Since I have been in Seoul, I have been trying to understand the people & the environment that I am in as best as I can. In an effort to stay close to the pulse of Seoul, I try to read the newspaper everyday. The content viewed in some of the articles, never ceases to amaze me. Remember, Seoul, S Korea is a major metropolitan GLOBAL city, trying to be EVERYTHING for EVERYBODY in business. Today while surfing the Internet trying to find 'something' in Korea, I came across an on-line edition of an English Daily Newspaper, The Seoul Times. Now usually, I read either the Korea Herald or The Korea Times, but news is news, right? WRONG!!!!!!!!!
Now don't get me wrong, I am not a militant black woman that is continuously blaming "the man" for the downtroddeness in our communities. But come on!!! Of course I read the article(3/13/08), and the gentleman did a sub-par job defending blacks. However, he did express that "even blacks want to know this answer."
Can someone tell me, WHAT BLACKS HAS HE BEEN TALKING TO? I have some black friends..., and I NEVER, NEVER heard anybody wonder out loud about our [blacks] close relationship to Apes. Perhaps this gentleman has some kind of connection to the black race that I am not privy to?
Some of you might think that I am making to much of a big deal about this BUT I am a offended that they would even run such a story. How insensitive! Even though his story is trying to give the perception that they are trying to eradicate racism, it really is adding fuel to an out of control fire, where people believe that visual differences can be justified. What happened? Did no one realize the vision that Dr. King had for America, for the world?????
But, since we are on the subject of racial injustice, what is the deal with skin bleaching here in Korea? I don't know why, but I have come across this service in quite a few of the dermatological & beauty enhancement websites & locations here in Seoul. I was talking to a person here the other day and they began to tell me how Korean women attempt to bleach their skin because being "lighter" is the preferred tone. WHAT??? You have got to be kidding me...I hope that this is a serious untruth. But when I look at the make up available at most counters, quite contrary to the US, you don't find bronzing powders to give you that sun kissed look in many places (if any).
Based on these findings I must ask, "Is it a conspiracy around the globe?" Who is the masked person who is going around leading people to believe that the fairer your skin tone the better? Now I understand that in the American black (or AA) community we have long standing reasons behind why some people believe that fairer skin complexions are superior (even though it still does not justify this ridiculous viewpoint). I did not realize it existed in other cultures as well.
For those of you that don't know, in the black community during the times of slavery, fairer skinned or bi-racial slaves were given preferential treatment and allowed to work in better conditions. They were placed in the slave masters homes instead of the back breaking labor witnessed in the fields. Making a huge difference between these "field slaves" & "house slaves" has continued to influence the mindset of many Blacks in America. As we have struggled with our identity in America, we have continued to feed this divisive mechanism subscribing to this elitist point of view.
As a fairer toned black woman, throughout my life I have had to deal with many a shrewd comment regarding my melanin-challenged skin. To me even the mere discussion of the differences in skin color is wasteful, but they continue to surface in discussions. If obviously, there are no intellectual, or true physiological differences between these self-divided groups aside from pigmentation, why does the discussion continue?
Upon closer review of the subject matter, I have also heard that the same type of divide exists around the world in places such as Brazil, Mexico & India. In these countries I have seen a rainbow of beautiful skin tones. Therefore, I must ask, when will this madness stop?
If we keep looking for reasons to justify the divide, we will never be equal or free as people on Earth. Did anyone learn from the death of Dr. Martin Luther King? or the teachings of Gandhi? When, ...if ever, will the world realize that the story of life is much bigger and can be much better if we view the world with more than the things that we see with our eyes?
Just a thought for today!
K
5 comments:
Hi Keena!
I learned a few things from reading Ask a Korean. I think he's a little too bitter in his posts but he's pretty analytical about Korean culture. Basically, he points out that Korea was as poor as the poorest of Africa just 40 years ago! So yeah, the average man probably did miss out on what Dr. King was saying and doing.
In technology, Korea's more modern than most of the world but in their mindsets, they're a bit stuck in 1950's America.
As for skin lightening, believe it. It's always a bit deal anyplace there was Colonialism. In Korea I think it's more of a misguided obsession with classism though.
Girl that's just crazy and whoever wrote that article needs some education empowerment on the african american race!!!!! Why can't we all just accept that none of us will ever be the same color and people should taste the rainbow!!! LOL!!
Keena, I love reading your blog! :)
It's making me so excited and inspired to continue studying Korean so that I can actually visit one day.
That being said, you know how in the USA, a lot of people feel that lighter-skin is "prettier" or "better " somehow than dark skin? Well, have you found that in Korea it has been easier for you as a lighter-skinned black woman than say any other black people that you know there who are darker than you? I mean, do Koreans see color variations in non-whites or Asians...or is everybody just Africa-Saram to them? Lol!
I've also heard that often Koreans don't think African-Americans are "true" Americans, and that white people are. Have you had anyone insisting that you aren't actually American?
Skin bleaching is ramped in Africa as well. Within the global black community theres a concept of lighter is better. What amazes me is that I have had people tell me they know that way of thinking is not right but they can't help to feel that way. Pretty much its ingrained in their brains.
The "white skin is beautiful" way of thinking in asia is a long standing tradition, basically, that has been passed down since the days when being able to have a daughter stay at home indoors all day (you should also look into foot binding in China, which was legal until fairly recently); and, when dark skin was the sign of having to work outside in order to support your family. It stems from a necessity to find a good home for your children to marry into and to attract a decent dowry from people who marry into your own family, and is deeply ingrained in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese thought.
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