Comments on: Korean families in crisis http://koreadispatch.com/2008/07/12/korean-families-in-crisis/ Observations from the heart of Seoul Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:49:04 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Kbee http://koreadispatch.com/2008/07/12/korean-families-in-crisis/#comment-233 Kbee Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:52:19 +0000 http://koreadispatch.wordpress.com/?p=58#comment-233 As a response to the previous comment; I don't see how people think they understand a country and it's people w/o ever having lived in a country or having studied it. The US is not a model for other countries with a developing economy. It isn't the same. Women are still seen as inferior and don't have the opportunities to lead independent lives. An entire class of people are trying to acquire a higher status in society by acquiring college level educations and trying to remove themselves from poverty. However, the working class in Korea has never had the quality of life middle class Americans enjoy. As a result, many are leaving the country. The question is what is going to happen as a result of the mass exodus. As a response to the previous comment; I don’t see how people think they understand a country and it’s people w/o ever having lived in a country or having studied it. The US is not a model for other countries with a developing economy. It isn’t the same. Women are still seen as inferior and don’t have the opportunities to lead independent lives. An entire class of people are trying to acquire a higher status in society by acquiring college level educations and trying to remove themselves from poverty. However, the working class in Korea has never had the quality of life middle class Americans enjoy. As a result, many are leaving the country. The question is what is going to happen as a result of the mass exodus.

]]> By: RedroomStudios http://koreadispatch.com/2008/07/12/korean-families-in-crisis/#comment-27 RedroomStudios Sat, 12 Jul 2008 22:48:02 +0000 http://koreadispatch.wordpress.com/?p=58#comment-27 I don't see this as a particularly Korean problem although certainly this country will have its own specific characteristics within the issue. To me its mainly the result of the influx of new wealth and middle class which allows women the possibility of having their own indpendence. There is a period of transition where the old values clash with the new freedoms. Women dont need men as providers anymore and the traditional order of society gets shuffled. Furthermore, as the society becomes more material based, people become selfish. I see this very much in my parents generation who got married during the height of the feminist movement during the 60's / 70's. They are confused because their relationships and roles are not defined out of necessity any longer. The children are often unloved, thankless spoiled brats. Maybe its just me but it sounds like Korea is going through its own version of this 30 - 40 years later. Of course the increased pace and pressures of the modern day can only make things worse. There is great wisdom in the Confucian teachings you referred to in the last paragraph. (Confucious is likely my most influencial philosopher) These words also remind me of some great wisdom I read in a book called "The Gospel According to Zen" which stepped way back in history to the point where the abstraction of money was invented and the man started to work outside of the traditional family farm/business. The man came to be seen by his family as a clown... equally well illustrated by the "Homer Simpson" character. I don’t see this as a particularly Korean problem although certainly this country will have its own specific characteristics within the issue. To me its mainly the result of the influx of new wealth and middle class which allows women the possibility of having their own indpendence. There is a period of transition where the old values clash with the new freedoms. Women dont need men as providers anymore and the traditional order of society gets shuffled. Furthermore, as the society becomes more material based, people become selfish.

I see this very much in my parents generation who got married during the height of the feminist movement during the 60’s / 70’s. They are confused because their relationships and roles are not defined out of necessity any longer. The children are often unloved, thankless spoiled brats.

Maybe its just me but it sounds like Korea is going through its own version of this 30 – 40 years later. Of course the increased pace and pressures of the modern day can only make things worse.

There is great wisdom in the Confucian teachings you referred to in the last paragraph. (Confucious is likely my most influencial philosopher) These words also remind me of some great wisdom I read in a book called “The Gospel According to Zen” which stepped way back in history to the point where the abstraction of money was invented and the man started to work outside of the traditional family farm/business. The man came to be seen by his family as a clown… equally well illustrated by the “Homer Simpson” character.

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