Week 3 - K-dramas and TV (August 16th)

[Courtney Caldwell]

I completely agree that I found it so incredibly wild that there were multiple shows that highlight dads simply being dads. I suppose given the traditional gender roles it's not totally surprising, but rather shocking that it's something focused on in multiple shows. I think I find it discouraging that it's so "celebrated" (I'm not sure that's the word I really want to use) for men but women being mothers is just expected as the norm.

[Taylor Bub]

I found it interesting that they portray eating more often as well.  I wonder if it has to do with a portrayal of being very healthy, and having an appetite is a sign of a person being healthy?

Also, I never knew that actors were actually eating in British TV shows.  It makes me think of shows like the bachelor or bachelorette, where they go on dates and have full plates of food set in front of them that they do not eat from.  I wonder if it is a more typically American thing to sort of encourage not eating as being 'normal'.

[Taylor Bub]

It is definitely intereasting that so many K-dramas are more about vengeance, however, I feel that the ending of Squid Game (SPOILERS) was actually a little bit hopeful.  Seong Gi-hun, the main character, that wins at the end, refuses to kill his childhood friend at the end because he is tired of the death and sadness all around him, and he only wins because his childhood friend sacrifices himself for Gi-hun.  I think this demonstrated that even with all of the terrible things that were happening, there was still good that could be found in the world.

[KeaneJerrica]

You might want to approach that student to ask if they would be open to speaking to their experiences without opening asking.putting the student on the spot. Otherwise, I would say yes, you'd want to explore the other cultures as well. It really depends on the students though. Personally, I would individually ask the student(s) to share in class. 

[Courtney Caldwell]

I agree with Jerrica here. Centering student voice is SO powerful, but can actually be quite damaging if the student is put on the spot and asked to speak for an entire group. I think speaking to them individually to explain the importance of their stories and how you'd love to hear their voice in class would be super powerful. I also agree that if you do it for one group you should highlight all groups. 

[Courtney Caldwell]

I enjoyed reading your perspective on the child like presentation of the games. I hadn't actually considered the privileged class looking down on the players like children though it makes complete sense. Also agree that the "shock" factor is absolutely something that hooked me - it really kept me wondering what would happen next. And even with the expectation of things that would shock me, I was still left so surprised at the decisions made during some episodes, particularly during the marbles game. 

[Jennifer Jung-Kim]

The haenyeo are one of the many cool things about Jeju! 

Koreans do like basketball, but soccer is by far most popular. 

It is illegal for ordinary North Koreans to possess South Korean content, but people do get it. South Koreans often send balloons with USBs over the DMZ, and people also get it on the black market. And some people close to the Chinese border can get content that way. 

[Jennifer Jung-Kim]

I forgot to show the results of our Mentimeter word cloud survey (please see attached file).

And please remind me if there were other unanswered questions! 

 

 

 

Attachments:

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[Kara Schwartz]

Just started watching "It's okay not be okay" Love the acting, soundtrack, genre jumping, great cinematography and style! New favorite only 16 episodes on Netflix!

And that make tons of reference to American films. This show has universal appeal.

[Cheryl Watson]

The games are brutal in themselves, but the presence of the sponsors makes matters worse

and even more disgusting. Wearing gilded animal masks and resting their feet on the bodies of

human furniture, the VIPs are representations of everything viewers most likely hate – empty

opulence, disrespect toward one’s fellow man, and a lack of empathy that’s practically

inhuman. It is, however, very satisfying to see one of them receive a much-earned lesson from

Jun-ho.

 

Squid Game is an addictive show to watch though I will never see "Red Light/Green Light" the same way again.  The color choice between the red and blue tiles as offered to the protagonist reminds me of Mopheus who offers NEO the red or blue pill. One color will allow the character to wake up at home and go along their inertia inducing life, or the other color to experience "how far this rabbit hole goes".

