There was a protest last Saturday..... through the streets outside the office. It was loud, with a 25 piece school band, and with seemingly hundreds of students waving large signs in the air adorned with colorful Korean hangul (Korean alphabet characters). It looked like a party, and I could understand why some people would be inclined to join the festivities without really understanding why.

As it turns out, students were protesting a raise in college tuition fees. From what I am told, people protest for everything here. It's their way. Some expats wrinkle up their faces in a look of disgust when they speak of Korean ways. But this particular freedom, the freedom to protest, is probably taken for granted in our society. Korea hasn't had the autonomy in it's war torn, troubled past. It's been invaded, ransacked, burned, pillaged, abandoned, left for dead, and then invaded all over again. It's been fought over by superpowers and ignored by economies, much like a vulnerable puppy, the runt of the litter known as Northern Asia. If I were them, I would exercise every right I could also.

It's not to say that Korea is without it's disgusting social views. I read an article in the newspaper last week about custody battles over the children of divorced couples. It took me a long time to realize what the article was saying. When I think of a custody battle, I think of a fight to keep the children... an enduring battle for the right to raise one's own children for the well-being of the children. Of course, the issue is not necessarily without it's ulterior motives, some people fight for custody simply for the punishment and pain it would cause to their former significant other. But needless to say, there are certain assumptions that come to mind when thinking of custody battles. On the contrary, this article was addressing the issue of overflowing orphanages due to a significant rise in divorce rates. Apparently, here in Korea, when couples divorce, they fight to rid themselves of responsibility for their children. Being unmarried with children is bad for your image. It takes away from a potential social life and makes it nearly impossible to remarry. There is no such thing as being a single parent here in Korea. The term does not exist and I think a single man or single woman would be hard pressed to know exactly how to handle the situation. Funny how it takes the cooperation of two individuals, some reassurance from another party or simply one person to make the demands and the other to carry them out, in order for people to function as a family unit.
The collectivist culture is very difficult for us westerners to understand. In the five dimensions of culture, Korea is said to be 82 percent collectivist, while America is 91 percent individualist. That's a big difference. It is my opinion that this collectivist culture spawns (to the outside world) an unnecessary and somewhat disgusting obsession with image. That's why Louis Vitton, Gucci, and Guess are thriving businesses. That why you are considered nothing if you are not fashionable and good looking. And that's why divorced couples fight to rid themselves of responsibility of their children. Very, very sad..... to us. But it's the way it is here, and I would bet money on the fact that it's exactly the way they like it. I don't think they'd change to western values of individualism if given money to do so. Individualism can be lonely. Individualism won't encourage your neighbor to help you rebuild your house after a fire. Individualism austrisizes our elderly into nursing homes, our friendships into nothing more than e-mail, and our possessions into things that are not to be shared.
On the flip side, collectivism breaths conformity..... it discourages people from thinking for themselves, standing up for what is right, and it throws children into orphanages for the sake of the self.
Geez, bummer.
As a side note, I have recently made a request to a co-worker. I made him promise to ensure that I did not leave Korea with an adorable little orphan, despite my bleeding heart.

What to do about all this?

I mean, it's good to know what's wrong with the world. But even in knowing, and seeing all the bad things, you know you can't change it. Many things in the world have gone from bad to worse because people have tried to change them. My only hope is to ease some of the pain and suffering that plauges the unfortunate. Become a comfort, a safe haven, or simply a good friend.