Anyone who is African or African-American will tell you that they have trouble taking taxis in South Korea, that people refuse to sit next to them when using public transportation and that some stores refuse to sell them anything. Other complaints include Koreans refusing to speak English to them even when they do, or Koreans telling them outright that they dislike "black" people.
Where does this originate from? I will argue that there are two origins.
The first one is an older version, when in the 19th century European scientists attempted to define "black" people as the "inferior race". Let me explain. It was argued that the human being evolved in Africa, thus starting off as black, then moved to Asia, thus becoming Asian, then to Europe, thus evolving to its final, most perfect state-white. Therefore scientists argued that fetuses started off as Black, evolved as Asian and then came out as white. Fetuses that came out black meant that they did not evolve properly, and those who came out Asian only evolved partially. Dr. Down, who discovered the Down syndrome was himself a supporter of this theory and coined the term "Mongolian" to describe his patients who had the down syndrome because he argued that they had stopped evolving at the "Asian" phase. Of course this theory has been completely discredited since World War II.
This means that for a number of years, many people in the world did believe that black people were primitive men who had failed to evolve as "perfect" men. Though few Koreans would directly prove this theory right, you will often hear Koreans say that "Black people are primitive", that they "still marry several wives" and that they "refuse to dress up as westerners" and are not "suitable for an industrialized economy".
Let me stop here for a second. As a linguist, I should argue that one of the first theories to demonstrate scientifically that all men regardless of color or ethnicity were equal was a linguistics theory: Noam Chomsky's Universal Grammar. Chomsky argued that all men had a "grammar component" in their brain that made them acquire any language they were exposed to, and that therefore you could be from a hunter-gatherer tribe in Africa, then be adopted by a family in Cambridge, Massachusetts, grow up in a White middle class environment, speak just like people surrounding you speak, and why not end up attending Harvard or the MIT.
The second theory is a socio-economic theory which encourages racism towards black people in Korea. Koreans are convinced that most countries with majority black popualations are poor countries, and that African-Americans and black minorities around the world tend to be economically deprived. This fact tends to confirm their first intuition according to which black people are inherently inferior. But let's stop here again. Bermuda, a British territory but which is partly independent, is mainly populated by black people. It is by far the richest territory in the world. Its per capita GDP is 91,000 US dollars. It is a territory where you will see black people working as CEOs, chairmen, doctors, lawyers and any fine profession you can think of. The Bahamas, another country with a majority of black people, also ranks higher than South Korea in per capita GDP.
Fear of black people and racism towards black people has the same roots in Korea as it does in other industrialized countries where black people are minorities. Racism has been somewhat appeased through black role models in some countries (African-American singers and actors in the United States, soccer players in the UK and Turkey, tennis players in France) and while Hines Ward's popularity did change Korean people's views on biracial children, it certainly did little to change Korean people's views on Africans and African-Americans.
Showing posts with label immigration in Korea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label immigration in Korea. Show all posts
Defining racism in Korea
Foreigners tend to jump to conclusions and are quick to say that whenever something does not please them about Korean people, it's because Korean people are racist.
Before we start asking the question of what is racism in Korea, we should ask ourselves the question of who is racist in Korea: the Korean who refuses to sit next to a foreigner, who openly states that he dislikes foreigners, laws that prohibit foreigners from buying cell phones and limit their right to having health care?
Or the foreigner who calls Koreans "stupid", "insular", "sectarian", who claims that they are incapable of learning English, that they are "weird" people who don't fit in the global community etc. etc.?
Defining racism without judging a person is a hard thing to do. But let's try to do that. Most societies in the world have a story, a legend or a book that claims directly or indirectly that their way of life is the best. With the advent of science and technology, there was even an attempt by white people to define themselves as scientifically superior to all other people. Until as late as the 1950s, many scientists considered valid the theory according the which white men had evolved from black and Asian men and that they represented humanity in its perfect state. Even in recent years, scientists have tried to demonstrate that AIDS was related to race in some way, that black people were predisposed to getting AIDS and that Asians were not. Other theories have suggested that black people were biologically more fit for activities like sports and dancing and that white people were biologically more fit for intellectual activities. These theories still have not been discarded, although there is very strong scientific evidence contradicting these facts.
