생각하다

Having modestly documented an unnecessary number of party and celebratory experiences, I've come to the realization that there are in fact many more important ideas to discuss; living abroad is not simply about finding out where the cool cats party (although in my opinion it showcases a certain level of dedication to Korean subculture and language to do so), but also offers an atmosphere for contemplation, examination and scrutiny.

Recently, at a friend's birthday party, I met a middle-aged Korean man who I became enamoured talking with. His perspective offered a lot of insight into the perceptions that the modernized Korean mindset displays. In our discussion of wayward politics and problematic cultural trends, he wanted to point out clear misunderstandings provided to a culture that is largely subsistent on its own superiority due to a tragic past. (However, as another friend, Sungwon put it, this past really consists of only the last 100 years, not an eternal plague that has daunted Koreans since the onset of existence - his thoughts can be found here: http://oathean.livejournal.com/)

Many native students (as well as prospective adults) frequently declare that Korea is great and that many things found in Korea are the best (patriotism is encouraged in the urban school systems, and a new-spawning nationalism is stirring). However, the question that needs to be asked (and rarely is) is "compared to what?" How do we, as a productive species, measure something like the relative worth of a nation or its people or its creative capacity? Most, if not all of our opinions spring essentially from a comparison to something else. For example, why is Korean cinema the best? Because it's better than Hong Kong cinema. Why is McDonald's great? Because it tastes better than San Geop Sal. Why are the Japanese bad? Because they're not like Koreans. This question of allocating judgement of superiority and inferiority based on simple comparisons is not justifiable; it is similar to the unusual ideas that particular government decisions involve, which attempt to ratify complex ideas and situations into basic ones. For example - Problem: crime. Solution: increase surveillance by installing 20,000 CCTV cameras. This is not an adequate solution, nor has the identified problem been explained fully. The type of information missing is what type of crime, where, under what circumstances, how will CCTV fix this, why did CCTV become the desired solution, etc. etc.

Due to the reflection on particular aspects of Korean history, many Koreans perceive themselves and their country as victims. However, the sons and daughters of WWII holocaust survivors can hardly acclimatize themselves as victims, given that they were not directly involved with that tragedy, which is in my opinion an analogous comparison. However, here is me engaging myself in that same earlier stated problem - "compared to what?". We use comparisons in order to create a scope or climate of understanding so that we can replace our lack of knowledge concerning a given topic using something we can understand more easily. And that's the clincher - we do it because it's easier. The problem or topic we are attempting to understand does not necessarily become clearer simply because we offer something else to relate it with. Instead of focusing on how one particular thing relates to another, perhaps we can examine how it works and how to improve it or make it more accessible. The competitive atmosphere of modern capitalism is strongly based on this desire to compare and subsequently to also overcome. And what this does is remove an essential part of spiritual life, the pursuit of self.

Going back to the idea of the 'eternal victim', growth is difficult to foster under a guise of victimization. How is it that so many young Koreans can adopt a personal hatred for the Japanese? Did the current Japanese population torture them, attempt to destroy their language and force their women into bondage and men into military? Of course not. That notion is absurd, given that those groups of Japanese government agents and officers responsible for past injustices that Korea endured are largely deceased. Furthermore, the current generation of Japanese do not act with overt prejudice towards Korea and its people. Psychologists often offer the advice that, during the course of a romantic relationship, one should not dwell on the past but instead force oneself to live in the present. I think this consideration is not bound only to romantic relationships, but also to cultural ones.

Wonderland 2006

Every once in a while, different promoters and music afficianados put their collective heads together and work to bring a different type of party to the Seoul electronic music community. The result of this session's brainstorming was a party simply labelled 'Wonderland'. Wonderland was held on the outskirts of Seoul, offering a lush backdrop of natural scenery, open air, and plenty of space to be awesome. After speaking with a friend who was involved with the promotion for this particular event, I discovered that the location of this staggeringly excellent event was a pensioners' retirement facility. I can almost imagine the type of conversation that must have taken place to secure this domain:

Promotion Staff: Hey old timers, we want to commandeer your sleepy little community and install 4 story speakers, glowing murals, offer cheap beer, and generally increase the level of badassedness in the area by a factor of 800.
Old Timers: Only if we can come to the party.
Promotion Staff: Okay.

After riding the rails to the city's outskirts, we discovered that there was a shuttle bus waiting to take all those interested directly to the party. This bore a powerfully nostalgic similarity to the 'magical rave bus' from early days which would escort ravers to special or private parties. All save an' ri-ghteous on da rave-ah bus.

Wandering blithely around the area with only the intermittent pulses of glow sticks being waved around by party people to guide us, we found that there were children as young as 4 in attendance. Additionally, I spotted several partiers in excess of 40 years of age, meandering about and muttering to each other. Due to a lack of speed involving their progress, it was difficult to tell if they were dancing or merely shuffling slowly about, cursing the energetic youth of today.

Two seperate areas were set up; one featuring progressive/deep house, and the other supporting psytrance. Casually glancing at my watch (which read 8:40pm), I figured that intense, psychologically-altering electronica would be a beneficial aid to remaining awake until the shuttle buses return circa 5:30am. And there was Moosehead beer being served.

8 hours, myriad beers, 2 brief naps, and 9 or 10 scandalous dance sessions later, over a feast of ramyon and chicken, we decided that the night was coming to an end. Ensuring that I had captured the essence of the night on my camera, it was time to head back to the magical safety of da rave-ah bus. Hazily stumbling around my area after the bus and 2 lengthy subway rides later, I surmised that an appropriate end to the night would be a complete physical and psychological collaspe on the middle of Yangjae chon bridge. Boldy fighting this urge, I lurched into my apartment around 9am and fell asleep silently cursing the birds happily chirping outside like it was actually an appropriate time to be conscious. Clearly, these avian tricksters had not been to Wonderland.

foreigners desperately trying to appear more authentically 'Korean'

hard to believe that none of these people are actually on drugs

Ethan, promoter extraordinaire 

Dj wizardry 

more mysterious mysteries... 

some girls have all the luck 

morning light

Birthdays in Seoul

Abstract: Minjae successfully increased his age by 1 this past weekend. He was the proud recipient of many hearty handshakes and words of encouragement, and then set to pounding back bottles of soju. Needless to say, he found himself semi-conscious on the stairs at a local establishment within hours of beginning his illustrious night of debacle. However, in true Korean style, after all of his friends had departed, he awoke and found himself on the stairs and so immediately lurked his way back to the table and ordered a drink.

this here, quite near, be a beer, I fear 

and metal lives on...