The Grand Narrative

( Source )

With apologies to other readers whom are still waiting for a reply to their emails, here’s a veiled critique of my blog that I received yesterday morning, which as the first of its kind I thought people might be interested in reading:

Hello Mr. Turnbull,

Let me first write that I respect your very intelligent and smart writing and thinking about Korea. You take on bold topics and you know a ton about Korean history and culture–far more than me, even though I grew up in a Korean household (albeit in the U.S.).

Thanks.

That said, I am wondering what your stock response is to people who question your credibility on the authority of the very topics you are writing about. I am sure many people ask you about it.

Actually, unless you count the odd troll who dismisses, say, 5000 word (and 2 weeks in the making) posts with one-liners, then you are indeed the first.

It doesn’t bother me at all that you are white, or from New Zealand (right?)–but that you’re a man.

Given everything else that you say in your email, then I’d argue that my ethnicity clearly does bother you, but we’ll get to that.

If you were to build any archetype of a person who would seem least qualified to write about Korean gender politics and advertising, it would be a gentleman just like yourself. This is not a personal attack–though I am stomping on sensitive ground here, and I apologize now for my curtness.

Sure, I too think that my ugly mug is a strange choice for the face of Korean Feminism so to speak, and apologies to those of you who’ve ever done a google image search along those lines. As for why I’m still “qualified” to write about such issues despite being a man though, then probably my best course of action would have been simply to refer you to Michael Hurt’s classic post “Why be Critical?” and have been done with your email. True, that post technically deals with – among other things – arguments made by (some) Koreans that only native Koreans and/or those raised in a Korean household, that went to Korean schools, and so on can truly “understand” Korea, but most of the arguments he makes against those equally apply to the notion that only women can hope to understand women’s issues.

( Source: Sinfest )

Moreover, I’ve never actually claimed to have some special insight into the female psyche, and so as far as I can recall I’ve never discussed things about women on this blog that as a guy I genuinely will probably never fully know or understand, like what they find attractive in guys, how debilitating period-pain can be, what women might discuss when they’re only with other women, and so on (this series is an important exception, but one in which – among many other problems – I openly acknowledge the issues raised by my gender). But do I really need to be a breastfeeding mother myself, say, to understand how difficult it would be to dress and act professionally in a job when your breasts may suddenly start leaking milk 20 minutes into a vital presentation? And regardless, the vast majority of what I write about is much less “personal” and more “political” than that, which leads me to suspect that you haven’t actually read all that much of it. Besides which, last time I checked “gender relations” required two genders by definition, and I can’t understand advertising as a guy? I assume you mean sexism in advertising, in which case let me refer you to the work of Erving Goffman for starters, whose framework for determining sexism in advertising still remains the standard 3 decades later.

A much more fundamental issue though, is your notion of what “qualifies” someone to write about a subject. But whether it’s Korean gender issues, U.S. race relations, Australian Aboriginal languages, or, hell, Mongolian stamp-collecting for that matter, unless the “insider” can give specific examples where an “outsider’s” lack of native experience or knowledge of something fails him or her, then invariably glib references to the latter’s ethnicity or country of birth are a sign that his or her argument actually has some merit. This is self-evident to most intelligent people, which I dare say is why I’ve never gotten more than one-liners about the fact that I’m not Korean. To me then, that you mention the subject at all makes me suspect that you don’t subscribe to this line of reasoning yourself, let alone because of what you say next:

I’m not writing this e-mail simply to enrage you–no, but rather, I have a constructive criticism. Why not have your wife weigh in? If there is a dearth of anything on the Korean blogosphere, it’s native Koreans–and women. I would enjoy contrasting your Westernized male viewpoint of things–from the tone of your blog, I gather this can be described as: “simultaneously pretentiously appalled and barbarically aroused”–with your wife’s. Or, if not your wife, certainly a friend or whomever.

I think this discussion would be enlightening–and frankly more entertaining and insightful than the clusterfuck of “White Guys Being Offended On Behalf of Koreans” that is the Korean blogosphere.

( Source: Unknown )

“Pretentiously” appalled? Hey, if that’s what you make of my blog, then you’re entitled to do so, but on what basis do you dismiss my concerns so readily? Sure, some things I write about can arguably be described as mere abstract pontificating, but I write just as much about genuine issues that are never far from my mind as I struggle to raise my daughters here, or alternatively from my wife’s when she ponders how difficult it will be for her to return to work and try to have a career here as a Korean mother, let alone those issues that are of interest and/or concern to my readers also. And most Korea-based bloggers similarly have lives, careers, friends, partners, spouses and/or children in the country that are very much responsible for both their decision to write a blog and in their choice of content (not to say that pointing out something negative about Korea is suddenly rendered untrue or inconsequential simply by virtue of the writer not having those links though).

Yes, certainly, I would indeed like my wife and/or a Korean friend to have more input into this blog too. But as a busy father, and the only source of (always inadequate) income for the family, then I barely even get to go out drinking with friends every couple of months, let alone constantly badger Korean friends for their opinions on things I blog about, all of whom also happen to be young busy parents. As for my wife, she does read my blog occasionally, but she’s very tired after looking after our daughters while I’m at work, and on the rare occasions that she doesn’t (justifiably) want to just crash in front of the TV once they’re asleep, then she has her own hobbies and interests to pursue. Seriously, it’s a mission for us just to spend an hour or so doing something together most nights: if or when you have small children yourself, then you’ll understand.

