Archive for
December 11th, 2008
Stories
Korea as a Multi-Ethnic Country
A daily newspaper, Hankyoreh, which is categorized as a progressive newspaper (or sometimes left-wing) introduced a series of articles, ‘Multi-Culturalism is Our Future.' [KR] Korea, where one culture and one ethnic group are emphasized, currently has a population with only 2 percent foreign residents –1 million population. The newspaper article brings a netizen's complaint and other responses following his (or her) opinion.
한겨레가 다문화가 우리의 미래랍니다. 다문화가 왜 우리의 미래가 되어야하는지 왜 다문화하지 않으면 않되는지. 다문화반대하는 사람들은 없는지 왜 반대하는지 토론하고 함께 고민해본적 있습니까?……한겨레 당신들은 일방적인 다문화선동의 앞쨉이들 입니다. 군사정권이 언론장악하고 권력장악하고 국민들에게 일방적으로 민주인사를 빨깽이로 여론몰이하는거와 뭐가다른가? 외국인문제 다문화문제 비판하는 사람들 일방적으로 제노포비아니 외국인혐오주의자니 국수주의자니 하며 매도하는 당신들……과거군사정권하고 뭐가 다르지?[…]
불체자추방이 왜 인권침해가 되는지 부터 좀 설명해주시죠. 다문화가 어떻게 우리의 미래가되지 않어면 않되는지도 설명 좀하시고 불체자옹호/다문화가….우리가난한서민에게 해가되지 않는다는것도 증명좀 해주시고 불체자.외국인노동자 범죄에 대해서/또 우리서민들 일자리문제에 외국인이 관련이 없는지
Please let me know why driving illegal foreigners out is to breach human rights? Please explain why multi-culturalism should be our future and please prove why illegal foreigners don't harm our poor citizens. Please say why those illegal foreigners are not going to affect our citizens' jobs.
I introduce opinions following his writing.
물론 생각의 다양함이 있다는 것을 이해하려고 해도 답답한 마음을 지울 수 없다. 문화라는 것은 서로 교환되고 전파되는 것이다. 글쓴이는 단순히 불체자들의 위험성 때문에 반대하는 것 같은데…물론 그런 위험성은 어디에나 있다. 우리가 쇄국정책을 쓰지 않는 한…그래도 인터넷이든 여러방법으로 문화는 전파된다. 무서워서 문을 닫고 사느니 오히려 흡수하는 것이 더 안전하다…
다문화는 미래가 아닙니다… 엄연한 현실이죠. 폐쇄적이고 배타적인 역사는 존립하기 어려운것은 역사적 사실들이 증명하고 있지요… 님 글을 읽으면서 극우 파시스트가 떠오른게 아마 나만은 아닐것 같습니다만… 오히려 다문화 찬성자들보다 님같은 극우 파시스트들이 한 사회를 철저하게 파괴해왔다는것도 상기해주시기 바랍니다.
다문화 운동은 다른건 몰라도 외국인과 결혼한 농촌가정 때문에 꼭필요하겠죠,,뭐 무분별한 외국인 노동자 유입이나 불체자 문제 같은건 적절이 조절해야 겠지만요,,,
잉간아,,,우리나라가 한민족이라구 착각하지마라,,,,원래 다민족이야,,,그리구 울나라 사람,,세계각국에 이민 안간곳이 어디있니? 선진국들이..울나라 이민자들 받아주고 버려진 입양아들도 받아주고 그러는 판에….장가못간 농촌 노총각한테 시집온 동남아 젊은 며느리….각종 공사판 인부들,,,,다 포용해줘야 인간적이지 않겟니…넘 이기적으로 놀지말자.
다문화.. 지금 시대에 당연한 말아닙니까? 지금 우리나라가 다문화국가로 가고 있지만 들어오는 외국인들에게 한국의 문화만 일방적으로 교육시키는게 문제죠. 다문화로 진입하는데 있어서 한국사람들도 아니면 외국인 아내를 받아들이거나, 외국인노동자를 고용하는 데에서는 그 사람들의 국가에 대한 문화적 이해도 교육받아야 합니다. 제 개인적인 생각입니다
개인적으로 다문화는인정은할수있지만.권장은못하겠군요..남미처럼 메스티소같이되면 안되니까.불법체류자추방해야합니다.합법적으로일하는사람만이일해야합니다.법이고무줄입니까.
