Relay: "Brooding ashes"

 The smell of ash startled you, and the sight of the explosion turned out to be the last, the very last memory you shared with this world. To be honest, the last touch of yours was definitely not something of depression.

 It was more like a sense of liberation and a bit of regret, but not too much. You were trying hard to recall and embrace all the moments that you had in this world.

 Such rain… you think. All these draggles(?) yet now where is the use of it all? Know you must be on your way to god’s court. How that inevitability shakes your benes(?). You think back trying totally on your sins. What was it that led to here? Why did it have to be that you, a perfectly normal, ordinary, do-good type at person have to die of a car explosion? What had you done so wrong?

 NOTHING, and yet, EVERYTHING. The memories shimmered dances, as they were shown as hallucinations. Happiest memories: hugs, smiles, kisses- and depressing ones; the moment you brokedown-all at once, and all gone. Teardrops, from your folded eyes slowly rolled down as you stood there in the midst of ashes. And a screeching scream that scattered along the empty space. The dead bodies of your loved ones, burning apartment. A world, so red, black, and grey that nothing other than those three shades were available. So, there you stood, who seemed to be only living thing in that place.

 Suddenly, a thunder strikes your head. With an enormous pain, you start to struggle with your memories. They are coming back.

 A face, one from a long, long time ago burns white hot in your head. You gasp, of course, how could you have forgotten? Tears rush to your eyes and a sob breaks out from your throat. Just when you though the fire was out, it was back to engulf you into the invisible storm.

Revisionist History#4 Cry out for Carlos

           “All men are created equal…” This is how we starts, and others started when outcrying for their rights. Americans, who were originated by people who once shouted for “freedom, equality, rights” against the restraints of British government, would still think those values important, significant, and crucial. However, those ‘norm’s still didn’t perfectly settled up as the fundamental ideology of recent society ad its members, thus creating innumerable discriminations every moment. When it comes to Korea, where every development and change are rapidly done without consideration, the situation gets worse, making ‘Carlos’ give up his ‘potential’, and fall into deep despair.

           At first, there would be individual aids for Carlos. His newly made neighbors, friends, and even other organizations would help him. However, this can’t stabilize Carlos’ situation. Although these kinds of aid is necessary, it an be a burden to Carlos as he can't really compensate for those. Students like Carlos are all around Korea, crying out for some help, in a soft, silent voice. Then, who can dilute the seriousness of the problem? I believe the answer is government.

           Government, governors, and the politics in general work for “policymaking”. They hear people’s voice, see the devastated, invisibles, and reflect that directly into policies. Korea’s governing system isn’t making any progress: firstly because they don’t interpret the problem in detail, secondly because they come out with ridiculous solutions. Let me give few examples starting from the familiar issue, ‘the sports club contest’, the one KMLA students are participating, is the result of quite peculiar understanding of social issues. The start was ‘school violence’. The government has observed that the schools which hae lots of sprots activities have less school violence than others. As a result, without funding provincial schools to purchase to purchase instruments needed to form appropriate environment for various sports, the government started to hold the ‘Sports club contest’. It didn’t absolutely solve any problems of school violence as a result. Next, the birth rate problem. The government explains, the success of women in society contributes to low birth rate, while making maps, indicating the number of women who are able to be pregnant. Same as the previous issue, it doesn’t solve the birth rate problem at all. Lastly, the affirmative action. (It’s not only the problem of Korea government, so further explanations would be done from the next paragraph.)

           So many court cases had done on the affirmative actions. Government and the administrators of universities might wanted to solve similar issues such as ‘Carlos’ case. They thus added affirmative actions, which makes definite quota for those who had been historically discriminated. Minorities, including poor students as ‘Carlos’ could have earn benefits from it, so lots of people when first heard this policy would definitely approve on this. Carlos, when come to Korea, can go to universities by applying to that particular quota as explained easily. However, the problem doesn’t end by just passing the examinations for universities. Carlos must earn money, take care of her sister as it was told in the podcast, study for examinations; he can’ help “those things affecting his grades”. Moreover, the particular acquaintance culture would bother him. Rich students will get along with rich students, poor students will be bullied by others, people will neglect Carlos, he can’t get good jobs when poorly done with his grades, he can’t dream of positive future he was yearning for. He just can’t stop “those things affecting his grades”. He must struggle against so many things that were born to kill him. The society will not let Carlos to gain victory against this struggle. The government will not give solutions for the primary causes, nothing would be solved.
          One thing we must hope for students like Carlos, is to give ‘the equality of opportunity’ as said in the podcast. Not giving auxiliary support in ridiculous way, he surely needs to find ways to make a society that poor are not neglected and suffered. 

Malcom Gladwell Revisionist History #3. Peer Pressure

           ‘Peer pressure’ is, the way people directly influence each other to follow other’s opinion by changing one’s beliefs, ideologies, or actions. (partially referenced) It somehow sounds similar to ‘socialization’, in a way that it ‘affects’ others in their behavior. However, while socialization is done unconsciously, peer pressure is done quite consciously and directly. Peer pressure, the action of enforcing unfavorable forms of behaviors to others, definitely kills the variety of ideas, and spread the idea of uniformity in a severely negative perspective. The podcast by Malcom Gladwell introduces the examples in America, mainly, however, I believe, truly Korea, is one of the countries where the peer pressure impacts significantly, due to the prevalent ‘noonchi’ culture.

           There are numerous examples: still lots of people go through the alteration of attitudes in themselves, affected by others. However, to introduce one recent example that I felt quite interesting, it would be the case of ‘bustier’. It was said in one article that I saw, Korea was almost the only one country where people didn’t wear ‘bustier’ a lot on daily life, not the particular cases of celebrities. Last year summer, ‘bustier’ has risen popularly among the western countries. People in Korea also wanted to wear ‘bustier’ because it was unique, ­­­comfortable, and stylish. However, as it is rooted from underwear, some of the citizens severely put backlash on those people, by framing the action of wearing ‘bustier’ as impolite, irregular, crazy actions. The conservative atmosphere still remaining Korea society resulted this, although it is just the actions of wearing proper clothes.

           Besides this example, particularly, Korean educational system is the epitome of negative impacts the peer pressure gives. Before giving the opportunities for the students to firstly think about an issue, teachers suggest particular idea, and give lecture based on this idea. Thus, students get into a fixed frame while considering that issue, which fixes that suggested idea is an ‘ideal’ thing. Students no longer widen and expand their perspective, and if others come up with new ideas, there ideas cannot be respected fully as it is.

           This issue is most problematic especially in literature class. There are still lots of controversies and diversity in opinions regarding literature. I still wonder whether the prevalent interpretation of literature coincide with the intention of author. It really doesn’t matter as the clarification of literature after the author publishes it solely is responsible to the readers, however as I’m totally interest in writing literature, I still focus on the similarities and differences between the idea of author and readers. Therefore, there might be various approach in understanding literature if with supported evidences, which must be respected. However, this peer pressure restricts the understanding of literature by determining the frame of ‘what is right’. This made me to think of literature by myself a lot, by trying to escape out of the frame.

           To sum up, peer pressure, sometimes confused with socialization, negatively affects others by restricting creativity, and enforcing uniformity. At this time, that we need creativity as a whole, maybe we can resolve this problem by diluting the atmosphere of social pressure.