If a combined Korean-Western voice is what you’re after though, then why not write such a blog yourself? And there are blogs in English written by Koreans (based in and out of Korea) already out there if you’re interested: see here for a list. Meanwhile, if you don’t like the fact that the Korean blogosphere is dominated by White guys – surely a simple reflection of the fact that most long-term expats are, well, White guys? – and that “they are offended on behalf of Koreans,” then hell, either don’t read their blogs or, again, start your own. Meanwhile, while I don’t claim to have changed much in Korean society simply by virtue of writing this blog, given that Korea usually comes dead last in the OECD on most indicators related to the position of women, then I would have thought that surely the subjects of Korean Feminism and gender relations needed all the help and attention that they could get. Do you really bemoan me from providing some simply because I’m White, and/or that – in your own words – a clusterfuck of White guys is already?

( Source: Equal Writes )

That’s why a Web site like Ask a Korean does so well, because he has an insider perspective on the culture.

Still, I am genuinely interested to hear your refutation to why a white male can write intelligently and authoritatively on Korean female politics. I don’t think all feminists have to be women–in fact, men should be an active participant in this forum. Alas, I think that you’re from the West–and at best have a peak into Korean culture and life (this is mildly offensive, but I think an intelligent person like yourself can admit that your wife would be leading a much different life, at home and in society, had she married a native Korean…note I’m excluding gyopos from this).

I’ll readily admit that I’m jealous of Ask a Korean’s popularity (he has over twice the subscribers I do), and he does indeed have a very good blog. I don’t actually read it any more though, because – despite what you may think – when I did read it 9/10ths of the time his answers didn’t teach me anything I didn’t already know. Sure, sometimes he did indeed sometimes pass on knowledge that only someone who was brought up in Korea could give…as I in turn I pass on some knowledge by virtue of not having done so, and especially from having lived in 3 other countries also: in addition to my 9 years in Korea, I lived in (total) for 13 years in the U.K, nearly 2 in Australia, and 10 in New Zealand. While being dragged kicking and screaming around the world as a teenager was certainly not appreciated by me at the time, and I still don’t (and probably never will) feel really at home anywhere as a result, that experience does make it easier to compare and contrast societies than it is for most natives, and in particular to see things that they may miss, either because of their familiarity with them and/or because they lack anything to compare them against.

Moreover, Ask a Korean actually left Korea when he was 16. As I think Brian in Jeollanam-do pointed out once (I may be wrong: I tried but couldn’t find a link sorry), that means he hasn’t spent much time as an adult in Korea, and so he wouldn’t in fact be many people’s first choice for information about renting places, working in a Korean company, driving in Korea, and so on (although that is not to say that he doesn’t still know a hell of a lot about those, can learn and pass on from others that do, and/or surmise them). Or rather, he may well be making mistakes that his readers are unaware of, as indeed – seeing as I haven’t lived or worked there for 9 years – I have noticed myself increasingly doing when I talk about New Zealand, and which students of mine who have been there have occasionally pointed out. So, you may well scoff, but for that reason I’d actually consider myself (and in fact most people who’ve recently spent an extended period of time here) a more reliable source on some aspects of Korean life than he is, especially as someone who has also actively been learning about the place rather then merely just living here. As in turn, a Korean that had lived in New Zealand for the last 9 years would have a lot to teach me about the place.

( Source: Unknown )

On top of that, although it’s irrelevant to me personally it’s just too tempting not to also mention that, as far as I know, Ask a Korean is not actually ethnically Korean either, which I think would surprise (and dismay) a great many of his readers. Be aware then, that he is just another of those White guys ruminating about Korean society that you’re so tired of. But if he “does so well” like you claim (and indeed he does), then perhaps there are some circumstances under which you might consider White guys to write authoritatively and knowledgeably about Korean social issues? Perhaps, pray, even myself?

Update–My apologies: Ask a Korean is indeed ethnically Korean.

Or perhaps there is no good refutation to this. And this e-mail will be ignored.

Either way, good day.

[Name] (by sending you this email you now know my name, but I’ll stick my handle on here anyways)

Awww man, did you have to ruin your email like that? While I think that your notions of “Koreanness,” of how knowledge of Korea and/or of gender issues and so on can be obtained, and of what makes one “qualified” to discuss them are all profoundly flawed, at least your email was generally polite (albeit misleading – you clearly don’t like White guys writing about Korea). But implying – with absolutely no cause to do so – that I’m so shallow as to ignore your email, presumably because you think that your arguments are so powerful and convincing as to shake the elaborate facade that my blog and/or worldview is to the ground, does not exactly win friends with a stranger, nor does implying that somehow I may do something nefarious with knowledge of your email address and name either.  Seriously, that first line in particular makes me regret not just quickly referring you to Michael Hurt’s post like I suggested earlier, and if you have written in a similar fashion to other bloggers then I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d indeed had greater sense than I and just ignored you.

Meanwhile, apologies to other readers if you too felt that I spent too much energy on this, but at least now I too have that “stock response” that I can refer similar critics back to in the future! Please feel free to add and/or disagree with anything above though, and by all means the sender of the original email is entitled to a response also.