Foreign workers in Korea are sometimes regarded as people who weaken the locals' job opportunities. The news articles and a netizens' reactions raises a question whether it really causes job problems to the locals at present.
님 다문화가 현실이에요 가락시장 가보세요 말 통하는 중국교포 정도되면 고급인력에 속해요. 50%이상은 베트남이나,말 안통하는 사람들이에요! 어떻하실건데요 가락시장,중소기업,구인광고 내면 한국사람들 전화 한통없답니다. 이미 엄청남 규모의 외국인이 들어와 있어요 님들이 그렇게 주장하면 폭력이에요, 현실을 직시하시고,같이 살아갈수 있는 방법을 모색하는게 올바른 해결책입니다. 그리고 님 한국사람들은 원하시면 언제든 취업 가능해요 한국사람들이 일하러 온다면,두손들고 환영들 하실거에요 외국인 노동자 해고를 하더라고 한국사람 먼저 고용한답니다. 지금 한번 알아보세요,정말 환영할거에요. 저도 가락시장에 있지만,정말이지 일하러 오는 사람 없어요 아니 없는게 아니고,완전 전멸 이에요. 한국사람은요! 온다고 해도,며칠 하고는 다들 그만두죠. 저도 배울만큼 배웠고,이바닥에서 벌써 7년째네요 이제 봉급도 높은편이고,사는데 지장없어요.
Middle East: Snapshots of Eid
For millions of Muslims around the world, Eid Al Adha was a time for celebrations, family gatherings and reflections on the occasion. Here's a snapshot of reactions from bloggers in Tunisia, Kuwait, Egypt and Turkey.
Unhappy with Eid decorations? AquaBlue, from Tunisia, wishes her readers a Happy Eid, and adds:
Actually, every time an Islamic occasion approaches, and no matter in which part of the world I really am, I hear the same whining and complaining from Muslims about how dull, lame, and boring our occasions are… and of course I need not mention the really negative comments comparing the Muslim celebrating techniques to those of people of other faiths and religions.
She adds:
If you think Muslim celebrations are boring and their decorating styles are outdated or vulgar or whatever, then why don’t you DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Instead of exposing the bad tastes of people, why don’t you share some better ideas and give them nice tips they can use? why don’t you teach people you know how to be better decorators, or advise people who are responsible for decorating malls how to do it the right way! If you’re a blogger, post lists of do’s and dont’s, share pics of good decoration examples, expose the good side for people to follow, the negative approach only helps people give up the whole thing.
From Turkey, Talk Turkey reflects on the occasion and how it is viewed by different religions. He writes:
Why is it that Abraham's convictions and the depth of his faith in God are never questioned as he gets ready to sacrifice one of his sons Isaac (in the Bible version)? And as the picture above by Caravaggio depicts, such a killing must be performed by slitting the boy's throat! I mean, weren't other methods of ‘humanely' killing a human being invented at the time? Why is ‘The West' silent when it comes to the bible's 'sacrilegious' content?
Anyway, in the Islamic version only the names of the innocent have been changed. Isaac is Ishmael (the ‘other' son). But the story ends the same way. A ram is sacrificed instead when it is determined by God that Abraham had passed the test of his will and determination and love for God…
For Kuwaiti blogger Marzouq, from ZDistrict, Eid marks a special occasion as the blogger performed Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. He describes his preparations as follows:
There a lot of things I have memorized over the past couple of weeks, but I had a million questions and I even wrote down a lot of things. I’m going with my cousins who have been to Haj a few times so I won’t be too lost and the Hamlah (Pilgrimage Group) has a good reputation. Its physically and mentally exhausting but very satisfying, a responsibility for each Muslim to complete. I have even brought my camera with me to take some photos, but I wasn’t sure in the beginning so I asked and I was encouraged to take it.
In Egypt, Jessyz gives us a list of eight things to do to celebrate Eid, Egyptian style at Chocolate Mints in a Jar. Among them are:
Watch old plays on TV
Play with firecrackers
Call everyone after Eid prayers to say “Eid Mubarak” (Happy Eid), you could of course take it a step further and call before prayers to wake everyone up
Take a shower
And finally back to Kuwait, where Ansam too has a list which she shares with us as follows:
*New dress: check
*New shoes: check
*Tights (if it gets cold): check
*Clutch: check
*Makeup: check
*Eidiya (money): Not Yet LOL!!! I got so busy last week of work before Eid, so I am crossing my fingers that ATM machines will dispense crispy money (otherwise I will exchange with my dad/mom) heehee
*Lunch with family: check
Taiwan: The government could not wait to harvest wild strawberries
The forced eviction of Wild Strawberries Movement at the Freedom Square this morning (Dec 11), just a few hours after the International Human Rights Day, shows the Taiwan government's hypocrisy in the implementation of human rights .
