[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.

 

 

[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]

Often times, plastic surgery is an attempt to meet a criteria that is forced upon us by another ethnicity or Western standards. Though its original purpose was to correct malformations from accidents, disease, or misshapen attributes, plastic surgery has trickled down to the masses.

Julie Chen, the wife of the former president of CBS, was criticized as an Asian American because she did not meet Western beauty standards. In an interview about her early days in American broadcast journalism, her supervisor said "...her eyes make her look like she is always tired..." Cultural pressures such as these led Julie to undergo radical facial surgery in order to appeal to Western audiences and thereby advance her career.

I have noticed, with the celebration of women's curves, especially fuller hips (gluteus minimus and gluteus maximus) that are celebrated on celebrities such as JLO, Cardi B, Meagan Thee Stallion, LIZZO, and Kim Kardashian, there has been some cultural spill over. Women of European and Asian decent are embracing implants for their hips in order to mimick the silhouette of popular music artists, which is something I never saw coming. Enhancment procedures usually take place in Mexico, Thailand, and other countries outside the US as it is exponentially cheaper to fly, reserve a hotel room, tour, eat, pay for the medical procedures and recover at a fraction of what it would cost in the US.

 

 

[Cheryl Watson]

kimbap and jjampong,

I consider food as a way to embrace differences in other cultures. My consumption of foods other than those which are associated with my heritage, becomes an icebreaker at lunch or when sharing a meal.  The article, 

1. Annie Lee and Kate Leonard, "A Gastronomic Study of 20th and 21st Century Korea: Retracing Korean Food From Japanese Colonization to Modern Times," Story Maps (November 18, 2020), https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/545067250fb54025937084555246f728. 

surprised me in that Koreans had to contend with food that served as a reminder of Japanese colonialism, while forging its own Korean identiy.  What does not surprise me is the transnationalism of dishes in and around the Korean penninsula. Shows such as Anthony Bourdain's adventurous foodie romp with multicultural cuisines, piqued my palate. My taste in food, much like my taste in music, is eclectic. However, there are some foods that I refuse to consume: live octipus, silk worm larve (or any larve). If my food is fighting me, let it live. 

[Cheryl Watson]

Zombie genre movies such as, "Train to Busan", "Carter" and "Train to Busan II: Peninsula", as well as class mobility (or lack thereof) in films such as "Parasite" depict the human experience. It is a subtle way to introduce Korean culture and society to American audiences. From movies to beauty products, to KPOP, their soft power has many Americans seekng out Korean restaurants, Korean series, and, for some, Korean language lessons and travel to South Korea.

[Cheryl Watson]

I appreciate Korean movies and series spoken in the original language. Sometimes dubbing, especially if it is poorly dubbed or acted,  detracts from the essence of the film. Netflix's "Carter" (2022) is a good example of genre bending in Korean cinema. Think James Bond, meets Mission Impossible franchise (2012 - 2020), meets, Kingsman: The Secret Service", meets Train to Busan. The stunts were a bit exhausting, but were an essential part of the film. 

[Cheryl Watson]

For those who watch Zombie movies, it becomes clear that class, ethnicity, and society structures come into play.  Glocalization is a new term for me. I appreciate the author's reference to the history of the term "Zombie", which has its roots in the enslavement of Africans in America.  

[Cheryl Watson]

Here are some recent articles and video regarding conditions within the "re-education camps" in Xianjing, China.

https://news.yahoo.com/uighur-man-recorded-life-inside-094559396.html

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-inside-a-uyghurs-quarantine-room-video-shows-shackles-filthy/

https://www.businessinsider.com/muslim-woman-describes-horrors-of-chinese-concentration-camp-2019-10?utm_source=yahoo.com&utm_medium=referral

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53650246

[Cheryl Watson]

I beg to differ with one opinion from Lopez's interpretation about a New Testament story regarding John the Baptist. In the USC East Asia forum, this reading claims that the story of John the Baptist, as well as the Gospels of Mark and John were plagerized from Buddhist encounters in Asia. There may be multiple stories citing a John, Mark, or John the Baptist type or figure, but that does not mean that these New Testament events were "borrowed" from a previously written Buddhist text or oral history.

