Globalization Will Kill Black Pete

Every November there’s a good chance that you’ll hear a conversation in the Netherlands that goes something like this: "I just came back from the store and they already sold Christmas decorations! Really? Sinterklaas didn’t even start yet! Every year they start selling the Christmas decorations earlier. What a shame!"  It’s no wonder that stores are selling Christmas decoration so early, given the rising popularity of Christmas over our own local holiday Sinterklaas. Already for many years, many people have not been celebrating Sinterklaas anymore, and the blame is put on globalization, or, to be more exact, Americanization.

Sinterklaas (a traditional figure based on Saint Nicholas) is celebrated annually with the giving of gifts on Saint Nicholas Eve (5 December). He traditionally arrives by steamboat from Spain each year in another city on the first Saturday after 11 November. He then parades through the streets on his white horse, welcomed by children cheering and singing traditional Sinterklaas songs. His Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) assistants (white men in blackface with a wig of black curly hair and dressed up like a 17th-century page in colorful attire---more on that later) throw candy and pepernoten (small, round, gingerbread-like cookies) into the crowd. All of this is televised on national TV. In the period between Sinterklaas' arrival and Saint Nicholas Eve, children put their shoes next to the fireplace (or when you don't have one of those, under a small open window or any other place your parents let you believe a full-grown man can crawl through) before going to bed and singing a Sinterklaas song. My sister and I would also leave some carrots with our shoes "for Sinterklaas' horse," of which only the stumps would remain in the morning, because my father had eaten them all after we went to bed to make it even more believable that Sinterklaas really visited our house. We would also find a small present or candy in our shoes, which was of course the reason we would be awake much earlier than usual.

[caption id="attachment_3463" align="aligncenter" width="367"] Sinterklaas in Schiedam (2009)[/caption]

In the Netherlands, a nation with Christian roots, Christmas has been around as long as Sinterklaas has. It has always been celebrated (reluctantly) one day with your family and one day with your in-laws (yes, we have two Christmas days). Fights would (and still will) break out about which family you would visit on the first day, but there isn’t much gift giving involved. That was reserved for celebrating Sinterklaas, and not only for children, but for adults too. Adults write each other snarky poems and/or construct surprises (pronounced as the French surpris, not the English way), a very creative way of gift wrapping by making something out of cardboard or other solid materials, which contains the gift and some substance as disgusting as possible (usually syrup and Styrofoam, or any other sticky/disgusting combination). However, with Hollywood movies came the commercialization of Christmas and therefore the decline of celebrating Sinterklaas in favor of Christmas. As soon as the children don’t believe in Sinterklaas anymore, the family usually shifts the celebrations to Christmas and puts the gifts under the tree. The poems are sometimes still there, but  the surprises have disappeared. This makes a lot of people in the Netherlands feel sad because they think we're losing a tradition, while in fact, they are the cause of its disappearance.

Is losing a tradition like this always a bad thing, you may ask? Not necessarily. Holding too much onto one's traditions causes a lack of progress in society. Not marrying outside of your religious circle, pulling the head off a live goose for entertainment, and football matches available for men only are examples of traditions that have vanished when society thought they were outdated and wrong. Even our beloved Sinterklaas celebration has something outdated in the form of Zwarte Piet (Black Pete), Sinterklaas' helpers that help him to get all the presents to the children. Although as a child I loved Zwarte Piet for being so funny and throwing pepernoten at my face, as an adult I can't see past the colonial relic of the white man wearing blackface acting like fools while poorly emulating a Suriname accent (Suriname is a former Dutch colony in South America where we used black slaves to work on our plantations).

[caption id="attachment_3461" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Two women in "Black Pete" (2009)[/caption]

I didn't always think like this. I never stood still by the fact that Zwarte Piet may be offensive and racist to some until 2013, when the discussion about the controversial figure of Zwarte Piet started to intensify. Before that it simply didn't concern me; I never considered that the black make up that people would put on their faces was in fact blackface. I never saw race when I saw Zwarte Piet, and I was convinced other children wouldn't see that as well. Change never comes from those who are unaffected. However, when the discussion flared up in 2013 I started reading interviews with black people and started listening to what they had to say. They told stories about how they hated the Sinterklaas celebration because people (children and adults) would call them Zwarte Piet and make racist remarks. They were told this by their classmates in elementary school or while playing on the street, which I think must have been very traumatizing. As adults, the abuse continued by children calling them Zwarte Piet. For them it didn't feel they were included in this big children's celebration. When I heard those stories I knew I was wrong and felt ashamed that I hadn't figured it out sooner. Although not black myself, I'm part Turkish. Knowing the amount of racism Turkish people have encountered when they started to settle in the Netherlands as immigrants, I feel I should have known better.

Now the celebration of Sinterklaas in 2014 has come and gone and I'm more convinced than ever that something has to change. Slowly more people are waking up to see that Zwarte Piet is in fact racist, mainly due to the racist slurs of the defenders of Zwarte Piet. The awakening of these people was touched off by events within the Netherlands, but are certainly influenced by globalization. The way the international community speaks with shame about our tradition and that many people still defend that tradition also reaches the Netherlands and has an influence on people's behavior. This happened before with the famous number 39 with rice incident, where a judge on Holland's Got Talent made racist remarks to one Chinese contestant, asking him if he was going to sing number 39 with rice (a reference to an item on the menu of a Chinese restaurant and basically stereotyping all Chinese people in the Netherlands). It initially didn't cause a stir in the Netherlands until a clip of the TV show showed up on reddit and being criticized by commenters all over the world. Subsequently it reached other foreign media as well and from then on a huge debate broke out in the Netherlands about whether it was an innocent joke or pure racism. The same is happening with Zwarte Piet, where people on the Internet and foreign media are criticizing the fact that we still keep him around in the Sinterklaas celebration. The effect is that in 2014 there were already changes made to Zwarte Piet's appearance in some places. Although still not acceptable and not nearly enough, it is a start.

This is the real power of globalization. Because we are more interconnected we see more quickly what's wrong in other people's societies and have the ability via the Internet to let them know. Some might say mind your own business because you don't understand the culture, but as a man with experience with many cultures, I say we must be able to criticize and debate with each other to come to a better world for everyone. Many defenders of Zwarte Piet often say that foreigners don't understand our culture and therefore can't claim that Zwarte Piet is racist (Click here for an excellent article about the 10 most common excuses Dutch people make to defend the racist tradition of Zwarte Piet). However, we must stop playing the culture card when racism is involved and be able to admit our own mistakes. Only then will globalization be a positive thing instead of metaphor for a bunch of Western multinationals taking over the world. So people of the world, please criticize those that still defend Zwarte Piet. We can keep our tradition of Sinterklaas, but the Zwarte needs to go out of Piet.

 

Is English a Threat to Linguistic Traditions?

As a native speaker of English, I revel in a fantastic luxury when I travel. Wherever I go, I can assume that the language of business is English. No matter where I am or what I need, if I don't speak the local language, I can always use English. In fact, if the exchange goes poorly, the person I am speaking with will often apologize for his or her lack of ability in my language rather than scold me for my poor knowledge of the local tongue. I have met many people who berate themselves for their inability to progress in English. These people often lament the pressure they feel to learn it.

“Why should I have to learn their language? This is Italy; they should learn Italian,” my Italian friend might say (if I had any friends).

People like my non-existent Italian friend are living representatives of the mixed feelings many people feel when they think about the role of English in their lives. There are many reasons for embracing English as a global language. Likewise, there are many reasons for rejecting it. Today we ask the question: can the influence of a foreign language on a culture degrade that culture's linguistic traditions?