On International Human Rights Day (12/10), Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou asked the Legislature to give endorsement to two international human rights documents (the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) to help implement human rights protection in Taiwan. The speech was made in Asian Democracy and Human Rights Award, an annual event organized by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
However, four hours after the International Human Rights Day, police surrounded the protesters gathering in the Freedom Square and forced them to leave, including the student sit-in (Wild Strawberry Movement) and Taiwan Friends of Tibet.
The students has protested police brutality during Chen Yun-lin (陳雲林)'s visit to Taiwan and asked to revise the Parade and Assembly Law since 11/6. More students advocated this protest and started sit-in in Hsinchu, Taichung, Chia-Yi, Tainan, and Kaohsiung.
monika joined the sit-in and told her parents
老師們也都連署聲援學生的訴求，加入廣場上的靜坐，我們一起討論著人權的概念、討論甚麼叫做暴力、自由，我們對於台灣社會都有著美好圖像的期待。我們渴望一個自由、民主成熟的公民社會，這個社會人人可以理性和平地表達意見，人與人能夠互相尊重、聆聽不同的意見，前提就在於我們必須肯認言論自由作為憲法的最高價值在公民社會的落實。於是我們選擇坐在那裏，表達我們的意見，也渴望被理解、被聽見。
Photo courtesy of oj
These sit-in students called their protest as “Wild Strawberry Movement.” sabinasun went to the sit-in and was amazed by what she saw:
這回野草莓有許多結合科技和創意的表現，包括自寫自唱〈野草莓之歌〉，靈活運用網路科技做現場雙語即時轉播，豐富多樣的街頭劇場表演，把抗議當作遊戲，把口號變成體操，甚至把一個本來是負面意義的「草莓」以KUSO形式轉變為自我認同符碼等。這一代的養成雖像草莓般稚嫩，但看著學著解嚴後公民社會各式各樣的街頭組織和集體行動，也意外早熟地蔓生起來。
During students' sit-in, other protesters joined them, including original inhabitants of Sanying Aboriginal Community who were forcibly moved away from their homes. When police arrived at the Freedom Square at 3am on 12/11, about 100 Tibetans from Taiwan Friends of Tibet were also there to protest about their legal identity.
wenli received a phone call soon after the policemen surrounded the protesters.
當我到達自由廣場時，第一批被驅離的圖博之友會人士，已經被全部載上警備車。警方刻意將這些大多不熟悉台北路況的圖博人，在深夜裡載往大湖公園或關渡等地「二次流亡」。圖博人沒有抵抗，只有懂得中文的人絕望地呼喊「馬英九總統，救救圖博」。後來在現場警察的說法：「如果不是你們（指野草莓）幫助他們，我們也不會去抬他們（指圖博人士）！」，也明示了野草莓運動與圖博訴求的結合，是今晨展開鎮壓行動的主因之一。
除了現場大約還有二三十名學生，以廣場地標草莓塔為中心，被數百名警察四面包圍之外，帳篷與物資堆積處已經被拆除，物資也散落一地。沒有被包圍住的學生，急迫地將重要的物資如發電機和電腦等等撤離到外圍路邊。而大部分的佈置物不是被卡車拖走，便是雜亂地堆積在一起等待清潔隊來處理。零星的學生一個個地將可用 的物資盡量地搶救出來。
Hundreds of policemen surrounded 20-30 students gathering around the Strawberry Tower, the landmark there. Beside them, tents and the shelters for supplies were torn down, and some supplies fell on the floor. Some students, who were not surrounded by the policemen, tried to move some important supplies, e.g. generators and computers, to roadside. Most decorations were brought away by trucks or left on the floor and waited for the cleaners. Some students tried their best to rescue useful materials.
