The Butterfly Effect
Sexual violence was the key topic of 2017 in the US. More so than gun violence and following the drama surrounding the ’16 election, the #metoo movement raged with fury through media, offices, and social circles in the US. Regardless of what you think of the consequences, it was without a doubt a pivotal moment for free society to look at a problem that creeped around the shadows and terrified many.
But since the peak of allegations and public reports early last fall, the conversation, at least on American ground, has faced some stunting challenged. Allegations devolved from actual rape and sexual assault into sexual ‘misconduct’ and more and more he-said-she-said behavior. Things spiraled out of control and a level of caution emerged when the movement went as far as to accuse Aziz Ansari by twisting a report on a supposed bad date into something of an infraction on his part. The mudslinging has calmed down a bit since then and the hashtag trend of accusing some kind of systematic oppression has died down.
What was quite unexpected was the ripple effect on Korean ground. Since late February, the MeToo tag has taken grip on the peninsula with dozens of women coming forward, all with digital evidence of their employers’ malfeasances. In comparison to America’s more subtle gender discrepancies, Korea is an actual patriarchal society where men exert great force over women both physically and professionally. Since this first spark, all sorts of notable men have been pulled out from director, managerial, artistic, political, etc. positions. Many have resigned and many have even gone as far as actual suicide in the face of public persecution.
Prominent politician Hee=Jung Ahn resigns after allegations. Source
One of the most recognizable amongst the accused is legendary director Ki-Duk Kim. Arguably one of the biggest proponents of modern artistic cinema in Korea, he has now been accused of multiple separate rapes.
The Unfolding
A few days ago I looked at the Pence Rule and how the momentum of this social uprising is having some significant consequences in Korean life. The mission, of course, is to target and confront the perpetrators of society. But that that mission is filled with a variety of strategies that have unforeseen effects on the social fabric. Now, unfortunately, women feel more ostracized than ever. It’s evident in Korea that there needs to be much more than just an offensive but also a strong push to establish a foundation for victims and professionals in general. Otherwise, the divide will just become more severe.
I have a few friends and colleagues, of whom all studied in the liberal parts of the US, who are suddenly up in arms about feminism in a country that has the largest disparities of wealth and status amongst all OECD nations. I see the same fire of social justice sparking amongst them and I personally am very wary of this tactic on Korean ground. Agitator activism and identity politics don’t work the same way in Korea and using the same genre of protest as seen in Hollywood might cause more significant and immediate harm than actual solutions.
All of this amounts to some very tangled problems and intricate questions that I look forward to partaking in during these times. I’m curious to hear your thoughts, as this topic specifically bridges the concurrent issues of Korea and the US.
As always, Steem on.
yeah very good post that is true!
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지금 엄청난 후폭풍이 몰아치고 있네요.
Very good topic friend greetings from venezuela I follow and vote
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I agree with this fact a lot. This should really be taken into consideration because of our women. It hurts when I hear about sexual harassment in some places. I just wonder why people don't out themselves in others shoes. Sexual harassment for girls and women compared to boys and girls is 92%-8%
미투 과정에서 여러 이슈들이 생기고 있습니다. 보는관점에 따라 생각도 다양합니다. 결국은 모두가
함께 행복한 세상을 만들자는 것인데.. 빨리 왔으면 좋겠네요.
어 ... 영어라면 제가 읽을수가 없답니다
혹시 일본어로 써주실수 있나요? ㅎㅎ
제가 일본어는 잘하거든요
간만에 포스팅 하셨는데 인사만 드리고 갑니다
즐건 일욜 되세요~♬
Good posting, good job man!
지금 사회에서 필요한 운동이라면 이번계기를 통해서 한국의 가부장적인면도 바뀌었으면 좋겠다고 생각이 드네요! 점점 번지고 단지 이번 운동이 악의적으로 이용당하지만 않았으면 좋겠습니다.
한식하우스님 행복한 날되세요^^
한국에 성의식에 대한 큰 변화가 있으면 합니다. ~ 좋은 방향으로 ^^
Thanks for taking the time to write such an articulate article on the #metoo experience in South Korea. It just shows how universal our collective experiences are for our sisterhood. it is sad.