We know that living languages are constantly evolving. Speakers of English are rampant thieves; we've “borrowed” heaps of words from other languages. We say “borrowed” as though we intend to give them back, but if we're honest with ourselves we can admit we're not giving them back. While we know that living languages are always changing into something new, we also know that languages are dying out completely. As cultures come in contact with one another, sometimes one language becomes dominant, and eventually the “weaker” language can die out.

[caption id="attachment_3442" align="aligncenter" width="616"] An English speaker[/caption]

However, it might be possible for a culture to retain its language while simply picking up the new one instead of replacing it. If this is possible, it might mean that the influence of a second language could develop independently from the original language of the culture. Therefore, the original language would not be very much affected and the culture's linguistic traditions would not be threatened.

Generally, as language groups come into contact with one another, there is some exchange. Does this mean that one or both of the languages is being sullied or damaged in some way? Not necessarily; the richness of English comes from the fact that it has so very many borrowed words in the first place. Without exchange, we would not have this depth and richness.

From time to time in the United States, a debate arises surrounding whether or not help should be provided to residents in languages other than English. Usually, it is a question of whether or not important documents should be provided in Spanish. There are many people who are against this. “This is America; speak American!” has been part of the debate. Why should we not make things easier for people who are learning English? Opponents of this idea say that it would be too expensive to provide translations. Is that the real reason, or is it rooted in xenophobia?

[caption id="attachment_3465" align="aligncenter" width="630"] So welcoming. So smart.[/caption]

Throughout history, languages have been suppressed in one way or another. In the United States, Native American children were sometimes put into schools where they were punished for speaking their mother tongues and forced to assimilate to the cultures of their oppressors. During the Japanese occupation of Korea, Koreans were encouraged to take Japanese surnames and Korean-language newspapers were forced to quit publishing. During the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, the Taiwanese were forbidden from learning Taiwanese Chinese in school. Today, radio stations throughout the world have quotas related to language. In both France and South Korea, 40% of all content must be broadcast in the official languages of those countries.

In order to decide whether or not suppressing language means that cultural traditions are threatened, it's important to think about the motivation for this suppression. Why have people decided to place a limit on how much content can be broadcasted in English or other languages? Maybe this means that other languages are a threat. If so, how? Why are populations often forced to learn the languages of their oppressors? Is it because stripping them of their language removes a part of their identity?

Is language so strongly linked to culture that one cannot survive without the other? What do you think?

Globalize Your Traditions

Tradition vs. Globalization

My father’s family moved from Latvia to the United States in the 1940s. With them they brought a vast array of traditions and beliefs and one of my favorite things about this life is being able to participate in some of them. I have always loved listening to Latvian folk tales, making perogs and pastries with my ‘Vecmamin’ (Grandmother), and  wearing some of the older fashions to school. I still love dancing traditional Latvian dances to traditional Latvian songs at family gatherings and weddings. And yet, although my cousins and I have tried our best to continue appreciating all of these special traditions, we are failing at being exactly like our elders.

[caption id="attachment_3500" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The Indans Family arriving to America from Latvia circa mid 1940s[/caption]

In college, I attempted to tackle this issue of family traditions in peril in a short documentary film. The danger of lost tradition appeared to stem from two main culprits: intermarriage and personal lack of consideration. Particularly the intermarriage, appeared to contribute most visibly to the loss of tradition, but a closer look suggested that the story was perhaps more complex than that. Intermarriage brings together the disparate families and traditions of two individuals from different backgrounds. Traditions may be consequently lost to this new pair, but this does not mean that all traditions are. If anything, intermarriage simply enables one individual to choose among more traditions than she or he might otherwise have in her cultural armamentarium.

A very close friend of mine whose family originates from Venezuela is to be married to an American next summer. Traditionally in Venezuela, the woman keeps both her original last name and also takes on her husband’s last name. Now, living in the United States, she will take on her fiancé’s last name. Even though the situation irks me, as I am annoyed that women ‘have’ to take a man’s last name, there is a beauty in the transition of one’s tradition into a new one. Simply, my friend slipped into another’s line of transmission.

Globalization may be seen as a much more extended, version of intermarriage. Throughout the processes of both Globalization and legal intermarriage individuals experience interaction and integration, making deals or promises, trading and investing. Just like intermarriage, sometimes globalization is looked upon as an imperialistic approach to conform everyone’s culture; to ‘advance’ it. There is some bad to this, some truth; but, there is also some good to focus on.

Because of globalization, now it is not just the United States of America that might be considered a melting pot. Countries all over the world are exchanging their traditions and beliefs with each other at a fever pitch; we are arguably all connecting a little bit more than we used to. And it makes sense that we would. In a world that is constantly evolving, in which new technologies and jobs are being created every day, won’t we have to find a way for tradition and globalization complement each other? Isn’t that a whole tradition in itself: Humans working together and connecting from around the world? What is tradition anyway, and what makes it anathema to globalization – or vice versa? IS the continuance of tradition simple to “Stay Pure” or “Create a Rarity”? Why the versus? Can’t the two complement each other? I vote yes!

Doesn't the ability of traditions to evolve make them even more special than their oddity or exoticism in their original forms? Just like the evolution of humans, cultural beliefs and customs evolve and twist and turn, and future generations will look back on it all and probably wonder what the big deal is to everybody now. Globalization at its finest, incorporates and appreciates all cultures. The humans working for international trade and investment companies are hopefully taking that to heart.

French Historical Conversations: Pope Edition

Sometimes people believe that walking under a ladder is bad luck. Sometimes people think that swallowing a watermelon seed means that a watermelon will grow inside their bodies, eventually killing them. This is silly. You know what else is silly? The notion that nothing of intellectual value was occurring between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance.

While it may be true that advances in science were lacking at this time in comparison to the Renaissance, it doesn't mean that people were less creative or less intelligent than just a couple of hundreds of years prior. The Renaissance was born out of an acceptance of the self as a powerful being, capable of accomplishing large tasks. It has been said (by my tour guide in Florence) that before the Renaissance, instead of making great things happen, people simply prayed and hoped that God would make great things happen. It would be much easier that way, wouldn't it?

With this in mind, we understand that the people of the Medieval Period were somewhat more hesitant to undertake grand construction projects and were very dependent on God. Much of Europe in the 11^th century, through which we will take an historic adventure today (aren't you lucky!), considered itself one great land area under the name of Christendom. In Christendom, spiritual needs were addressed by one branch of power, called the sacerdotium. Secular needs were addressed by a different branch of power, called the imperium. It was very important for the imperium's actions to be supported and recognized by the sacerdotium, given the importance of God in the medieval conscience. This division of power and responsibility was intended to meet all of the needs of the people. Therefore, it also meant that clashes between the two branches were about as pleasant as walking in on your parents giving each other a sponge bath. 

Now that I have provided you with this enlightening information about medieval society, you are prepared to enter proudly into the life of one of the most interesting characters in human history: William the Conqueror.

In 1066, William, the Duke of Normandy, waltzed himself across the English Channel and claimed the throne of England. He was a bit like the honey badger; he saw what he wanted and he took it. Way before William became William the Conqueror, however, he was known as William the Bastard. 

This can be a difficult title to carry around when one intends to rule a large territory. Just imagine poor William attempting to go about his business in any normal fashion:

"You there! Hello, I'd like for you to make a longsword with a snake on the pommel, please."

"Yes sir, Mister Bastard, sir!"

How embarrassing! 

Poor William was saddled with this unfortunate title because he had been born to a powerful father and his mistress, who was not an important character in Norman society. We know so little about her that historians continue to argue about the simplest details concerning her. Historians are very good at arguing with each other. This is why I recommend never inviting more than one historian to a party.

[caption id="attachment_3368" align="aligncenter" width="598"] Historians.[/caption]

 

Anyway, William's mommy and daddy were not married; this meant that William was illegitimate. Despite this, he was given power over the lands his father held, but not without a great deal of anarchy that he was forced to work diligently to contain. Being illegitimate at this time was probably one of the worst things a person could be; William's very existence was like a slap in the face of God. People who had been loyal to his father were loathe to grant fealty to someone like William. It was worse than cooties.