Photo courtesy of action1106
Students who were brought away from the Freedom Square came back three hours later. Some Tibetans who were brought away also came back later, and Taiwan Friends of Tibet is trying to find others. wenli said,
或許政府可以將草莓塔化為一捆竹竿和布條堆積而成的瓦礫；或許警察可以將帳篷解體成鐵條和帆布的殘餘；或許這些物質上的損失，會成為現場指揮官升遷敘獎的依據；但是，野草莓運動本身沒有受到任何傷害，反而會因為這次卑劣的夜襲行為，而更加凝聚了運動的向心力。因為，人的精神和尊嚴，才是學生們運動的主體，而這是不可能通過物理手段加以損毀的。
附帶一提，警方驅離的理由之一，是以交通法規將 野草莓運動視為路障來處理。然而，幾個小時當中，真正行駛在廣場上的車輛，也只有警方清運的卡車而已。對這個在世界人權日結束後四小時，便扯下偽善面具， 露出猙獰面目的政權來說，人權不過是形同具文的兩個字而已。它可以用於光鮮亮麗的頒獎典禮上，卻不允許在公共的廣場上被呼喊。
To the government who took down its hypocritical mask and showed us its ferocious look four hours after the International Human Rights Day, human rights are only two words without any meaning. These two words are allowed to be used in a fabulous award ceremony but not allowed to be called out on a public square.
Iraq: Not in the Mood for Eid and Special Occasions
Muslims around the world are marking Eid Al Adha, a religious festival which marks the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son to Allah and the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Iraqi bloggers seem to be united and are in no mood for celebration.
Iraqi Layla Anwar says she doesn't find a reason for celebration. She writes:
You know something, I have stopped celebrating holidays, special occasions and the rest…
What I mean is that my festivities are kept to a strict minimum.
I don't do anything for the Eid, neither for Christmas. However, my family keeps the Eid tradition alive and I comply.
Baghdad Dentist was out and about and updates us about Eid in Baghdad, where he writes about family visits and attending weddings, which are only marred by the fact that there is a war in the background. He adds:
.at about 6p.m. i went to the wedding party of our neighbour. it was a nice one.every one was dancing and laughing. i saw many boys and girls who grew up. my sister's family stayed,the next day we went to manny neighborhoods in baghdad just hanging over. at night we went to Al-Rubei'y street. i like it because the shops are great and its the only one without concrete barriers on pavements and the people their are more motivated than other where you find trush,concrete barriers,just like chaos!!.there were horrible traffic jams everywhere bcoz of the checkpoints.
Another blogger Faiza Al Arji discusses the spiritual significance of Eid. She says:
والى
عهد قريب من حياتي بقيت افكر ان العيد هو فقط طقوس دنيويه مثل ترتيب البيت
وشراء شكولاته وحلويات وعصير للضيوف والذهاب للصالون حتى اقص شعري وارتب
مظهري وشراء ملابس جديدة لافراد العائله جميعهم
والان ابتسم على سذاجتي تلك , لم اكن افهم ما معنى هذه المناسبات روحيا , ما هو المغزى الروحي من وراء هذه الطقوس ..
بالنسبة لي الان صرت ارى الاعياد هي مناسبات للاستغفار وذكر الله وشكره على نعمه التي لا تعد ولا تحصى..
وهي مناسبات للتقرب الى الله والشعور بسعادة هذا القرب والأنس بالله
ولا
يهمني كثيرا الشكولاته ولا زيارة الصالون ولا الملابس الجديدة ولا زيارات
الناس والثرثرة والكلام الفارغ عن الدنيا ومكاسبها ومظاهرها او قال وقيل
عن فلان وفلانه ..
I now smile at how niave I was. I didn't understand the spiritual value of the occasion, and the spiritual reason behind the ritual. I now see Eid as an occasion to ask Allah for forgiveness, remember Him and thank Him for His blessings. Eid is a time to get closer to God and feel happy with this closeness. I don't care any more for the chocolate and visiting the hairdresser, or the new clothes or visiting people and gossiping.
Iraqi Signor, who lives in London, is also finding it difficult to fund joy in celebrations. He tells us about his childhood Eid experiences and then adds:
This was how I celebrated Eid more than a decade ago. Today, as hard as I try and as desperately as I search, I cannot find much happiness in such communal festivities. People always asked me why I never look happy whenever there's something to celebrate; my robotic response is something along the lines of “Who said I'm not happy? I am, but I'm not going to dance about it, am I?”
He further notes:
Eid is embarrassing; Christmas is cold and birthdays are, well, check the archive. True happiness needs no occasion and we should be forever grateful to be alive and to have one another.