Geneticists and biologists have demonstrated that in fact black populations and Asian populations had as much variation as their genes as any other people and that genetically there is no such thing as "white people", "black people" or "Asian people". Calling someone a "white" person has social implications in the sense that it does define his identity, but very little genetic implications as he may be genetically very different from any other white person.
What does this mean for Korea? Over the past 4 centuries white people have tried every method to prove that they were superior people. White people stopped using the term superior or explicitly claiming that they were better than other peoples after the Holocaust, but Korea is one of those countries where it can clearly be seen that white people do have this heritage of thinking of itself as a "superior" race.
If not, why is it then that foreigners criticize everything in Korea from food to people ("Koreans lack self-confidence", "Koreans don't want to mix with foreigners", "Koreans are too stupid to learn English"), to the culture ("Koreans have a hierarchical society which is bad", "Korean workers kiss their boss's behinds", "Koreans are hypocrites and will never say the truth to your face"). From what perspective are all the things that I just described "bad"? Certainly not from a Korean perspective... Just like every society on earth, people tend to think that their way of doing things is the "best" way. More so that for centuries now the white race has been trying to prove that it is a superior race, and that therefore its way of life is superior to other people's way of life, and that with globalization some non-white people have actually bought this theory and started questioning themselves.
As for Koreans, there have been some verbal assaults on foreigners reported (marginal ones) and I've never heard about a physical assault on a foreigner. Here's a Q and A session on the reasons Koreans behave in what some call a "racist" way:
Why aren't foreigners allowed to buy cell phones?:
As I have said many times, Koreans place huge importance on trust. They feel that they can not trust someone who will buy a cell phone and who may leave the country without paying his phone bills. Koreans want to identify people who use cell phones through a very strict identification system because of a security law since the country is technically at war. Since foreigners' identification usually expires within a year, and that contracts tend to last for at least a year, they do not allow foreigners to buy cell phones.
Why can't foreign students get health care?:
Koreans consider a wife or a boss at a company to be legal sponsors, but not universities. The health care system requires that foreigners get a sponsor, be affiliated with an organization to get health care. Because universities are large crowded areas where people have relative freedom and no official sponsor, Korean authorities don't consider universities as organizations. Health care is partly covered by the Korean government, partly by companies, but is not covered by universities. And foreign students do not pay taxes and do not have parents who pay taxes in Korea, and it is therefore considered that the government should not pay for things that citizens do not pay taxes for in return.
Why do Koreans refuse to sit next to foreigners in buses or subways?:
There is an etiquette for who to sit next to in buses or subways in Korea. People should choose to sit to the person who resembles them the most. Young men will chose to sit in priority next to young men, then old men, then old women, then young women. Old women will choose to sit next to old women, young women, young men, old women. Foreigners are considered not to fit in the "identity criteria" and are placed last in the list, because they resemble Koreans the least. That is because while Koreans can act in predictable ways, foreigners act in unpredictable ways.
Why do Koreans use 반말 when they speak to foreigners?
Any older person can use 반말 with a person who is visibly younger or the same age, and the same is done with Koreans. Though it is not the "recommended" thing to do, many do not follow the rule.
Other questions, including why Koreans don't hire non-white people for English teaching jobs, why Koreans grab and push foreigners rather than talk to them, etc. have been answered in this blog.
The point is that while some Koreans may claim to dislike foreigners, it may not compare with how much foreigners claim to dislike Koreans.
Before we start asking the question of what is racism in Korea, we should ask ourselves the question of who is racist in Korea: the Korean who refuses to sit next to a foreigner, who openly states that he dislikes foreigners, laws that prohibit foreigners from buying cell phones and limit their right to having health care?
Or the foreigner who calls Koreans "stupid", "insular", "sectarian", who claims that they are incapable of learning English, that they are "weird" people who don't fit in the global community etc. etc.?