William was greatly concerned with retaining power over his lands, but he also wanted to bag a sweet chick. It was because of this that he became absolutely enamored with a sweet mademoiselle who was called Mathilda. Mathilda was remarkable for a number of reasons, one of these being that she came from the territory of Flanders.

[caption id="attachment_3332" align="alignnone" width="1322"] I wonder if he called her "cupcake."[/caption]

At a time when William was working fastidiously against efforts to usurp him, he decided to marry the aforementioned cutie pie. This posed a problem because William's contenders feared that they would be unable to remove him from power if he was also given control of Flanders. So, they concentrated their efforts against him. It was also problematic because William and Mathilda were cousins.

Understandably, opponents of William seized upon this unfortunate fact in a manner akin to an untrained mongrel devouring an unattended cut of beef. William's intention to marry darling Mathilda was so unnerving that even some of his supporters threw their hands up in the air and declared, " No way, dude!" (Probably).

According to the social norms of the time, cousin-marrying was pretty bad. It was an affront to God Himself.

William really, really like-liked Mathilda, though. So, he asked the pope to sanction their marriage.

If the sacerdotium was cool with it, the people of the court should be cool with it, too

Their conversation probably went like this:

"Oh, hey Pope! What's up, dude?"
"Oh, you know,  just chillin' and kickin' it in the Vatican. It's hot as hell, though. Heh heh. Get it?"
"Ah, yeah. That sucks, dude. Listen, Pope- have you heard about my new girlfri-"
"Yeah, dude. WTF. You gotta stop that, man. It's like, gross."
"Aw, but Pope! She's so so cute!"

[caption id="attachment_3333" align="alignnone" width="1109"] This is Charlemagne and Pope Adrian I, but we can imagine it all went down like this.[/caption]

And then, William went ahead and married her anyway- even though the pope said it wasn't cool. We know from historical evidence that William later asked the pope to make a declaration that his marriage wasn't an absolute travesty and a sin breaking the laws of nature. The conversation probably went like this:

"WTH, man?! WTF. I told you that was super icky. I don't even wanna be your friend anymore."
"But, Popey! I couldn't help myself!"
"Sick, dude."
"Listen, what can I do to make you let this go?"
"...um..."
"Please, Pope!"

"Alright, I want you to build me some abbeys. I want one for men, and one for women, and hopefully their work with each gender will prevent this kind of atrocity from recurring."
"Okay, you got it!"
"But wait! I want them to be, like, super awesome. I'm not kidding around, dude. I want towers and spires, and stonework, expertly carved."

So, William commissioned the construction of two individual, distinct structures which were aesthetically pleasing and innovative. 

[caption id="attachment_3334" align="alignnone" width="1204"] Women's Abbey[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3335" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Men's Abbey[/caption]

If you'd like to visit these enduring tributes to forbidden love and papal indulgence, you can find information about visiting hours here. 

Does Religion Equal Spirituality?

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="633"] Can we find a sense of spirituality from our own experiences or do we need to rely on the words of others?[/caption]

 

Does Religion Equal Spirituality?

I want to ask what it means to be spiritual in today's world. Are being religious and being spiritual the same thing? Is spirituality something that can only be found and practiced within man-made walls? If it is, then what is there for those who don’t tend to follow these traditional routes to spirituality? Religions like Christianity and Islam have been around for thousands of years. They have influenced the world and their followers greatly. However, is there only a choice between finding spirituality in religion and having none at all?

I, for one, don’t think that the choice is necessarily this black and white. It shouldn't be. I believe that it is indeed possible to feel a sense of spirituality without being part of a formal institution. As someone who participated in one of these establishments every week for nearly 20 years, I can say that I never felt close to feeling spiritual when sat between those walls. Perhaps I just need to explore another religion as is becoming the trend nowadays.

According to a survey conducted by Pew Research in 2007, "More than one-quarter of American adults (28%) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion - or no religion at all." What motivations are standing behind such a statistic? Of course those major organizations can give wonderful guidelines for communities to live by, but they also provide numerous rules to abide by. These rules often restrict the soul, not set it free.

 

Spirituality in the Twenty-First Century

Shakespeare's Hamlet has been famously credited for coining the phrase “nothing is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.” For a lot of people, being part of a structured, organized religion is the key to spirituality. However, look at the world and how much it has changed – the way we eat, drink, learn, play, party, travel, and communicate – the list is endless of what has been altered over time. So why do we continue to follow methods that were created so long ago? Young people nowadays are leaving traditional religions and are searching for new means to develop their inner selves. Besides, there is no clear definition of spirituality. No one can say one way is either correct or incorrect. For some it may sound oxymoronic to say ‘Yeah, I'm spiritual, but I'm not religious.” People should be entitled to feel how they want, and I’d even encourage people to find some sense of spirituality within themselves, no matter how small it may seem to be. Too many people these days are trapped behind desks, phone screens and computers and need to get out and experience the world to find that unique sense of being.

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="329"] Do we need to pray to unearthly gods or do 'the answers' lie elsewhere?[/caption]

What Is Being Spiritual?

Why do we even need spirituality? Is the world just blood, bone, rock, plant and physical matter? No one can say for sure, not yet anyway. Nobody probably ever will. I’d like to think that there is something else, something mystical, incorporeal on our universe. It is that ‘x-factor’ that makes our lives more enjoyable and worthwhile. It can’t be just about money and material goods, can it? This is where the word ‘spirit’ comes to mind. It is where we learn if there is a deeper meaning to life. Everyone has a spirit. Perhaps they don’t call it a spirit, but rather ‘soul’ or ‘energy’ or ‘character.’

Since arriving in Korea, I was initially surprised to learn how Christian the society here is, especially as I don't tend to associate Asia with Christianity. I've worked closely with many clever and kind people who get up every day to attend early services and spend their weekends dedicating all their free time to cooking, cleaning and decorating churches. Perhaps these people are in touch with their spirits but on the face of things, they were also constantly exhausted and often fell ill due to a lack of a healthy diet (fasting) and  a lack of sleep. Surely a healthy body is part of having a healthy mind and maybe even a healthy soul.

 

Where Can We Find Spirituality?

If spirituality isn’t relegated to churches, temples and mosques, then where is it hiding? Of course, for some, it remains in these places. But a concrete answer to spirituality will never really be found: One man's trash is another man's treasure.

For me, our spirit is harnessed through our experiences – the places we go, the people we meet, the cultures we encounter, our interaction with nature, even the books and music we consume can shape our personalities, our way of thinking and ultimately, our souls. This variety of factors opens our senses, broadens our thinking and can make us better people, if we are willing to learn from them. On a personal note, though it may sound ‘hippyish’, I think I have gained an immeasurable amount from travelling. Of course, travelling is not a religion, but its impact on an individual cannot be underestimated. I don’t envy those who have travelled so much more than me but instead wish to follow their lead. There is so much to be learned from meeting others and seeing what makes them tick in life.

I’d like to encourage those who lack a sense of spirit to get out and search for it. Though I can’t say what it looks like or where it will be, the truth is out there.

(Featured image credits.)

Glocalization: Taking the edge off Globalization

- Do you know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in France?
- They don't call it a quarter pounder with cheese?
- Hell no, they got the metric system. They don't know what the fuck a quarter pound is. They call it a royale with cheese.

The term globalization is becoming increasingly common around the world. For some it represents the future and how the world may change to become more equal, with merging cultures, ethnicities, economic systems, social justices and political ideals. For others, it is a pernicious force that poses a danger to local markets, domestic culture and unique customs. Either way, no matter what you think, it is happening.

