I saw many news video clips about candle demonstration on internet. These kind of video clips are usually recorded and uploaded by netizens who have participated in the demonstration. Of course mess-media also make video clips about the demonstration, but they can’t follow netizens’ vividness and frankness.

It’s quite impressive in a view of that people don’t have to depend on mess-media any more. Considering powerful mess-media in Korea are involving government so that they are protecting government’s benefit, it’s very meaningful that we can see what’s happening at the demonstration without any filters.

However, I noticed that many video clips are focused on many violent scenes of the candle demonstration. Video clips that shows one solder is stepping one woman’s head, solders are hitting people with their shields and a watering cart is striking people directly are examples of that.

In terms of showing truth of what is really happening in this democracy country, it’s very right and meaningful. However, in terms of that it emphasizes only one part of candle demonstration, it’s not wholly true. I went to candle demonstration three or four times, so I know that what people are showing is very part of the demonstration. Most people are just sitting and shouting slogans and it’s even hard to know what’s happening in front.

 It’s true that hard to show all parts of the demonstration equally and even though we did, we don’t see them equally. Violent scenes catch our attention easily so that it’s easy to focus on those scenes even though there are many other things. So, what’s important is trying to valence to show various parts of the demonstration and also to see various parts of that.  

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Warning: The ax of this cigarette will be used for building ‘Cross-country Canal Project.’ Do you still want to smoke it?

I found this picture while surfing around the internet and I laughed when I saw this picture. I thought it was really creative because it shows issue of ‘Cross-country Canal Project’ not seriously and furiously and gives me an idea that issue of ‘Cross-country Canal Project’ is much related to my life. (Even though I don’t smoke, I can buy it and many friends of mine smoke.) I’ve disagreed with that project because of environmental and historical reason but I didn’t realize that the taxes I pay are the money that the government uses for this project. Even thought I was paying many taxes, I was indifferent to usage of that.

This little picture changed my mind and made me realized of what’s going on around me. It also gave me an idea that talking about issues doesn’t need to be serious all the time. I saw or participated in many social movements and gatherings and many times those were too serious or furious of each issue and because of that ordinary people feel uncomfortable with those movements and gatherings for being forced to be serious also, even though activists didn’t intend to.

I don’t agree that so all the movements and gatherings should be funny and cultural but I agree with the idea that we need more creativity in social movements. We have to be serious of what we are talking about but we can be creative in methodology.  

Importing U.S. beef is very controversial these days. According to the internet news, the beef from U.S. will be spread in Korea at least in 1 week. To demonstrate against that, a lot of citizens are gathering in many places in Korea with candles. They have insisted that the government should stop this trade for the health of Korean citizens.

However, the government totally has ignored the voices of citizens and said they won’t stop this horrible trade. Also they are saying that citizens are persuaded by wrong information and they can assure the safety of U.S. beef. But what the government is saying is wrong information. There were a lot of reports that warn people dangerousness of cow which is fed meat and we all know that Mad Cow Disease was found in England before. I can’t believe that how government will make it safe this new disease which doesn’t studied enough so that doesn’t have medicine at all.

In addition, I saw one article from Chosun express which says that students who are participating in the demonstration are related with “Korean Teachers & Education Workers’ Union”. That means teachers from that union instigated students to participate the demonstration for the political purpose. But real reason of why students participate in the demonstration is that because U.S. beef will be on their table as a school lunch. They are fighting for their life but conservative express use them for political purpose to repress “Korean Teachers & Education Workers’ Union”.

Everybody knows that Mad Cow Disease is fatal disease and it can be spread very easily because its infection way is various. Beef is used for food, medicine capsule, noodle soup, sanitary napkin and many more. Therefore, what the government is doing is killing citizens who vote for them. And conservative expresses who agree the opinion of the government are spreading wrong information which is related to people’s lives. They should stop this horrible trade and apologize to citizens for threatening their lives.

TV Show Program ‘We are married’ There is a TV show called ‘We are married.’ There are four star couples who are pretending as if they are married; they actually live in a same house together and have time together as real couple. The show pretends as if they are showing the couples’ private life and it’s quite interesting.

However, I am little bit uncomfortable with how the couples interact with each other in a view of role stereotype. Usually, men are preparing events and performances for women and women usually receive those in this show, and I feel women are passive in that situation. Also there are many scenes that show stereotype of woman and man, for example men are handling all the hard works and women are showing as someone who needs protection of men.

I agree that it’s actually what happens in real life but by showing that through media and stars it reinforces the stereotype of men and women.