Defining racism without judging a person is a hard thing to do. But let's try to do that. Most societies in the world have a story, a legend or a book that claims directly or indirectly that their way of life is the best. With the advent of science and technology, there was even an attempt by white people to define themselves as scientifically superior to all other people. Until as late as the 1950s, many scientists considered valid the theory according the which white men had evolved from black and Asian men and that they represented humanity in its perfect state. Even in recent years, scientists have tried to demonstrate that AIDS was related to race in some way, that black people were predisposed to getting AIDS and that Asians were not. Other theories have suggested that black people were biologically more fit for activities like sports and dancing and that white people were biologically more fit for intellectual activities. These theories still have not been discarded, although there is very strong scientific evidence contradicting these facts.
Geneticists and biologists have demonstrated that in fact black populations and Asian populations had as much variation as their genes as any other people and that genetically there is no such thing as "white people", "black people" or "Asian people". Calling someone a "white" person has social implications in the sense that it does define his identity, but very little genetic implications as he may be genetically very different from any other white person.
What does this mean for Korea? Over the past 4 centuries white people have tried every method to prove that they were superior people. White people stopped using the term superior or explicitly claiming that they were better than other peoples after the Holocaust, but Korea is one of those countries where it can clearly be seen that white people do have this heritage of thinking of itself as a "superior" race.
If not, why is it then that foreigners criticize everything in Korea from food to people ("Koreans lack self-confidence", "Koreans don't want to mix with foreigners", "Koreans are too stupid to learn English"), to the culture ("Koreans have a hierarchical society which is bad", "Korean workers kiss their boss's behinds", "Koreans are hypocrites and will never say the truth to your face"). From what perspective are all the things that I just described "bad"? Certainly not from a Korean perspective... Just like every society on earth, people tend to think that their way of doing things is the "best" way. More so that for centuries now the white race has been trying to prove that it is a superior race, and that therefore its way of life is superior to other people's way of life, and that with globalization some non-white people have actually bought this theory and started questioning themselves.
As for Koreans, there have been some verbal assaults on foreigners reported (marginal ones) and I've never heard about a physical assault on a foreigner. Here's a Q and A session on the reasons Koreans behave in what some call a "racist" way:
Why aren't foreigners allowed to buy cell phones?:
As I have said many times, Koreans place huge importance on trust. They feel that they can not trust someone who will buy a cell phone and who may leave the country without paying his phone bills. Koreans want to identify people who use cell phones through a very strict identification system because of a security law since the country is technically at war. Since foreigners' identification usually expires within a year, and that contracts tend to last for at least a year, they do not allow foreigners to buy cell phones.
Why can't foreign students get health care?:
Koreans consider a wife or a boss at a company to be legal sponsors, but not universities. The health care system requires that foreigners get a sponsor, be affiliated with an organization to get health care. Because universities are large crowded areas where people have relative freedom and no official sponsor, Korean authorities don't consider universities as organizations. Health care is partly covered by the Korean government, partly by companies, but is not covered by universities. And foreign students do not pay taxes and do not have parents who pay taxes in Korea, and it is therefore considered that the government should not pay for things that citizens do not pay taxes for in return.
Why do Koreans refuse to sit next to foreigners in buses or subways?:
There is an etiquette for who to sit next to in buses or subways in Korea. People should choose to sit to the person who resembles them the most. Young men will chose to sit in priority next to young men, then old men, then old women, then young women. Old women will choose to sit next to old women, young women, young men, old women. Foreigners are considered not to fit in the "identity criteria" and are placed last in the list, because they resemble Koreans the least. That is because while Koreans can act in predictable ways, foreigners act in unpredictable ways.
Why do Koreans use 반말 when they speak to foreigners?
Any older person can use 반말 with a person who is visibly younger or the same age, and the same is done with Koreans. Though it is not the "recommended" thing to do, many do not follow the rule.
Other questions, including why Koreans don't hire non-white people for English teaching jobs, why Koreans grab and push foreigners rather than talk to them, etc. have been answered in this blog.
