Tag: racism

Some people look for racism any chance they can get:

As a K-pop fan, I was delighted that Stray Kids were attending the Met Gala on May 6, 2024. K-pop fans generally and Stays (the name of Stray Kids’ fandom) specifically celebrated the increasing inclusion of K-pop. Perhaps the US media now took K-pop seriously and would treat its artists respectfully.

We were wrong.

A few members of the paparazzi’s treatment of Stray Kids was shameful and racist, and embarrassed me as a fellow American. However, none of it was surprising and all of it was reminiscent of America’s history of racist treatment of Asian Americans.

I watched the behind-the-scenes footage shot by someone standing behind the photographers first posted on X and later to YouTube. Many K-pop fans have commented on this viral video. Below, I’ve transcribed what I could hear. It is loud in the room, and everyone is shouting. These lines are spoken by the photographers, but it was difficult to hear all of them. They are mostly shouting at the group members, but some commentary takes place amongst the photographers. My comments are in parentheses.

“How many are there? Guys, can you step back?”

“Guys, you need to be on the same level.”

“You all look crooked.”

“Get close. Move back, move back.”

“Can everybody face us? They’re diagonal.”

“Annyeonghaseyo” (mockingly).

“That guy is like 20,000 feet back.”

“We need them straight.”

Korea Herald

You can read the rest at the link or watch the video and judge for yourself, but in my opinion this all just the paparazzi being their normal rude selves. The paparazzi are well known for how rude they are and you can watch whole Youtube videos of this. Being rude doesn’t make you a racist unless your a sociology and professor of ethnicity, race and migration professor at Yale University where everything is viewed through a racist lens.

These race baiters keep hitting new lows and hopefully Korea does not give into this madness. Why does a Korean voice actor need to be black? Shouldn’t the person who can best speak and sing the songs in Korean & English be the most important factor for selecting a voice actor not skin color?:

The casting of NewJeans‘ Danielle in the South Korean dub of The Little Mermaid has been met with mixed responses ever since the news broke out. The decision was initially criticized due to her reportedly inaccurate Korean pronunciation as well as lack of experience in voice acting.

When the “Part Of Your World” music video dropped, the tables turned, and more praised Danielle for her singing skills and angelic visuals. Despite this, it seems like Western critics are in doubt about the casting now.

Although most non-Korean audiences will probably never watch the Korean dub of the movie, Danielle’s casting is being called out as a “show of colorism.” Journalist Isabel Cara from CulturaColectiva claims that even though fans are celebrating Danielle’s participation in the movie, “there are those who say it is colorism.”

Koreaboo via a reader tip

You can read what these critics are claiming at the link.

Should bars in Korea that deny entry to foreigners be prevented from doing so? That is what this academic working in Korea believes:

“Oegugin churip geumji,” said the doorman. Entry prohibited for foreigners.

This article was nearly a very angry one. After I was denied entry to a bar two weeks ago for not being Korean, I was fulminating internally over the piece that I would write.

I was going to write about the closemindedness and inherent insularity of Korea that the “no foreigners” rule reveals. Why should anyone support Busan’s bid for the 2030 World Expo if the people it seeks to attract are not welcome here? Why should Scottish distillers or Belgian brewers sell their products to Korean pubs that refuse entry to the very people who created that precious nectar? Why should woke fans abroad laud K-pop as something special or somehow anti-racist when some of the genre’s biggest stars (members of BlACKPINK and Twice, for instance) could themselves be banned from the country’s pubs?

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but denying entry to foreigners in certain bars has been going on for decades. It also works in reverse where some bars near US military installations would not let in Koreans. The academic that wrote this article was so upset he took his complaints to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK). Personally I just don’t have the time to worry about being denied entry to a bar much less file a complaint to the NHRCK. Instead I would just walk to one of the vast majority of bars in Korea that have no problem accepting business from foreigners.

I have a theory that many of these racist messages being hurled at Asian-American celebrities is actually from Chinese and Russian bot accounts looking to increase racial strife in the US. It would be fascinating if someone was able to analyze the racist messages Chloe Kim received and track down if they are real people or not:

Like many public figures, Chloe Kim gets a lot of bizarre direct messages on her social media accounts, but far too many of them are filled with hurtful, racist words, the Olympian revealed this week.

In an Instagram story that has since expired, the accomplished snowboarder opened up about her personal experiences with racism and admitted that she feels “really helpless and afraid at times.”

