  Unfortunately that is the case in Korea.

>Rap music is very popular  in korea these days.  There is a popular rap
>singer in Korea who even wears clothes like black people in US.  Why is
>the rap music that popular in Korea (even it might be more popular than
>in US) which is nothing but a black people's music ?  Rap music could
>become so intimidated to korean mainly by the night clubs which are OJ's
>main play ground and young singers who are OJs.  

There is ANY traditional Korean art/culture that is popular in Korea these
days.  EVERY SINGLE HIT SONG is written in western, equally tempered scale.
Everyone wears western clothes.  Nobody listens to tranditional Korean
music for pleasure.  There isn't a single radio station or program that
regularly broadcast "kung-ak".  So, your lament should be directed to ALL
Korean music, not just one type.

>Korean people's philosophy and ethic have been changing toward those of
>western culture and they are still changing. However, no guideline
>exists in accepting foreign cultures, so they are very susceptible to
>any class of culture.  

It always amazes me someone will want a guidance and control from the
government over the people's thought pattern.  While so many students are
fighting on the street with riot police for the freedom of their thought,
others are advocating the control.

Let me ask one question that I never got any clear answer to.  How should
the government control the in-flux of western religions such as
Christianity or Catholicism?

>I think OJ is a serious society problem because they are contributing in
>deteriorating korean people's mind by their low cultural tendency.   

Sick chickens will die out and health ones will remain.  It is a blessing
in disguise, just like plague in Europe.  It makes leaner, meaner, stronger
popluation.

>Woncheol

James Choi
Newsgroups: soc.culture.korean