163,678


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D19vcm8lGKA


My very successful, very nice University-educated cousin and former Catholic nun, 
Carolyn Desjardins, is a Korean War baby so I'm partial to Korea. 

THREE (3) THINGS stand out for me regarding South Korea:
1. South Korea culturally has set Asia on fire with its popularity - 
     especially with its Kpop.
2. Korea has been investing in Vietnam: A VERY SMART CHOICE. 
3. Given that South Korea population-wise and in terms of the size of its territory, 
    it is 50% smaller than Japan, the facts presented in this video show that BOTH
    ARE "AT PARITY": so KUDOS to South Korea. 

HOWEVER, ESL teachers' preference between the two has been for Japan: maybe,
now, that's changing.

THE OTHER MATTER, A VERY SERIOUS ONE - INDEED,  where Japan has THE UPPER 
HAND is dealing with RACISM.

I remember a Time Magazine FRONT PAGE in the early 1980s point out that racism 
(xenophobia) this was A SERIOUS PROBLEM in Japan. 

TO THE GREAT CREDIT OF JAPAN, THE GOV'T OF JAPAN HAS GONE OUT OF ITS WAY 
TO DEAL WITH THIS AND IT SHOWS: in fact, the Japanese, "now", are particularly fond 
of Japanese children of mixed-race believing them to be MORE ATTRACTIVE: SO KUDOS 
TO THE GOV'T OF JAPAN.

UNFORTUNATELY, the Korean racism I experienced came from the Korean ambassador
who was addressing the members of the University of Carleton Korean club of which
I was a "happy" member at a Korean restaurant near the intersection of Rideau
and Chapel in Ottawa in late September 1996.

He was telling the Korean students "IN A VERY ANGRY TONE" TO *NOT* FORGET THEY 
WERE KOREAN AND HE WENT ON ... AND ON ... AND ON ...  WITH THIS MESSAGE.

The Korean students were literally left "shell shock" and "numb" by HIS RANTING:
the few seated at my table "looked downwards" when they spoke to me: they were 
"SO ASHAMED"!

NEEDLESS TO SAY, I no longer wanted to be a member of that club knowing that my 
presence was NOT WANTED THERE BY THE GOV'T OF KOREA. 

PLUS, I "keep reading" ONLINE how IT'S "VERY NORMAL" to expect OLDER KOREANS 
(women especially) to be particularly insulting on the street to NON-ASIANS: hopefully, 
this is changing.

Here's A FUNNY ANECDOTE.

In June 2000, I had a handsome, young, 28- year-old, South Korean man, that worked 
for an important ship building company (He gave me his business card that confirmed
this.) who was "on holidays" come right up to me at the Toronto Reference Library near
the Bloor and Yonge Streets intersection in order to tell me that I did not have a chance
of success with my political party.

He was "so adamant".

I was "stunned" and "humbled". (Ha! Ha!)

Maybe, he's right - after all.

WHY ... WHY ... did he go out of his way ON HIS HOLIDAYS to come and tell me that, 
I'll NEVER know: STRANGE, "VERY" STRANGE.

PLUS, he was VERY NICE and SINCERE ABOUT IT. :D 

He didN'T want me to waste my time: I mean,  he really cared. :D

But, IN MY DEFENSE, let me say this: I'm Catholic
and we, Catholics, believe in miracles. (Ha! Ha!)

Interestingly, I was TOLD THE VERY SAME THING by a married, 30ish, Catholic South 
Korean theology student who was doing his PhD regarding the challenges of authentic 
translation of Holy Scripture who studied at the Toronto Reference Library. 

As a favour to me, he showed me what he was working on as I'm very interested in 
the subject matter.

He knew about my political party without me telling him anything about my political 
party.

He made a point of come up and tell me - IN A VERY NEGATIVE, DISDAINFUL TONE - 
that he FELT STRONGLY (like the young South Korean)  that I had NO CHANCE OF 
SUCCESS. None.

Yes, there are South Korean CIA agents, I had one as a roommate at the Toronto 
downtown Seaton House shelter, but I had no reason to believe they were CIA 
agents as THEY BOTH CHECKED OUT: CIA agents will "glibly" lie about anything 
and everything - without a second thought.



Kenneth Selin
President/Party Leader of the É(eh)PC
The Égalité Party of Canada
~~~
for theMAX!
http://www.eh-ok.ca