Sometimes, foreign customs may seep into a culture naturally. When something is practical, it makes sense to follow suit. For example, using knives and forks began somewhere and spread throughout the Western world and eventually spread overseas and across distant continents. Actually it is thought that forks were developed in ancient Egypt and knives were a product of France, yet this perfect couple met somewhere along the lines of history and we take their practical use for granted.

On the other hand, global trends may barge in on a culture regardless of their ultimate use. Think of the McDonalds and Starbucks around the world. We see them everywhere whether we want to or not. Franchises are not always welcome and small Italian city showed this when locals opted to continue eating local goods back in 2002. After opening in 2001, the McDonalds restaurant in Altamura shut its doors in only 2002 (1).  In light of the various attitudes regarding embracing globalization or protecting traditional heritage, there is one thing that helps bridge that divide: ‘glocalization.’

Glocalization is, as the name suggests, the mix of both globalization and localization. This process involves localizing a foreign ‘product’ to keep local elements intact. Glocalization takes the edge off the product and makes it more palatable for native mouths, eyes, ears and minds. The most common place we see this is in food. Let’s go back to McDonalds and Starbucks, two experts in glocalization. South Korea is home to the Bulgogi Burger, the Kimchi Burger and the Shanghai Spicy Chicken Burger (2). In Thailand, Ronald McDonald is seen bowing down to local customers, as is local custom (3). Going one step further, McDonalds in France got rid of poor Ronald and replaced him with Asterix, the well-known French kids cartoon character (4).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" class=" "] Glocal goodies await inside![/caption]

Similarly, Starbucks is another fox when it comes to entering foreign farms. Living in Korea, I have noticed that Insadong in Seoul is a major tourist zone, bustling with traditional arts, crafts and food. When Starbucks tried to set up shop here, local residents and store keepers were greatly annoyed, as referenced in this. In order to succeed, the store name Starbucks has been written in the Korean script hangeul. The interior also matches the local mood, with Korean rice cakes (deok) and lemon teas on sale inside.

On its latest expedition, Starbucks also made a foray into the Muslim world but angered locals in Saudi Arabia with its smiling mermaid logo. As local residents have strict views on the role and place of women in soceity, the logo has now been edited with the mermaid removed (5).

Starbucks has even managed to set up a store right in the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. Starbucks attempted to adjust smoothly by making things appear somewhat local, however this particular example shows how glocalization doesn't always succeed; Starbucks eventually shut up shop after intense protests from Chinese locals.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="420" class=" "] Fobidden City. Forbidden Cafe? Nope[/caption]

 

Glocalization is not only limited to food. In the music world, South Korea, which for me is majorly over-globalized, is another expert at localizing foreign products. The success of Korean pop, or K-pop as it is better known, has spread to other Asian nations like Vietnam, China and Taiwan. The spread of K-pop brings economic and cultural advantages for South Korea but undermines local talent elsewhere.  In fact, due to K-pop, which is supposedly Korean, is being limited in China as it is bringing in Western fashion styles, music and consumerism with it. However, clever marketers in Korea saw a perfect chance to seize upon; EXO - the Chinese/Korean boy group (6).

Moving onto the film world, Hollywood also smartly conceals localized content in its films to boost worldwide sales. For example, it may be hire a Korean actor in a Hollywood blockbuster to shore up sales in Asia. The actor may not be the best for the position, but it will guarantee big cinema attendances in Korea (7).

Even if you have watched the same movie, drunk the same cup of Starbucks’ coffee or had the same Mcburger in two countries, perhaps you could see that not every aspect of your experience was identical in both. Glocalization may seem like something sneaky that is used to make more money, and yes it may be. But like the knife and the fork, new things can be practical for us and we need to embrace them. As globalization increases, I think we should enjoy watching how a product or service adapts to local needs.

Awaken Your Spirituality

What does spirituality look like?

Happy

Calm

Peaceful

Strength

Courage

 

Soulful

Confident

Clean Slate

Prayer

Gentle

 

Quiet

Relaxed

Bliss

Serenity

Therapeutic

 

Meditative

Religion

Pure

Nirvana

Light

 

What is its purpose?

There are many differing views on what spirituality is, what it means, and what it can do. A simple and hopefully universal way to put it: Spirituality is the development of personal growth and transformation through various processes. Including but are not limited to meditation, prayer, sorcery and witchcraft, the use of hallucinogenic drugs, and even depression and moments of crisis.  I have found that whenever things don’t feel right or seem cloudy, I can sit down and use some of these processes as a way to reflect and then attract good feelings and things into my life. This article will explore a few processes that may aid an individual or group to become more spiritual.

How does one explore their spirit?

Meditate - Clear your mind, breathe, dust off your white slate, and find your higher self.

People tend to practice the art of meditation to calm and lighten their spirits. Meditation will relax you, keep you healthy, and bring you the things you want into fruition. There are so many different variations of meditation; you just have to try them all. Here are a select few:

                                Gong Meditation: What at first seemed strange turned into a beautiful and relaxing state of bliss. As the yoga-therapist rang different sounds of an actual gong, I experienced complete serenity and forgiveness just by listening and lying on my right side in a dark room.

Hypnosis: For a free trial with a licensed and well-trained hypnotist, I experienced the immense and powerful joy of walking down imaginary steps and onto a beach. The sensation was so powerful that I cried enough to soak my t-shirt. It felt like lucid dreaming; it felt real.

Tandem Reiki: Tandem Reiki is another form of Traditional Reiki where instead, two practitioners are playing with your chakras, at either end of your body. After exploring both traditional and tandem Reiki, I was able to reflect on my Experiences. I felt I had been up in the clouds of my mind and could barely come down, even when I opened my eyes. I felt pulses in parts of my body, and was told one of my chakras needed healing. I experienced visions of horizons and stars. The pleasure of being quiet and still while acquiring new awareness is inexplicable. I highly recommend t this to anyone.

 

Pray – Live a life of gratitude and better your attitude.

Individuals all around the world use prayer and the act of giving thanks to feel more spiritually connected in life. Prayer can change everything, as it’s a lot like the Law of Attraction. In the film, ‘The Secret’, a story is told about Gratitude Rocks. A man came across some small rocks and put one in his pocket. He decided that every time he took the rock out of his pocket or put it away, he would say ten things that he was grateful for. He showed the gratitude rock to a friend living in South Africa. A few months later, the man got an email from his friend in South Africa with a request for gratitude rocks to be sent. The South African man’s son was dying from an unknown disease and the family needed all the prayers they could get. The man was thinking to himself, “These are just any old rocks”. But he went down to the lake and picked a couple of really nice rocks. He sent prayers along with the rocks. Three months later, the South African man called his friend and said, “Thank you for sending the Gratitude Rocks. My son is healthy today. Now my family and I sell Gratitude Rocks of our own and use the money for our charity”.

Prayer brings many miracles, and it also makes you feel good. Just sending a prayer in the morning, afternoon, or night can make you feel good, even safe. You are essentially connecting with someone on a mental and spiritual level. Our thoughts and our neighbor’s thoughts can change anyone’s lives. It’s pretty awesome to experience prayer; by yourself or with a group. It can be for an individual, a group, a country; for water, resources, shelter, warmth; for serenity, peace, balance, more faith. Prayer and our thoughts can change everything!

An unexpected example: This Thanksgiving, my Dad was voted to say prayer in front of all of our family. My Dad is usually a quiet and reserved man; he’d rather hear the prayer. But because of his recent scare in a near death experience, we all wanted to hear from him. As we all held hands and listened to my father speak of how grateful he was to be alive and with the family, tears started to form across the room. There was a bright beam of imaginary light that streamed through our hands and into our bodies. Each one of us felt a part of the same spirit. We all felt thankful. We all felt God.

