Comments on: Us and Them in Kenkanryu http://londonkoreanlinks.net/2007/12/02/us-and-them-in-kenkanryu/ English language resources for Londoners (and others) interested in Korean culture Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:49:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Philip Gowman http://londonkoreanlinks.net/2007/12/02/us-and-them-in-kenkanryu/comment-page-1/#comment-229521 Philip Gowman Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:08:51 +0000 http://londonkoreanlinks.net/2007/12/02/us-and-them-in-kenkanryu/#comment-229521 Of course, while my own site is by its self-imposed brief pro-Korean, there are times when I think that maybe it's not all black and white... Of course, while my own site is by its self-imposed brief pro-Korean, there are times when I think that maybe it’s not all black and white…

]]> By: Frog Kim http://londonkoreanlinks.net/2007/12/02/us-and-them-in-kenkanryu/comment-page-1/#comment-229505 Frog Kim Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:07:01 +0000 http://londonkoreanlinks.net/2007/12/02/us-and-them-in-kenkanryu/#comment-229505 I was so amused when I first read up on the furore around that manga: it seemed to feed directly into the fears of knee-jerk Korean reactions to the Japanese. "See? This is what they really think! Peace? My ass!" sorts. Like meets like, pretty much, and right wing nationalists employ the same rhetorical strategies on opposites sides. The "accusations" against Norimitsu Onishi, though... weird. Of course he must be Korean! How dare he bring light to Zainichi discrimination! Then again, most of my academic (left-leaning) Japanese friends must be secretly Korean too. I kinda like his articles when they pop up on the NYT. He's a good writer. And it never occurred to me that he seemed pro-Korean much. Mostly he writes about Japan. And my Canadian friends will claim him for maple country. It all goes back to the theory, that whoever you are, it's so attractive to paint "us" as the "victim." I was so amused when I first read up on the furore around that manga: it seemed to feed directly into the fears of knee-jerk Korean reactions to the Japanese. “See? This is what they really think! Peace? My ass!” sorts. Like meets like, pretty much, and right wing nationalists employ the same rhetorical strategies on opposites sides.

The “accusations” against Norimitsu Onishi, though… weird. Of course he must be Korean! How dare he bring light to Zainichi discrimination! Then again, most of my academic (left-leaning) Japanese friends must be secretly Korean too.

I kinda like his articles when they pop up on the NYT. He’s a good writer. And it never occurred to me that he seemed pro-Korean much. Mostly he writes about Japan. And my Canadian friends will claim him for maple country.

It all goes back to the theory, that whoever you are, it’s so attractive to paint “us” as the “victim.”

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