 

 

[Cheryl Watson]

The "...gap between Korean men and women is also significant, as women earn only 63% of

what their male counterparts bring in (Ying, 2018). The Korean state, however, has a

great deal to gain from dual-income hetero households that share domestic tasks between

 

partners. Recent studies show that Korea’s low fertility rate is directly linked to house-

hold gender inequality; in family dynamics, the likelihood of a second birth is found to

 

be significantly higher when the father plays an integral role in childcare and home

maintenance (Yoon, 2016b). Studies of hetero couples that share domestic labor also

show an increase in its per capita income, demonstrating the public’s economic benefit

of gender equality that originates in the private domain (Kim et al., 2016). The Korean

government has been expressly concerned over the national birth rate decline in the last

two decades. In February 2019, Korea recorded the lowest number of births in its history

(Yonhap, 2019)."

 

 

It surprised me that Korean gender pay gaps mirror that of the United States in the early 1980s. Perhaps the patriarcial bent is a result of 

indoctrination towards gender roles as is common in almost every country in the world.

 

Japanese colonialism, American soft power,  followed by a South Korean dictatorship that ended in the 1980s, South Korea, like many developing and developed nations, may have advanced technology, but still lag behind with regard to gender equity. 

 

The ubiquitious double standard calls women to parent their children while fathers/husbands only have to babysit when the mom is otherwise occupied. South Korea's gender pay gap and traditionalist views of women in the home, has led to a substantial decrease in the birth rate as recently as 2019. Countries such as Japan and Italy have endured the same waning birth rate due to its patriarcial standards that limits women to the home and eschews women who work outside the home.

 

One temporary solution is to relax immigarion laws thereby allowing citizenship for those who wish to emigrate to Italy, Japan, and South Korea. Americans seeking dual citizenship have far more oppprtunities to supplement their US passport. However, this will not solve the declining population. Should this trend continue in South Korea, Japan, or Italy, the consequences of patriarchy will impact these nations economically, socially, and politically as radical elements try to fill the void left by modernists who moved abroad.

 

Consequently, a lower birth rate means population decline and fewer people to take care of the elderly.   More Japanese, Italian, South Korean citizens have moved abroad for better economic opportunities, as well as the feeling of greater independence.

 

 

[Daniel Moon]

I also agree that the juxtaposition of the children's games and bright colors against the desperation of this capitalism-caused game is both fascinating and tragic at the same time. We as an audience can't look away. Even though it's a commentary on capitalistic society, the spectacle element has even made some detach themselves from the "point" of the story completely. Although it is entertainment, it's a little sad to see how little impact the true messaging of the show had on society as a whole--maybe we are all too happy being rats in the rat race after all...

[Taylor Bub]

I agree with your comment regarding how men are seen as babysitting rather than expected to parent.  I know that this is something that is especially relevant in American culture, where women are expected to stay home and care for the family, while men are expected to provide.  I think about how men are celebrated and praised or even regarded with surprise when someone finds out that they participate in the parenting of their own children, as if caring for and helping around the house is some great extra thing that they should never have to do.  It seems fairly close minded, but it had never dawned on me that these cultural 'expecatations' of men to not participate were so prelevant in other cultures.

[ParkLisa]

I agree. Korean dramas take you into a different world. When Extraordinary Attorney Woo came on Netflix, I was drawn into her world.  As a teacher, I've had students similar to Woo - he who could not deal with sensory overload and would have a melt down in the beginning of the year.  He also did the same thing with his hands like Woo did.  When the drama showed how Woo experienced the world, I understood what my student was going through.  That show was so enlightening.  Another show that helped me understand students with depression was Our Blues.  In the show, one of the character has depression and cannot get out of bed.  She sleeps and wakes up, only to realize the who day has passed.  Shows like Woo and Our Blues really helped me empathize with my students in a new way because I was able to see what they go through.  I think that's another reason why people love Korean dramas.  They allow you to learn about life and about people in a new way.  And what Lisa said - "find myself thinking about the stories even after they are done" - is so true.   

[ParkLisa]

In scenes with the mother-in-law and daughter-in-laws, food is a way to show the hierarchy and the power dynamic.  The daughter-in-law is always the one who must make the food and serve and eat last while the mother-in-law watches, teaches, or relaxes.  However, there are some dramas that show the mother-in-law making the meal and delivering it to the daughter-in-law's house while the daughter-in-law works. That would be a family where the daughter-in-law comes from a wealthy family and has married the husband from a poor family. It's also interesting that during company drinking time, the workers who have had too much and say their honest opinions are excused because they have had too much to drink.  

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