 

Try Yoga – The wonders of bending your knees enough so that you may turn into a tree.

Yoga has been around for thousands and thousands of years. Its original purpose was to transform your life, your mind, your body, and your spirit while also aiding in your physical health. In the recent decades, yoga has become very popular in the Western world. In fact, yoga practice has become so popular in the United States that it is now a “6.9 billion industry”. It has become somewhat of a workout craze… But, remember. The original practice and purpose of yoga is to transform more than just muscles and your physical health! So, instead of heading to the gymnasium-like-yoga studio, try practicing yoga alone in your room for once; become one with your spirit. If you lend your respects to Hindi history and beliefs, other spiritual transformations can take place.

So, you’re tired of doing yoga alone in your room and you want to try something new, but can’t make it to India? Try Hot Yoga. The current city I reside in is home to over 10 different yoga studios; each studio practices various yoga techniques. Because I enjoy yoga and love saunas, I started taking Hot Yoga classes. On average, these classrooms are set to 104 degrees. The heat promotes good blood circulation and helps your body to detox. The classes were always challenging and unique. One time while attending a Hot Yoga class, I experienced what could perhaps best be described as a spiritual orgasm. Seriously, though. As my head and shoulders went backward far enough to almost touch my yoga mat, I felt this extraordinary ray of sunshine jolt through my throat and sternum and out through my back. I had swallowed and ingested spiritual light! I was shocked, relaxed, could barely get enough air.  I felt as though I was being reborn, I felt as though I was finally alive… So, Hot Yoga. Try it out.

 

Study Sorcery and Witchcraft – Is it all really black magic?

What does spirituality look like to a sorcerer? He or she might attempt to communicate with the dead from time to time, or perhaps wish a plague against some enemies.

Papua New Guinea undergoes countless moments of violence and murders all because of the strong beliefs and paranoia revolving around sorcery and witchcraft. Many single mothers are made victims of attacks that form from anger and suspicion. If a flood or natural disaster occurs, people start pointing fingers to so-called sorcerers.

Despite these social stigmas, the danger and magic of spiritual witchcraft and sorcery is exciting. It has been prevalent in countries all over the globe. If you’re looking to tap into some spirituality, I highly suggest watching a video or two on sorcery and witchcraft, things happen, if only in your own mind.

 

Dream up Hallucinogenic Drugs – You don’t have to be an Amazonian Shaman to tap into the spiritual world.

Many religions have explored the consumption of various intoxicants such as hallucinogenic and psychedelic drugs, plants, and alcohol.

Even your everyday weed has some serious historical and religious uses; For example, “some historians and etymologists have claimed that cannabis was used as a religious sacrament by ancient Jews, early Christians, and Muslims of the Sufi order.”  Like we didn’t know that.

A question lingers in my head: Is it better to attend a spiritual journey with or without drugs? Drugs can, believe it or not, really mess you up. Have you ever watched ‘Intervention’? Currently, a new craze for Amazonian hallucinogenic drug DMT is killing individuals, mainly teenage males. Is it worth it? “Hmm, let me figure out my life and become one with spirit, and then… wait, I’m dying”. Was it all worth it? Will we never know from that individual how awesome his or her spiritual journey went? What about long term mental or physical effects? Spiritual effects? Can’t I reach a state of nirvana and become psychic without using drugs?

One argument suggests that in “the belief system of your mind the drug becomes the power necessary to open the door of consciousness. This perspective indirectly creates the belief that you are less powerful. The paradigm results in disempowering your self”. Despite some paranoia, I had to see the good in both spiritual transformations. I chose to listen to some pretty crazy and awesome stories from friends and acquaintances that have tried mind-altering drugs and have become one with their own or another spirit.  Friends had felt united, awakened, happy, and in tune. Still, most of the friends that I have who enjoyed drugs are still doing them to achieve higher awareness. Perhaps leaving it all to one person, particularly a Shaman, seems more ideal.

In no way am I promoting the use of drugs, but I would like to say that there is no right or wrong way to achieve spiritual bliss. As long as you are hoping to tap into a happier and more aware life, whatever way you choose, your spiritual path is your personal journey. You just have to find what works for you.

 

Gain a New Approach – Get lost in the woods.

Can’t seem to find truth in your current religion or anyone else’s for that matter? Then get outside and idealize what you think is truly right. Find what is right for your own spirit. A perfect and personal favorite example: Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Transcendentalists. Emerson and his friends went against what the church told them and used their soul intuition and nature to shed light on spirituality and many of his writings and beliefs are still followed today.

In fact, people all over the world are finding ways to discuss spirituality over or with religion. Sometimes spirituality and religion go hand in hand, and sometimes not in the least. Pope Francis, the new Pope of Rome, is even changing things up in Italy. His beliefs are more intuitive than material based. Originally from Argentina, Pope Francis has literally thrown out the holy chair, refused to dress like past priests,and prefers wearing silver over gold. Not every Catholic is happy about the radical changes as some believe this new pope is ruining rituals and traditions. There are atheists and people from other religious backgrounds who find this argument almost humorous. But, isn’t this all for a more spiritual awakening among people and the church? Right in the media for everyone to see and comment on, how can the new Pope handle all of this pressure? I believe his doings are awakening our spiritual beliefs and ideas. Either way, finding a new approach is never a bad idea.

 

Practice the Law of Attraction – not just mental pictures.

We have all of these different processes to explore and may even be struck by spontaneous enlightenment from time to time, but what do all of these spiritual endeavors have in common? I vote for the use of the Law of Attraction. I cannot help but to be completely fascinated with this study as of late. If I want to attract a good meditation into my life, if I want peace, if I want to become more spiritual, then I think about it. I meditate about it, I pray about it, I talk about it, and I practice it.

 

Communities and tribes from all over the world practice diverse spiritualistic and ritualistic beliefs and traditions, but they all have something in common:  the desire to transform one’s soul, reach a higher plane, and connect with all living and even non-living things.  Essentially, a spiritual person is someone who lives to grow in the light, and also share the light. Perhaps the most beautiful thing about spirituality is that it grows from within an individual; it is what they find, believe, and choose.
In the end, your spirituality is what you make it. Awaken your soul.

Why Atheists celebrate Christmas

I must have been 5 or 6 years old when my best friend told me during gym class that Sinterklaas (the Dutch version of Santa Claus) didn’t exist. I didn’t want to believe it, but he kept insisting. “It’s your parents who are giving you those gifts,” he said. I kept being in denial until I got home and asked my parents about it. When they confirmed, I lost my faith in Sinterklaas. It was then and there that I stopped believing in claims of a higher power if not proven by science. In other words: I’m an atheist.

It’s difficult to know that you are the only one you can fall back on, that you’re alone in this world, without some higher power looking over your shoulder. No guardian angel, no deity, no force that’s with me; I have to do everything myself. My father knows both sides of the story: as a devoted muslim he felt comfortable that God was always watching over him, but when he abandoned his faith, so did His watchful eye. He tells me life was easier as a Muslim, because his faith in God would always help him when he would face difficulties. Now, he has to face them all by himself. My father still goes to a mosque sometimes to feel the spirituality of the place, whereas I go for the magnificent architecture, which I like to photograph. Spirituality is meaningless to me; it’s like telling myself Sinterklaas still exists when I know he does not. I have no use for it in my life.

Now that I am living in Korea, I sometimes feel out of place when spirituality is involved. However modern it may look on the outside, Korean society still has a big place for spirituality. Soothsayers and palm readers play a big role in many people’s choices in life, Buddhist temples and churches are still frequented for guidance and prayer, and multiple times a year rituals are performed to honor deceased ancestors. All this spirituality means nothing to me. I think that the soothsayers and palm readers are a bunch of frauds that make a good living off the uncertainty of people, I frequent Buddhist temples and churches only for the amazing architecture and scenery I love to photograph, and I have no need for honoring my dead ancestors because they are dead and can’t hear me anymore.

