This was recently posted on Facebook.... A fantastic little experiment, though I worry that this could simply become an opportunity to point more fingers at Koreans. The lesson, I think, is not "look at how racist Koreans are", but what does this say about me and my own place here? How is this similar or different to other major cities across the world? How can we learn from this?
I'm not sure how I can work this into my teaching. I'd like to do something that that doesn't point fingers at Korean people. In fact, I find Korean people that I meet with on a daily basis extremely open about discussing these sorts of issues. What I'm after is some way to use this clip as an entry point into questions about subjectivity and the role of race in all societies. Please post any ideas below. I'll comment on any ideas that come up.
I found the video amusing. Racism in Korea...does it exist? Yes. Does this video portray this? I don't think it does. If you look at how the white man and the asian man ask people directions, they differ. The white man says, "Excuse me, how do I go to COEX?" while the asian man says, "Excuse me, excuse me...." Also, the body language of both parties differ. The white man kind of blocked their path while the asian moved away. I think it would be a better indicator if both parties asked the same way and had the same body language.
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