fairyprincessjoon:

haegurlhae:

I get really annoyed when people put a different culture on a pedestal just because of their limited perception of it.

Like when Kpop fans portray Korean culture as inherently better than that of the West (because it’s “purer” or “more respectful”), and either ignore flaws in the culture or attribute these flaws to just “differences in tradition”. I myself am really interested in Korean culture and think parts of it are extremely fascinating and cool, but I wouldn’t say it’s “better” than the culture I grew up in because as a black k-pop fan, there are some less nice aspects of Korean culture that I’ve been exposed to and am definitely not a fan of. Every culture has its flaws, and people need to learn to appreciate different cultures without promoting one and bashing the other.

On the flip side, I also feel somewhat wary of seeing Korean popstars praise the African American race for its “inherent talent” or whatever, knowing that there’s a vast difference between admiring our artists and actually admiring us as people. These popstars might love our musicians, but as seen in many culturally insensitive occasions, sometimes I doubt they perceive our actual people as having high merit, people who they would consider befriending or dating. As much as I love the compliments, I can’t help but wonder if they see us as spectacles rather than equals.

Basically, I wish people would take the time to actually understand and explore the cultures they supposedly admire. There’s nothing wrong with admiring a culture, but make sure your admiration is well-founded and extends to more than a shallow interest in the music/the celebrities. And don’t go promoting one over another because that’s just rude.

yes

this

Also, the intolerance of homosexuality is a problem for me. I mean, I realise that there are no Lady Gaga type figures and seldom gay icons in South Korea and it just bothers me how it’s still not accepted there. Yes, there may be gay bars in some cities, but that’s very, very rare. And most of the old folk and young folk think homosexuality is wrong. I know there is huge Catholicism in South Korea, however I don’t think it’s just people of that religion. This may be a really blunt statement and I apologise for that, but you can’t deny the underlying disgruntled attitude towards gay people in South Korea.

I’m not bashing South Korean culture, like the people above. I just think some views and dynamics of their society are quite offensive. Hopefully, these are things that South Korea can work on to make better.