Although spirituality hasn’t any meaning to me, I can’t escape it due to my Korean wife’s family. My wife used to go to a palm reader in the early stages of our relationship. She was shocked to hear the palm reader say that we would break up a few years later, at which I got angry and told her she shouldn’t see those people anymore. The problem resolved itself. When the deadline of the prophecy passed, our relationship was stronger than ever. She hasn’t gone to one of them since. I don’t have any problems with my mother-in-law going to a Buddhist temple every week. Being an atheist doesn’t necessarily mean that you think other people should be atheists as well. Religion and spirituality is something personal that everybody should figure out for themselves. No, the most frequent exposure to spirituality is the ritual to honor the dead that I have to go through multiple times a year. There is charye (차례) on New Year’s Day and Chuseok (추석) in the Fall, and because my wife’s grandmother died a couple of weeks after Chuseok, we need to repeat the whole ceremony again on the day she died (which is called Jesa or 제사). My wife’s grandfather died on another day still so there’s another day for that too.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Table set for Chuseok (photo by Emre Kanik)[/caption]

The ceremonies are almost identical (I haven’t found a difference yet, but then again, I could be wrong): It starts with preparing a lot of food and putting it on a table in a predetermined way, organized by color and/or type of food. Nobody seems to know because every time we are arguing what goes where and shifting around the food. Several times we need to refer to a printed piece of paper with the set up on it to get it right. Then my father-in-law and his brother change into their nicest suit and the ceremony begins. Well, not immediately because my father in law, who needs to lead the ceremony, always forgets what must be done. He’s studying a book with instructions and pictures intensively before we start. During the ceremony he constantly reaches for it too, because he’s not sure about the next step. While not having the need for any spirituality, I still participate in all the bowing and circling a cup of rice wine (Jeong Jong, 정종) around incense three times. There is also a period just before the final bow when we shouldn’t look at the table so the spirits of our ancestors wouldn’t be disturbed while eating the food from the table. Though I think the reason you shouldn’t look is that you won’t see that there’s actually nothing going on at all. We awkwardly wander around in the living room until my father in law says it is time to continue the ceremony.

So why participate in all this if I’m so skeptical, you might ask. The answer is the same as when we celebrated Sinterklaas during my childhood. After I stopped believing in Sinterklaas we didn’t stop celebrating it. Partly it was because of my little sister, who still very much believed, but also when she stopped believing we continued celebrating. Although it shifted to celebrating Christmas, which is even weirder to celebrate as an atheist when you think about it. I remember we would really look forward to the gifts we would receive and preferably open all at once. Now that I’m an adult and living in Korea I’m in a whole different situation. I don’t celebrate Sinterklaas nor Christmas anymore and I don’t need all the rituals and spirituality. However, when people express their gratitude when I know the proper way to bow in a funeral, or help my in-laws setting up the table and participating in the ceremony, I know I still do it for the same reason as celebrating Sinterklaas when I was just a kid. I’m still doing it for the gifts, but I’m not on the receiving end anymore and that makes it even more rewarding.

Don't get me wrong, if you believe in a god I still think you're wrong, but it's just not worth it disrupting Christmas for. Like I found my way to deal with spirituality you have found yours. People throughout history have been wrong or right on numerous issues and have solved them in any number ways, including the really ugly ones like suppression and violence, and good ones like dialogue and arguing. I like to choose for the latter rather than the former, so unless you are one of those people who advocate the former, I think we're going to do just fine.

Animecon Japan 2014: A Canadian Perspective

Ok, so I’m at an anime convention. I’ve been to these before, with varying results. Only this time, it’s in Japan (birthplace of anime), and at the mother of Japanese anime conventions - Animecon!
The first thing I notice is wall-to-wall people dressed up as anime characters. Colors, wigs, homemade foam-rubber weapons and latex body paint jump out at me in triumphant neon splendor. As I enter the showroom, booths upon booths of Japanese pop culture showcase their wares. There is just so much cool shit to look at! My brain goes into overload. I start foaming at the mouth. Cute Asian girls dressed in revealing anime cosplay surround me. I start hyperventilating and break out into convulsions on the floor. Well, no, not really. But everything except that last sentence is true blue. I’m in nerd heaven, in which I feel like a king.
I go outside to watch the cosplay competition, where costumed anime fans strike poses for triggerhappy blogging photographers…like me! I meet a few interesting people, including Waldo (finally found him!), Deadpool, and Mega Man! Afterwards, I check out the indoor stage where everyday anime fanboys (strangely, an absence of girls at this attraction) sing their hearts out to their favorite anime inspired tunes – Anime Karaoke, if you will. And, unlike karaoke in the west- which usually happens in late night pubs where would-be singers feel the need to drink down some “social lubrication” before getting up for a song…everyone in this convention crowd is hardcore into the material, going for gold on stage while the crowd engages in a collective orgasm of anime awesomeness. The crowd participation is amazing; synchronized fist-pumping to the music fills the airspace around the stage. It feels more like a heavy metal concert while sounding like an Astro-boy episode. Its pretty epic. I find myself just open-mouth gaping at the sight. Then there’s the two huge showrooms full of convention booths for cool anime art, comics, cartoons, music, mouse pads, iphone accessories, gimmicks and do-dads, pretty much any kind of pop culture application you can think of, they have it here sporting a Pac-man head or something. And then comes the highlight for me: the meet & greets! I suddenly find myself shaking hands with Ultraman himself, and touching his gun. (No, really! Dammit, you know what I mean. Pervert!)
Now, imagine this glorious scenario repeating over three days with thousands of Asian youths who never seem to tire. This is Animecon Japan. Pure Epic Awesomeness. Next year I’m bringing a Gundam suit.

France's Apéro Géant: Cultural Events Fueled by the Internet

Today's world is a world of our own making. It is very exciting to be a participant in globalization. We have the good fortune to see the people of the world growing closer despite geographical limitations. We are using the Internet and mass communication to reach each other in ways we never imagined before. But are we doing it right?

In 2010, the world's tallest building opened in Dubai. Chile experienced an 8.8 magnitude earthquake. Eyjafjallajökull erupted in Iceland, closing much of Europe's airspace. California's Proposition 8 was overturned.

Meanwhile, in France people were worried about the dangers of eating snacks and having a beer outdoors.

Here in “the Hexagon,” there is a really nifty custom called the “apéritif.” It's one of those not-so-easily-translated-into-English words that one sometimes hears about. The reason it isn't so easy to translate is that it refers to an event in which English speakers don't ordinarily take part. Imagine you've been invited to the home of a French friend or colleague. They tell you that you'll be having lunch, and instantly you think “Okay, I'll have a sandwich and perhaps have a cup of coffee with them.” When you arrive, they sit you down and pass around some bowls of nuts, crackers, chips, or what have you.

You feel betrayed. You wonder where lunch is.

[caption id="attachment_3294" align="aligncenter" width="530"] "I was told there would be food."[/caption]

They start to ply you with alcohol: “Here, have some red wine. Now try the white wine. Would you like something else?” and, with your stomach being mostly empty, you start to feel the alcohol affecting you. Suddenly you are oh-so-sociable and your French is better than it has been in years. Then, everyone sits down around the table and they start serving actual food.

This is what I think of when I think of the apéro, as it is called in short. Of course, I am an outsider looking in on the customs of another culture, so don't consider me an expert. As I see it, the apéro is the moment when everyone is waiting for the chicken to finish baking. We start drinking a bit and eat some savory snacks. It's like warming up for a long run, except you'll be horribly bloated at the finish.