As reported by ESPN, Kim shared a screenshot Wednesday of a message she had received that read “You dumb Asian b—-. Kiss my ass.” In her post, Kim went on to explain that it’s not unusual for her to receive such hurtful comments.

Today Show

You can read more at the link, but there is assuredly racist jerks on the Internet. However, it would totally be in the Chinese and Russian interest to continue to promote racial strife in America, especially the Chinese. They want to mitigate criticism of their own controversial policies by calling their critics racist. This basically is a staple of American domestic politics as well.

The bottom line is that if you don’t like being trolled then you should not be on social media. I have been called all kinds of things on this blog over the years by what I suspect are 50 Cent Army trolls, but I understand that this is the risk you take posting on the Internet.

Notice how the media has been making headlines out of every attack on Asian-Americans now?:

A beauty store owner was attacked inside her own store by two women in Harris County, Texas on March 17.Jung Kim, who is of Korean descent, asked the five women who knocked over the store’s wig displays to leave the premises. However, two of them doubled back and caused further destruction.Surveillance footage caught the moment one of the women attacked the 59-year-old, punching her at least eight times while shouting racial insults.

Yahoo News

Random crimes like this against Korean American business owners have been going on for a long time. Remember the LA Riots that targeted Koreatown, the Baltimore riots and Ferguson riots against Korean businesses, or the Korean-American gas station owner in Dallas who was called racist for defending his store from a criminal. Plus many Korean-American businesses were looted and destroyed during the Black Life Matters riots last summer. Where was the media defending Asian-Americans then?

Also notice how the criminals that attacked Ms. Kim in the above incident were black, but the headlines make no mention of that. Even the article makes no mention of their race, yet if a couple of white women committed this crime it is likely the headlines would talk about “white Kareans attack store owner”.

Not a good look for Topps, but the reaction is of course overblown with claims of racism:

Following backlash, Garbage Pail Kids has apologized and removed a sticker card portraying Korean boy band BTS with bruises. The trading card brand issued the apology as Asian-American communities in the U.S. are dealing with a rash of hate crimes.

PR Week

You can read more at the link, but Topps pulled the BTS Card. However, I don’t think Topps did anything racist as the media and activists are claiming. They have been making Garbage Pail Kids cards for decades that are violent and grotesque, this is nothing new. For example below is a card of a caveman hitting a woman over the head with a club and dragging her away. Should women’s groups start protesting now too?:

Here is a card with a white kid shot full of holes. Is Topps racist towards white kids?

Of course not, just like Topps isn’t racist towards Asians for a card having a Grammy trophy hitting them in the face. With that said you can still get the other Garbage Pail Kids “Shammy” Cards at this link.

Here is the latest boycott Japan initiative to come out of Korea:

Retailers around the world including Target and Superdrug face pressure to cut ties with DHC as the Japanese cosmetics company refuses to apologize for its CEO’s racially discriminatory remarks against Koreans.

Activists have launched a campaign to boycott DHC products after CEO Yoshiaki Yoshida’s use of the term “Chon” — a racial slur for Koreans — came to light earlier this month.

“By selling DHC products, they are supporting the business of an openly racist company,” Tommy Hasegawa, the leader of student-led anti-discrimination group Moving Beyond Hate, told The Korea Herald.

Moving Beyond Hate is among the activists urging corporations to cut ties with the cosmetics brand. 

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Here is more details about the battalion command team that was suspended at Camp Humphreys:

The Army has suspended a battalion commander and command sergeant major in South Korea while an investigation is conducted into allegations of racism, bigotry and discrimination.

Maj. Gen. Steve Gilland, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, suspended the command team — Lt. Col. Sean McBride and Command Sgt. Maj. Mario Salomone — of the 602nd Aviation Support Battalion after receiving an anonymous tip alleging racist behavior, according to a Dec. 12 Facebook statement from Lt. Gen. W. M. Burleson III, commander of Eighth Army at Camp Humphreys. (……..)

McBride and Salomone will remain suspended for the duration of the investigation, according to the statement.

“These actions do not presuppose any outcome and are intended to ensure a full, fair, and impartial inquiry,” Burleson said in the statement. “Other allegations properly within the authority of Criminal Investigation Division are being addressed by them.”

Military.com

You can read more at the link and the Army Times has more about the racism allegations as well.