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.