One day, as I did every day, I walked through the town where I was studying and approached the local castle (cool, I know). Normally on a beautiful spring day, I'd walk through the tranquil grounds, drinking in the sights and sounds of gravel crunching underfoot, birds chirping in the trees, and the sun shining on the grass outside the walls. On this particular day, however, the grounds were absolutely covered with bodies all busy drinking and snacking on treats.

While marveling at the strange and wonderful sight, I suddenly noticed an armored vehicle at the perimeter, surrounded by police officers in riot gear. I didn't know what was happening, and as far as I knew, it was the strangest riot I had ever seen, given that everyone looked so very jubilant.

Later, I learned that what I had seen wasn't a mass of people angrily protesting something. I had witnessed an apéro géant (giant apéritif). It's the same idea as the apéritif I described before, but this time, it was in public, and with hundreds of people.

A few years ago in France, young people began taking advantage of Facebook to communicate to one another the locations and times of these apéros géants.

In the US, public intoxication is a punishable offense that is taken very seriously. In many other countries around the world, however, it's just fine to drink yourself into a stupor and talk to pigeons, stare at the sky, or play a board game in the park- whatever you'd like to do, unless it isn't breaking a law like stealing or breaking-and-entering. It's also illegal in France, but I doubt that I'd be arrested for stumbling along the street on my way home here. Perhaps a more relaxed treatment of public intoxication enabled this kind of event to expand?

[caption id="attachment_3296" align="aligncenter" width="480"] "I don't care if you think it's weird; he understands me."[/caption]

As we communicate more easily, we can begin to see this communication affecting our cultures and the way we interact in them. This is exciting and dangerous. While the apéro géant is a nice idea- it is akin to an American college party---it does have negative aspects. Apéros géants have been used as political platforms, some of them anti-Islamic in nature. At one apéro géant with more than 9,000 participants, a 21 year old man fell from a bridge he had climbed. He later died as a result of his injuries. At a different apéro géant, three men were arrested on charges of having raped a 17 year old Irish girl.

Under current French law, apéros géants are treated as public gatherings that can be regulated according to laws designed to maintain public order. In order to host one of these events, someone must first declare her or his plan to host it and may be held responsible for the conduct of the participants. The host(s) must sign their name(s), include the names of participants, the motivation for holding the event, and might even be required to include an itinerary. Failing to comply with the law may result in a fine of up to 7, 500 euros and/or 6 months in prison.

Should the French government have the right to limit the freedom of the people to gather for these apéros géants? Should the government be required to provide security and safety at these or other public events? Is it wrong for people to use Facebook and other forms of social media to manipulate long-standing cultural traditions? In doing so, are these traditions diluted, or are they enhanced?

What do you think?

[Click on images to find their sources; the image of the apero geant has been slightly modified for better visibility in accordance with copyright restrictions.]

Fooling The General Public: Mass Media in South Korea & Turkey

[caption id="attachment_3261" align="aligncenter" width="300"] “Naneun Ggomsuda's” (나는 꼼수다) hosts (photo by Emre Kanik)[/caption]

While living in the Netherlands my Korean wife followed the political situation of her country very closely. She gave me regular updates on what was discussed on the popular podcast “Naneun Ggomsuda” (나는 꼼수다) to which she listened every week. The podcast was the voice of young people in South Korea, addressing issues that wouldn't be touched by the conservative mainstream media. Allegations against government officials were frequent, and the government sought a way to stop the podcast by making the life of the hosts very difficult. For example Chung Bong-ju (정봉주), one of the four hosts and national lawmaker at the time, was found guilty of spreading false rumors in what many of his supporters have called a political process, accusing then-presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak in 2007 of being affiliated with a company that forged stock prices. My wife was outraged by the prison sentence, and I was surprised that such a claim could land you in jail, being a politician myself at the time, in a country where you still drink a beer with your greatest political enemy after a city council meeting. So when our visit to South Korea coincided with the protest against Chung Bong-ju’s imminent incarceration, my wife insisted on joining.

On a cold but sunny December morning, we arrived at the subway station near the courthouse where the protest was held. At the station I saw small groups of young people dressed in red, bringing signs, balloons, and roses with them. It didn’t seem like a massive protest, but when we arrived at the entrance of the courthouse, the road was full of people. A white van with a sound system was parked on the curb, playing music and occasionally someone would play the MC and say something in Korean, which I didn’t understand at the time. Cameras of the press were positioned on the roof of one of the buildings in the surrounding area and in front of the entrance of the courthouse. Even the police had someone filming the protesters, which I found kind of odd at the time.

[caption id="attachment_3229" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The protest (photo by Emre Kanik)[/caption]

The crowd was cheerful and the atmosphere was not at all aggressive. They were singing and dancing and sometimes they all sat on the ground when the MC was telling them to. I didn’t understand why this was happening, but I knew what the cause was, so I sat down as well. Sometimes my wife would translate parts for me, but most of the time she was caught up in the protest. When the hosts of the podcast arrived things got even more lively with speeches and cheers. When it was time for Chung Bong-ju to enter the courthouse, the crowd parted to make a passage and roses were thrown on the ground where he would walk while All you need is love by the Beatles was played and sung by the protesters. He went to an area behind the police line where protesters were not allowed to come, made a final statement to the media (which were surrounding him at this point) and went inside. At the end of the protest when we walked back to the subway station a small fight almost broke out. Apparently an older lady had shouted to some of the protesters that the color red is used by communists. Some curses were exchanged, but that concluded the incident.

[caption id="attachment_3228" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Chung Bong-ju addressing the crowd (photo by Emre Kanik)[/caption]

The purpose of the protest and the situation with the old lady at the end reminded me of Turkey. It sometimes shocks me how similar the Turkish and Korean cultures are: the close family ties and friendships, how people with different opinions are immediately treated as enemies, and how losing face is one of the worst things that can happen to a person. Similar cultures make similar societies, so it is not a surprise that there are many similarities between Turkey and South Korean politics as well. Opposing political parties are each other's mortal enemies. Whoever is in power uses everything they can to destroy anybody who opposes them. One of the most commonly used tools: mass media.

In both countries the ruling party wants to control what the people see and read. Having a population that still relies heavily on newspapers and news broadcasts, they keep those under strict control. Although organized differently in the two countries, the effects of that control are the same. It is sufficient to say that high positions at TV stations and newspapers are filled by people friendly to the regime and journalists are pressured (or voluntarily) report what the high management is ordering them to. I won’t go into too much detail how it is exactly organized (Groove magazine has an excellent article on the South Korean situation), but have seen the effects firsthand. When we got home from the protest and turned on the news, we saw how state control operates by outright lying to its inhabitants. The news reported that there was little support for Chung Bong-ju at the protest, showing only the last part where he was in an area where the protesters were prohibited from entering and not showing footage from the rooftops, which would show the true number of people present. This is a mild way of bending the facts, but since then measures have been much stricter to prohibit the people of South Korea to see the truth. During the presidential elections, the Korean secret service has even been accused of trying to manipulate the discussion on Twitter in favor of the ruling party's candidate and now president Park Geun-hye by starting a smear campaign against her main rival. Another example of mass media control became clear during and after the Sewol disaster. The major newspapers and TV stations blindly published and reported government statements and press releases without checking if what they reported was true (many media outlets would apologize for this later). Public confidence in the media fell to a record low.

