From: wjin@cs.uh.edu (W. Woody Jin)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.korean
Subject: Re: Orange-jok
Date: 14 Dec 1992 07:37:01 GMT
Organization: University of Houston
NNTP-Posting-Host: rodin.cs.uh.edu

In article <1992Dec14.062717.10343@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu> kim_nl@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Nina L Kim) writes:
>
>   The reason Korean society makes so much issue out of orange-jok
>or how rich spends their money is that it represents a major
>problem in Korea: an enormous gap between upper and lower classes.

You must see the slum area in NY or Houston.  I think that this gap is
much much bigger in USA than in Korea.     The problem in Korea is lack of
enough middle class rather than the gap b/w low class and high class.

>Not many rich people in Korea are from old money. Most people had
>to struggle after the War. There are some, due to unstable economy(?)
>'overnight riches'. 

This is rather due to the system (government) and you really cannot
blame such people.    If USA have had the same system as Korea, the situation
could have been similar (in fact, there were many such cases if you take a
close look at US history).  Basic thing is that everyone wants better life,
which can be possible by money.  And the system should control it.

>All these lead to attitude of 'money can buy everything'.  

I believe this is the true spirit in USA.

>It is extremely difficult for the lower class to move
>upward in the present Korean system.  

This is also true in USA (and probably in other places also).

>It's only natural that these
>people feel angered and frustrated in facing such people like orange-jok.

However bad they may feel, it does not justify to condemn how other people use
their own money.   I think that "SaChonYi TangSaMyeon BaeAhPeuDa" still
works quite well among Koreans.

One bad side effect is that usually such people do not know how to use
money *wisely*, so they pour their money in quite strange places -
alchohol, sex, ...etc.,  which again has bad side effects to young 
women that they can earn much money without hard working using their
young body.

Not many koreans do not know the real value of money, since they are
usually supported by their parents at least until they graduate from
college.

>   I know I am repeating what everyone heard all too many times. I
>certainly have not experienced how these people really feel. 

>Only thing is that no matter how valid the theory is, human feeling
>shouldn't be ignored.  

And it should be both way.

>Personally I do not believe in kind of 
>individualism America is tending towards.  I find unity-oriented
>philosophy more sound and  perhapse more functional for today's
>societies.

I prefer both at the same time. Extremety always causes problems.

>   As for 'rap music' issue, I agree with the rest of followups. (I
>thought that Su Taeji group is quite talented: I never liked rap until
>I listened to them.  And from what I saw from the interview on tv,
>they seem to be smart too)

Wide spread of rap music is one of good proofs that human culture/civilization
does not alway improve.

>Because Korea is not middle-class oriented culture and its elitism,
>there is very little respect for mainstream.  

This is quite true.

>I doubt that any Korean 
>universities will ever have course on Goo bong Su or Su Taeji unlike
>Harvard and other universities offering courses on Madona.

I don't think that Harvard always chooses the right direction, though.


-- 
____   ____  ____ ____________________________________ (___) _________________
|  |   |  |  |  |  W. Woody Jin (wjin@cs.uh.edu)       (o o)      Moo.... 
|  |   |  |__|  |  PhD Student. Research Asst.  o=======\ /  I'm  a Cow Lover.
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