The point is that while some Koreans may claim to dislike foreigners, it may not compare with how much foreigners claim to dislike Koreans.
More on Korean langauge education and immigration
Most foreign students studying Korean know that while knowledge of Korean language is a must to enter the Korean job market, mere knowledge of Korean will not help them get a job in their countries. If one speaks English, Korean can be a plus to get a job in China or Southeast Asia, but knowledge of Korean alone can only get such students as far as getting low paid translation jobs or jobs as tourist guides in their country, but no high paying jobs.
Therefore most Korean language students have one thing in mind: they want to stay in Korea for as long as they can. After all learning Korean can be a huge investment: 6-8 million won a year plus housing and daily expenses. Foreign students of Korean do not want to invest that much money to go back to their countries and get low-paying jobs.
This is not only true of Chinese and Southeast Asian students. Many Russian, European and North American students invest in learning Korean so that they can get a job in Korea. The problem is will the Korean job market accept them?
So far, entering the Korean job market is very competitive and even Koreans have a tough time getting a decent job. Positions for foreigners are limited, Korean companies will put the priority on Koreans for any job that Koreans can do. Even jobs like translation, where technically foreigners should be hired, Koreans hire locals to perform such tasks. As I mentioned previously, Koreans work with people they can trust and know they feel comfortable with. They would rather choose a Korean who respects the local etiquette but performs poorly at tasks than a foreign who can get the job done but behaves "exotically".
What does this mean for Korea? This means that Korea will have an abundant number of foreigners who are unqualified in their countries who will desperately try to stay in Korea. No matter what visa restrictions the Korean government will impose on them, such students will find ways to come back to Korea and get a job.
Such foreigners are "economic immigrants". They choose to live in Korea not because they like the culture but because they can have higher salaries in Korea than back home. They will make little efforts to adjust to Korean culture.
Technically, the Korean government knows the consequences of such issues: the formation of "ghettos", racial discrimination which can result in riots. Last year, when Korean protesters tried to stop the Olympic torch from traveling around Korea in protest for the treatment of Tibetans in China, and Chinese students, most of them studying Korean, gathered in front of those protesters and violent clashes occurred between Chinese and Korean protesters.
Such clashes may happen frequently once a group of angry qualified foreign workers speaking Korean and holding Korean degrees but facing economic and cultural discrimination will try to make their voices heard.
Therefore most Korean language students have one thing in mind: they want to stay in Korea for as long as they can. After all learning Korean can be a huge investment: 6-8 million won a year plus housing and daily expenses. Foreign students of Korean do not want to invest that much money to go back to their countries and get low-paying jobs.
This is not only true of Chinese and Southeast Asian students. Many Russian, European and North American students invest in learning Korean so that they can get a job in Korea. The problem is will the Korean job market accept them?
So far, entering the Korean job market is very competitive and even Koreans have a tough time getting a decent job. Positions for foreigners are limited, Korean companies will put the priority on Koreans for any job that Koreans can do. Even jobs like translation, where technically foreigners should be hired, Koreans hire locals to perform such tasks. As I mentioned previously, Koreans work with people they can trust and know they feel comfortable with. They would rather choose a Korean who respects the local etiquette but performs poorly at tasks than a foreign who can get the job done but behaves "exotically".
What does this mean for Korea? This means that Korea will have an abundant number of foreigners who are unqualified in their countries who will desperately try to stay in Korea. No matter what visa restrictions the Korean government will impose on them, such students will find ways to come back to Korea and get a job.
Such foreigners are "economic immigrants". They choose to live in Korea not because they like the culture but because they can have higher salaries in Korea than back home. They will make little efforts to adjust to Korean culture.
Technically, the Korean government knows the consequences of such issues: the formation of "ghettos", racial discrimination which can result in riots. Last year, when Korean protesters tried to stop the Olympic torch from traveling around Korea in protest for the treatment of Tibetans in China, and Chinese students, most of them studying Korean, gathered in front of those protesters and violent clashes occurred between Chinese and Korean protesters.