While state control over the media in South Korea is troubling, in Turkey it is a disaster. Ruled by the conservative Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) since 2002, Turkey has the highest number of jailed journalists in the world and the AKP has most major media outlets under firm control. The AKP isn’t afraid to use its control over the media for its own personal gain, a fact that became painfully apparent during the wave of protests that followed after the government violently tried to end a friendly sit-in at Istanbul’s Taksim Gezi Park in 2013. Protests engulfed the country addressing press freedom, freedom of expression and assembly, and the government's intrusion on secularism. The government replied with brutal force, teargassing and cracking down on peaceful protesters. The role of mass media in the protests? CNN Türk broadcasting a documentary about penguins. While the country burned, the state controlled media first tried to ignore it. When that didn’t work because all international media were reporting in full force (regular CNN was showing the protests) and Twitter exploded with images and videos about what was really going on, on came the fabricated lies. From reporting that protesters had entered a mosque with their shoes on and drunk beer inside to showing them burning the Turkish flag (which was actually footage from 2010), the state controlled media did everything in their power to slander the protesters. Sadly because so many Turkish people still rely on traditional media for their news, a large part of the country believes this all actually happened. In the recent presidential elections, TV stations wouldn't say anything critical about the leader of the AKP Erdoğan, while the opposition was heavily attacked. The official state channel TRT spent time only on Erdoğan and ignoring his rivals all together. That is pretty problematic in a country where less then half of the population uses the Internet and therefore relies on these broadcasts as their sole source of information.

So is there no way to get reliable information in Turkey and South Korea? As in many cases, the Internet is your friend. Although it is becoming a troubled friendship because of the government of both countries want to control information there as well, it is still possible to find the real story on what is going on. However, if so many people keep relying on traditional media to keep themselves informed it is fairly easy for the government to keep feeding half-truths and lies to the general public. Without true reform in both countries’ mass media their democracies will always be in danger of turning into something uglier. Having the power to vote is just one part of a democracy. Having unbiased information on who you can vote for is just as important.

Pop Culture: Enjoy... But Be Cautious

Stuck in Stereotypes

I once read that the majority of Americans don’t have a passport. As a European, I thought this was an incredibly shocking, if not dismaying, piece of trivia. On the other hand, presumably even those without passports know that Italians eat pizza and pasta and the typical French person cycles around with a baguette, wearing a black beret. An Irish citizen wears green and stumbles drunk down the street. Australians throw boomerangs at kangaroos. All the classic stereotypes.

These examples seem perhaps quite harmless at first glance, but what about the others---all Arabs are Muslim, all Blacks are poor, all Jews are greedy.

Stereotypes influence our decision making and are difficult to unlearn. Where do we form these ideas? How do we come to know---or think we know---so much about countries and cultures we have never experienced firsthand? The answer is through popular culture – the media of film, books, magazines, music and videos.

Mass Media: The Importance of Popular Culture

We cannot underestimate the power of mass media and pop culture in shaping our perceptions, ideals or prejudices of another culture. When it comes to ‘exporting culture’, there is both “High Culture" and "Low Culture" (a.k.a. Pop Culture). High Culture includes opera and ballet but reaches a smaller audience. Pop culture is much more ubiquitous and as a result arguably more influential. Let’s look at the most popular example---violence on our screens.

It is well documented that watching violence in film and on television could negatively influence the viewer. There is evidence to suggest this is true. Recently, a young man in the USA killed and dismembered his girlfriend after being inspired by a popular show about a serial killer, Dexter. On the other hand, Norway is regarded as a very peaceful country with low internal conflict. Is it a coincidence that the same country attempts to control, avoid and limit negative influences from its media? Crime is not sensationalized, television has little violence, boxing is banned from television. Even E.T. was rated too violent for viewers under 12.

Violence on television is a widely debated topic in the public eye. Why then, is less thought put into monitoring and researching the power of pop culture? Most people would look down at the importance of studying pop culture, believing it to be insignificant. Pop culture can be fun and educating but at the same time, it is a major factor in building prejudices and creating stereotypes. When original content is made by one culture and exported to another, we need to examine it carefully and make an educated decision on whether or not it is accurately portraying a culture’s image.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="329"] How are Asians usually represented in film? The men traditionally played the role of the villain such as Ming in Flash Gordon. On the hand, women tend to be painted as soft, feminine and desirable.[/caption]

Film: Learning about Cultures without Personal Experience

While I have yet to visit most of the countries in the world, it seems that I already know so much about them. You probably feel the same. Those who have yet to visit Paris, New York or London all have wonderful images and notions of their streets and alleys. Bustling Asian markets, piranhas in the Amazon and tribes in Africa. We are all constantly learning about cultures without firsthand personal experience. This increases the risk of misshaping our attitudes.

Through mass media, I know that India, for example, is a colorful place with a rich history, delicious food and with wonderful landscapes and locals. I do however, also know that a series of high-profile rape cases have tarnished the country’s image over the past few years. This has lead to a decrease in tourism. I know this from reading the news or watching a documentary but often it is film that is the most widespread channel in delivering gateways into other cultures. Looking at India again, the film Slumdog Millionaire was criticized by Indians for showing the country in such a dim light. Yet friends who have visited there can’t speak highly enough of such a beautiful place. Who to trust more, media sources or those who have been there and done that?

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="556" class=" "] Slumdog Millionaire presented the slums of Mumbai in a brutal but honest light. Still, it would most likely turn viewers away from India.[/caption]

Taken, the Hollywood blockbuster about human trafficking in Paris, apparently led to a decline in annual tourism in France. Parents told the movie’s leading front man Liam Neeson, “I’ll never send my kids to Europe.” To Asia, after the movie The Beach was released showing Leonardo Di Caprio’s adventures in Thailand, tourism soared there. People saw what an interesting culture Thailand had to offer with friendly locals, crazy parties and pristine beaches. They also expected shots of snake blood, shark infested-waters and drugs growing out of thin air on their arrival.

Heading north, to eastern Asia and Korea, a French actress Brigitte Bardot highlighted that Koreans eat dog in the French media prior to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. This spread across the global media and painted Koreans in a barbaric way, despite their huge advances in modern technology and innovation. The eating of dog, although a separate topic, is a custom that has lasted centuries and is ingrained in local culture here. We shouldn't compare cultures as being right or wrong, simply different. On a better note, Korean dramas have recently become huge in Cuba, of all places.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="488"] Phi Phi island in Thailand. Since the Beach, the area has received an incredible boost to tourism but local culture and the surrounding environment have taken a battering.[/caption]

Media: Objective or Subjective?

In general, we often believe that the media---whether a newspaper, a television show or a documentary---is objective and reflect their subjects much like a mirror would do. However, in fact the media is more like a window. It is mostly subjective and only offers us one viewpoint. Another window from the same building may cast a different light. This is to say that when we consume foreign pop culture we must do so with an open mind. What we are seeing, reading and hearing may not represent the true culture of a nation. The media is usually affected by local constraints that we are not aware of such as religious, political, historical or gender differences.

Korean director Kim Ki-Duk has had great success at international film festivals but his movies have never been widely appreciated in his homeland. If someone was to watch just one of his films, they would have a misrepresentation of Korea. Traditionally African-American women were portrayed as domestic stereotypes like in Tom and Jerry (which now carries a racial warning to viewers). Often media that is ‘factual’ or ‘based on a true story’ is only telling one side of a tale. Others rewrite history altogether; Disney’s Pocahontas, for example, all but overhauled the tragic history between natives and European adventurers.

[caption id="attachment_3259" align="aligncenter" width="250" class=" "] Media framing - what we see may not be a true reflection[/caption]

Keep an Open Mind

As technology improves, culture is spreading more and more. However, there is also a major global imbalance. Individuals from less populous cultural groups tend to import huge amounts of foreign content as it isn't plausible to consume only their own. Societies that watch too much foreign media may lose touch with their own. On the other hand, major nations like America, tend to view or consume little or no foreign content.

Finally, for many of us, some cultures and some nations exist only through popular culture. Mass media and pop culture are major powers in building our perceptions of other cultures and can often be only somewhat correct and educational. Those who do use media as their primary source of learning about other cultures thus need to consume as much as possible with an open mind in order to see a wider, probably more accurate picture of a nation, group or culture. Still, the best way to learn is still to get out there and mingle with real people.