Being Black in South Korea: What’s Wrong With this Pic?
This woman was wearing this shirt in a Korean mall in Busan. She worked in a booth. I tried to tell her why her shirt was wrong, but she didn't understand me. She kept saying, in broken English she bought it last year.
I was talking to my uncle the other day. He is an ex-Marine who has lived in Japan with his family. We talked a bit about what it’s like being black in South Korea or in Asia. In this post, I want to highlight something that he said that I think was very important.
He said a lot of important things, but this just crossed my mind. He said that as a black person living in Korea, I have a responsibility to dispel myths that are thought about our race. He went on to tell me a story about a Japanese woman who walked behind him one night, later telling him that she was waiting for him to grow a tail. Someone told her that black men grew tails at night. I don’t know when this incident happened, hopefully before the Internet or cable! Right?
With that said, I feel that I have a further responsibility to help Korean people understand why some things that are said or done are offensive to my race.
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That really sounded a bit outdated to put it mildly. I can’t believe that they still think that….?
♥ Happy Holidays ♥
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I don’t believe that the average Japanese person thinks that! I think that you are referring to the tails comment. That may have happened years ago. I will have to ask my uncle.
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Well, they are pretty supersticious..But the T-shirt is pretty shocking actually, who would sell those?
While that shirt is shocking, I think its hard to be angry at someone (who doesn’t speak English or understand what it means) when that’s the way black people often present themselves in the media. Most of what foreigners know about blacks is based on hip-hop or rap music videos and sports. In almost every hip-hop song these days its “n” word this, “n” word that or “F” that “b”… etc. The Asian people I know love to use American “slang” so if they are constantly hearing the “n” word and no one is saying anything about it (over here) then obviously they might think its okay to appropriate it. I think if we want people from other countries to respect us on the whole we need to educate the American media so that there are more positive images of blacks on television. Every black person I’ve seen in Asian dramas have been playing basketball, rapping, or engaging in criminal behavior. I would say that’s also true of 75% of American media as well… :-/
I totally concur with the above comment, the internet is with a doubt growing into the most essential medium of communication across the globe and its due to sites like this that ideas are spreading so rapidly.
wow this is the funniest offensive thing I have scene in a long time. I cannot believe that a women was walking behind a man expecting him to grow a tale. If nothing else that really made me laugh. Sad, but truly hilarious. I was reading a book about the Asian attraction towards hip hop culture. You have a variety of Asians who are trying to be black and tanning their skin to extreme measure. It really is sad to see people in such an identity crisis.