Ultra patriotism in Korea

Introducing Korea to foreigners. This was an assignment I gave my high schoolers a couple of months ago. These boys have been brainwashed into believing that kimchi is the world's most sacred ingredient and that it makes Koreans perfect. I'm pretty sure most foreigners would vehemently disagree.

I haven't really encountered much of it, but I did come here prepared for a whopper of an experience. On the other hand, I'm absolutely used to intense, nearly fascist nationalism. After all, I come from Quebec, land of the linguistic and cultural skirmishes with the rest of Canada. Land, also, of separatism and of "they invaded us, the bastards" and "well why should we speak their language since they came into our province".


I kind of grew up on the outskirts of all those debates. See, on the one side, my dad's family is separatist. On my mother's, federalism pretty much wins the pot. So... we never talked about politics at home, and frankly I treat voting duty like a good citizen but don't give a crap about it since all of them big-shot puppets are going to lie and screw us anyway.


Ahem. But yeah. I did grow up amongst the whole "we are better than them" mentality. Canada is better than the US because we can leave our doors unlocked, Quebec is better than Canada because we stayed French despite all odds, Montreal is better than Quebec City because we're multicultural, French is better than English because they stole loads from us anyway... blah blah blah. So I've heard it all, and I'm impervious to it now. In fact, all of it amuses me.


But Korea is sometimes scary.


Let me explain: Whereas Montreal pride is a kind of "anyone who lives in Montreal is a Montrealer" with a usually mutual respect of different cultures and backgrounds, here in Korea anyone who is not Korean may be aggressively and arrogantly treated. You'll be nearing the bus stop when an ahjumma under the bus shelter will stop whatever she's doing and stare at you quite openly, sometimes with a slightly dark look, like you don't belong. You'll be in the taxi telling the driver where you want to go when he'll laugh at your pronunciation. You'll be at the beach getting out of the restroom in your swimsuit when a crabby ahjumma will stare you down like you're the biggest whore the world has ever seen (I do not own a bikini by the way).You'll be dying and sweating buckets in your large-strapped tank top, for gawd's sake, and your kids will make faces and point at your chest like you're actually showing mad cleavage (I have none).


All of this isn't ultra-nationalism at all, but it brings me to this point: Korea is far too isolated for its own good. Something "alien" comes along and they buck up at the first contact.

And now we get to ultra-nationalism: extreme isolation defines a people very rigidly. Isn't Quebec ultra-nationalist because it is the only French stronghold in North America? Doesn't Quebec vociferate about keeping the "purity" of the language (French) because it is afraid of being assimilated? (Don't even get me started on the vociferating idiots who can't even spell or write a sentence without a million grammatical mistakes)

And I saw this in Quebec as well: the younger generation is most vocal one.

Please, Korea. Please don't let yourself go down the arrogant route any further. It's not pretty. It generates hatred and violence.