Such clashes may happen frequently once a group of angry qualified foreign workers speaking Korean and holding Korean degrees but facing economic and cultural discrimination will try to make their voices heard.
Why they will only hire white English teachers?
This question has been the object of heated debates among citizens of countries where English is widely spoken as a first language but which are not qualified to teach English in Korea, i.e., India, the Philippines and several countries in African and the Caribbean. Some have accused Koreans of being racist. I have heard the craziest excuses regarding this question. Some (Americans) even told me that African Americans, Indians etc. were not genetically feat to teach English. Others claimed that Black people and Indians had an "accent". What would a linguist think?
If you ask me, the fact that they hire teachers from Ireland or South Africa, Scotland or Wales, Australia or New Zealand means Koreans have no problems with accent. You can argue all you want, a Scottish accent, a Wales accent or a South African accent has as many differences as the differences between an American accent and an Indian accent. To be more specific, if you record a Scottish person, an Indian person, a Philippino, a Nigerian, a Jamaican, a New Yorker and a Texan pronounce the same word, the charts analyzing tone, stress, intonation etc. will all be completely different.
So why White people. Koreans do not consider accent as a requirement to teach, they consider socio-economic factors.
Koreans want English teachers to be temporary teachers and to stay in Korea temporarily. They want them to be people who, once they go back home, can find better jobs and make more money. They don't want teachers who teach for the money, they want teachers who teach because they want an adventure, they want to be in contact with Korean people and who are happy to teach.
English teachers from African and Asian, or English speaking countries in the Caribbean would come teach English in Korea because of the high salary, not because they want to teach English. Most importantly, they would be reluctant to go back to their country and would try every trick in the book to spend as much time as they can in Korea. They would also bring over their families, and settle in Korea, and since their stay in Korea will be motivated by economic rather than cultural motives, they will have very little interaction with Koreans. This is not something the Korean government would not like to happen.
Finally, Koreans learn English because they have to in order to get a job. Their role models are successful businessmen. As there are very few non-White western successful businessmen, they want their teachers to look like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Therefore, even Moroccan, Iranian or Turkish teachers who have more or less the same features as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs (Jobs is part Syrian) they will be hired by hagwons to teach English even though it is technically illegal.
Therefore, Koreans want their English teachers to:
1- Leave Korea as quickly as possible
2- Look like middle class western citizens.
If you ask me, the fact that they hire teachers from Ireland or South Africa, Scotland or Wales, Australia or New Zealand means Koreans have no problems with accent. You can argue all you want, a Scottish accent, a Wales accent or a South African accent has as many differences as the differences between an American accent and an Indian accent. To be more specific, if you record a Scottish person, an Indian person, a Philippino, a Nigerian, a Jamaican, a New Yorker and a Texan pronounce the same word, the charts analyzing tone, stress, intonation etc. will all be completely different.
So why White people. Koreans do not consider accent as a requirement to teach, they consider socio-economic factors.
Koreans want English teachers to be temporary teachers and to stay in Korea temporarily. They want them to be people who, once they go back home, can find better jobs and make more money. They don't want teachers who teach for the money, they want teachers who teach because they want an adventure, they want to be in contact with Korean people and who are happy to teach.
English teachers from African and Asian, or English speaking countries in the Caribbean would come teach English in Korea because of the high salary, not because they want to teach English. Most importantly, they would be reluctant to go back to their country and would try every trick in the book to spend as much time as they can in Korea. They would also bring over their families, and settle in Korea, and since their stay in Korea will be motivated by economic rather than cultural motives, they will have very little interaction with Koreans. This is not something the Korean government would not like to happen.
Finally, Koreans learn English because they have to in order to get a job. Their role models are successful businessmen. As there are very few non-White western successful businessmen, they want their teachers to look like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Therefore, even Moroccan, Iranian or Turkish teachers who have more or less the same features as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs (Jobs is part Syrian) they will be hired by hagwons to teach English even though it is technically illegal.
Therefore, Koreans want their English teachers to:
1- Leave Korea as quickly as possible
2- Look like middle class western citizens.
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