Comments on: Xenophobia for Kids http://toshuo.com/2006/xenophobia-for-kids/ Chinese, Linguistics, Science, Cultural Observations and whatever else I feel like writing about Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:47:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Josh http://toshuo.com/2006/xenophobia-for-kids/#comment-11100 Josh Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:17:40 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2006/xenophobia-for-kids/#comment-11100 The art projects are probably the result of a Geography/History lesson. The Korean (and I can't read much) suggests the kids are claiming that Dok-Do (Dok Island - you can Wikipedia it) is Korean. I can't remember much about it. Some disputed, scraggly set of tiny islands in the East Sea/Sea of Japan. Something that ought to be confined to fishing and natural gas rights disputes has been turned into a major national campaign. The Koreans claim it. The Japanese claim it. Some Koreans see it like a litmus test of future Japanese expansionism. If you REALLY want to piss off a Korean guy, mention Dokdo after a couple of bottles of soju. But it isn't new. It's been going on for hundreds of years. Many Koreans (like many mainlanders) hold a pretty strong grudge against the Japanese for the occupation, war crimes, rape culture, and the systematic destruction of Korean lifestyle, history and language. Probably similar (though I'm just guessing) to how some native Taiwanese feel about the post '49 neighbors. It's a healthy dose of anti-Japanese Nationalism/propaganda, but I wouldn't call it xenophobic. I haven't been to Taiwan yet, but ROK is a pretty open, friendly place - even to the Japanese. Josh Qingdao peer-see.com The art projects are probably the result of a Geography/History lesson. The Korean (and I can’t read much) suggests the kids are claiming that Dok-Do (Dok Island - you can Wikipedia it) is Korean. I can’t remember much about it. Some disputed, scraggly set of tiny islands in the East Sea/Sea of Japan. Something that ought to be confined to fishing and natural gas rights disputes has been turned into a major national campaign. The Koreans claim it. The Japanese claim it. Some Koreans see it like a litmus test of future Japanese expansionism. If you REALLY want to piss off a Korean guy, mention Dokdo after a couple of bottles of soju. But it isn’t new. It’s been going on for hundreds of years.

Many Koreans (like many mainlanders) hold a pretty strong grudge against the Japanese for the occupation, war crimes, rape culture, and the systematic destruction of Korean lifestyle, history and language. Probably similar (though I’m just guessing) to how some native Taiwanese feel about the post ‘49 neighbors.

It’s a healthy dose of anti-Japanese Nationalism/propaganda, but I wouldn’t call it xenophobic. I haven’t been to Taiwan yet, but ROK is a pretty open, friendly place - even to the Japanese.

Josh
Qingdao
peer-see.com

]]> By: Mark http://toshuo.com/2006/xenophobia-for-kids/#comment-10834 Mark Tue, 14 Nov 2006 06:43:47 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2006/xenophobia-for-kids/#comment-10834 They made it to the top page of Reddit the day before I posted them. That's how I found them. Do you know any more details about them? Have you ever seen this sort of thing personally? I'm kind of just shocked. I've never seen anything remotely like that here in Taiwan. They made it to the top page of Reddit the day before I posted them. That’s how I found them. Do you know any more details about them? Have you ever seen this sort of thing personally?

I’m kind of just shocked. I’ve never seen anything remotely like that here in Taiwan.

]]> By: EFL Geek http://toshuo.com/2006/xenophobia-for-kids/#comment-10830 EFL Geek Tue, 14 Nov 2006 06:09:17 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2006/xenophobia-for-kids/#comment-10830 Those pictures are quite old. Those pictures are quite old.

]]>