Will Iraqis be celebrating Eid any time soon?
Western Sahara: Controversy Over McDonald's Maps
The Moroccan McDonald's franchise faced controversy last week after it released a children's “Happy Meal” toy which included a map of Morocco. The borders on the map separated Western Sahara from Morocco; the Western Sahara is a disputed territory between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front. The controversy ended with the Moroccan franchise issuing an apology to the citizens of Morocco.
Although Moroccan bloggers were mute about the issue, the Western Saharan blogosphere and its friends commented on the story. Nick Brooks, whose blog Sand and Dust focuses primarily on the region, wrote of the apology:
I guess this is understandable - small considerations such as respect for international law and UN resolutions, and squeamishness about territorial aggression, occupation of neighbouring territories, and widespread human rights abuses obviously take a back seat when it comes to the important business of selling burgers and making lots of money.
Goufia, a diaspora blogger residing in Canada, calls for a boycott of McDonald's along with several other bloggers:
We learned from the press (01.12.08) that McDonalds Moroccan subsidiary has withdrawn some ‘Happy Meal' toys including a map with the legally recognized borders between Western Sahara (WS) and Morocco, pretending to replace them with other toys with a map including WS inside Moroccan borders. This would mean a clear violation of International Law.As you are surely aware, WS is a Non-Self-Governing Territory as declared by the UN, militarily invaded and occupied by force by Morocco, whose sovereignty is recognized neither by UN nor by any country in the world. Morocco systematically violates human rights of Saharawi citizens, refusing to accept several UN resolutions and preventing their right to self-determination. This attitude of McDonalds Moroccan subsidiary discredits McDonalds image and reputation.We urge McDonalds to take the necessary actions to ensure that their Moroccan subsidiary respects and does not violate International Law on behalf of McDonalds…
French and Spanish text regarding the boycott can be found in the Sahara Resiste blog. A UN map of Morocco and Western Sahara can be found here.
Palestine: Terrorist Dolls Not the Best Stocking Stuffer
“What could be more enjoyable for your kids this year than a doll resembling an Al-Qaeda terrorist?” asks Palestinian-American blogger Nawal of Bloggin' Banat.
“It comes fully accessorized too (which is awesome cause that’ll save you money during this financial crisis). It comes with hand grenades, a pistol, an assault rifle and the all too important rocket launcher (awesome, huh?). And just so you know, there’s a Nazi major figure also. You know, just to even out the indignation.”
Fashioned after the classic Lego, dolls are made by BrickArms of Redmond, Washington (USA). The website features 10 military dolls, including US Marines and Nazis, as well as 31 different weapon packs.
The doll pictured above is known as “Mr. White,” and sells for $14 USD. Accompanying accessories are a headwrap, pistol, assault rifle, grenades, and bandoleer.
In case you were thinking of purchasing a doll for the holiday season, know that due to overwhelming demand, the majority of dolls are on back order. But never fear, the company's owner assures us, orders will resume shortly with new products in stock.
Links for Thu, 2008-12
Even though new technologies are making it easier to make movies, film in the Dominican Republic has a long way to go, writes Rocío Díaz of Monaco [es].
Efrain Espinoza of Artepolitica [es] reflects on the 60th Anniversary of the Declaration of the Universal Human Rights and its role in Argentina.
In Argentina, Esteban Grinberg of De Todo Un Poco [es] writes that the disappearance and strange reappearance of Luis Gerez has been forgotten by the general public nearly 2 years after the original news broke. Gerez testified against a former torturer, who had been elected to Congress.
Women of Zimbabwe Arise writes about the commemoration of International Human Rights Day in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, which included a protest march for the release of abducted activists.
Sociolingo's Africa posts a few pictures of different buildings in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea.
Elijah Zarwan, from Egypt, is lending his voice to the Free Hoder campaign, calling for the release of jailed Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan. “Hossein, if you read this when you get out (may it be soon), sorry for calling for the authorities to release you. I know you asked people not to do so. But I can’t sit on my hands while you’re in jail,” he writes.
Egyptian Chronicles compares between the situation in Egypt and in Greece and writes: “I mean the Greeks are mad about one teenage while from two weeks ago in successive four days four citizens were killed in Egypt from the Delta to Cairo to Aswan by the Police for no reason and we did not move a muscle.”
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