These days, there is fascinating soap drama that pushes me to pay 70 won for downloading every Wednesday and Thursday. The title of that drama is ‘On Air’ and as we can guess from its title, it’s about broadcasting station and people who work in there.

Like other soap dramas which are about one particular job, ‘On Air’ gives me fun by showing inside of particular job that I both haven’t known or haven’t thought about. Especially it’s more amusing because it’s about broadcasting station where all the stars are in and all the programs that I like or liked have been made in. This drama shows me not only the system of broadcasting station and how they make a drama but also where drama producers are working, how it looks like, how stars are working, relationships between stars and producers and staff and many more. Those are intriguing because those were things that have been hidden by purpose or not.

However, showing inside of broadcasting station and life of stars can’t lead whole 55 minutes of the drama. Of course there are more in this drama which make is fascinating and one of those is that it has good characters. Especially, one main character is very fascinating which hasn’t been in Korean drama before. She is ‘O sung-ah’ who is both famous actress and superstar.

She’s actually a new character we haven’t seen before. She has everything – power, money, fame, beauty – but she isn’t modest or humble. She’s quite rude when situations are not good for her and she’s aggressive and assertive. Usually, this kind of character was the villain before. However, she isn’t the villain and people even love her because she’s the one who everybody in this society, especially women, looks for. She’s superstar, has a lot of money, lives in a great and big house and wears brand goods. Isn’t it what we dream about in this material world even just for a daydream? Frankly speaking, I don’t want to be a superstar but if God gives a chance to become her, I might consider that.

Like this ‘On Air’, the most being seen drama these days, has the factors which attract me and many people; broadcasting station where is bright and cool in our imagination and ‘O sung-ah’. Those are not that instructive but cool. Those are also something we look for. Of course, some might deny but in our deep inside they can’t deny they envy those even slightly. That’s why this drama is fascinating.

I watched again a movie named ‘King and the Clown’ which was released a few years ago. When I watched for the first, I became just a fan of that movie like many people did but I didn’t think much of that movie. I just liked beautiful images and lee jun-gee who was one of main characters. However I felt different feeling when I watched it again yesterday and it was really different movie because it is director’s version which have some scenes added.

I thought the main story of this movie was about two clowns who lived lives full of ups and downs. I thought it was side story love between King and Gong-gil. However, I saw the director’s version in a different view because there were many scenes which show love between King and Gong-gil and also love between Jang-sang and Gong-gil. I could definitely read love triangle and the situation was more persuasive than the version before. If I were a director of this movie I would focus more on the love triangle than others to make the story clearer. (I felt it’s not quite clear what the director wanted to say or there are too many things the director wanted to say)

However, I guess there was more than what the director wanted to say. Since it was all man whose are in the love triangle, the story had to face homosexual issue if the director focused on that. It’s true that there were scenes showing homosexual love in original version but those were not clear enough. That could be read as strong friendship and admiration. The fact that many scenes cut in original version but added in director’s version makes me think that it was the director’s intention to avoid homosexual issue by deleting scenes  and making the story vague.

I don’t think the director’s choice was bad. I am not saying that this movie was supposed to be homosexual love story. However, I think it could be better if the director chose one theme to focus on. I could see director’s hesitation and lingering throughout the movie and it was not comfortable to see. I would also hesitate if I were the director, but we know that there are saying ” simple is best.”

I saw a movie named Fur : An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus yesterday. It was a movie about one photographer who found her identity through communicating with a man who has hypertrichosis. That man is described mysterious because he tries to hide himself from the society for avoiding discriminations. Diane, the main character, didn’t know what she want but after she met him, she changed greatly and finally found her identity as a photographer.

The movie was very fascinating and heart touching but one thing disturbed me very much throughout the movie. It was the subtitle that wives are speaking honorific to their husbands but no husbands do that. Why the subtitle translator translated like that?

Considering that it’s very recent movie the subtitle translator won’t be old fashioned person who insists wives have to use honorific to their husbands. In Korea, nowadays, wives don’t use honorific to their husbands unless they decided to use honorific to each other or they have great gap in age. Therefore I guess using honorific to husbands has intention.

Actually it’s very easy to find a clue of that intention through the movie. It’s social background is 1930s when social position of women was much lower than now. I guess the translator intended to reflect the low position of women in their couple relationship.

However, still I can’t accept that idea because there isn’t honorific in English like in Korean. I think there can be different culture of communicating in western countries that we don’t know and if there is, this kind of translating missed cultural differences.

I agree that by only wives using honorific, it could show us the situation very effectively; it’s very natural in Korean context. However, we have to be careful in understanding other culture because misunderstanding of culture can causes little or big problems.