[Cheryl Watson]

Personally, I have always enjoyed Classical music as a way to reflect, relax, and decompress.

I have found that Chinese students and Russian students love classical music, but also enjoy other forms of music as well. "Old things have become new" as "nerdy" pursuits have become cool again.

[Cheryl Watson]

Chinese classical musicians were very passionate about Classical music to the extent that they took their own lives when the Cultural Revolution forbade Western influence in any form. Perhaps for those musicians it was the only feeling or source of freedom remaining.

[Cheryl Watson]

China's use of classical music as  "soft power". China's heavy consumption of Classical music, due to its 1 billion possible consumers, has saved Classical music from near extinction save for aficionados of: chamber music, orchestral performances, and operas.

China's relentless pursuit of "high culture" through Classical music seems anathema to the Cultural Revolution that derided it. With the "One Child Policy" in different regions of China, parents felt that it was their duty to raise a child who excelled in everything: academics, music, sports. Though realistically speaking every child, no matter how bright, can be valedictorian. Chinese lead the way in Classical music consumption as a reflection of their upward economic mobility in the world.

Music, in and of itself is always changing and developing, giving its own interpretation to the listener. Psychologically speaking, music takes us to places of exhuberance and rememberance, easing the process of pain in its wake. For some listeners, heavy metal releases the rage, while others extole the virtures of big band music, pop music, jazz, classical, and gospel. 

For students who do not like history, music is a great way to engage them.

Yo Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble provides an excellent musical map of the Silk Road(s) through East Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East and Africa.

"The development of the SSO tracks the shifting sands of Shanghai’s interface with external cultures."

Music gave Chinese people an outlet of choice, but also a connection to the rest of the world. Classical music was exotic when it first arrived in China, as were its instruments. It is common for any culture to take food, art, music from afar and make it its own. China has accomplished this.

A few psychologists opine that babies and toddlers who listen to classical music (Bach, etc.) have better math and science aptitude.

Music evokes emotion. For many, playing music or listening to music provides escapism. Perhaps this is why learning to play Classical music took hold in China. It served as a form of rebellion and sabotage against govenmment imposed restrictions in addition to the common pressures of life.

Though Chinese consider classical music a reflection of high society, Russians consider jazz music and Louie Armstrong just as valuable. Some Classical music purists view jazz as a cacaphony of mindless folly, however, if one were to study jazz in its history and composition, it is far more complicated than classical concertos.

If music is form of rebellion, then jazz is a coop.

Russia, by comparison, leans heavily towards jazz, though its classical composers, like Rachmoninov, are numerous. One modern Russian jazz composer was facinated by the ecclectic rhthym of jazz.  It's the notes that you don't play that makes jazz so unique. With its variations, jazz was an escape from Russia's classical, marching band, nationalistic style of instrumental music that is typical in the former (USSR) Russia and China.

Students are always ready to discuss music, what they like, etc. There musical tastes spread far beyond ethnomusicology to trap, rap, punk, etc. A lesson on ethnomusicology would be a great way to introduce China, Korea and the like using a comparative model. I would include the rebellious nature of music as well to explain how music, even classical music, was used as a form of political and social protest in China. Dynastic Chinese rule and the resultant Cultlural Revolution are great examples of this type of protest. Chance the Rapper is very poetic in his discourse of social issues.

Students can discuss and write about current forms of popular music that serve as protestations to current events.

 

 

 

 

 

[Cheryl Watson]

Shane,

 

Thank you for the plethora of resources! It is greatly appreciated.

[Cheryl Watson]

Juana,

China has to be more conciliatory towards its Muslim population as continued oppression may lead to armed conflict and large scale rebellion. Now that China has had to pause its expansion of the BRI to focus on internal concerns and unrest, perhaps it will reconsider how China's Muslims factor in "...the shifting context of Islam..." in a Chinese setting.

[Cheryl Watson]

Natalie,

I find that many of my students would see similarities between how minorities in China are treated as compared to minority communities in the United States. It would lend itself as a great economic lesson and debate about how minorities fare economically as compared to the majority population in which they reside.

[Author]

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