South Korean Fans Upset With Racist Gesture at Rio Olympics

Considering all the black face and big nose caricatures used in the Korean media, South Koreans really do not have much of a moral high ground to stand on with this issue:

South Korean football fans became upset when a spectator allegedly abusing Asians was shown on TV as South Korea beat Fiji.

At the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador, Brazil, on Aug. 5, a man made “slanted eyes,” a Western gesture to make fun of Asians’ eyes.

Some regard the act as racially offensive.

South Koreans were even more embarrassed when they learned that the man was cheering for South Korea.

He was holding a national flag and wearing a red T-shirt just like South Korean fans.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link.

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Redwhitedude
Redwhitedude
7 years ago

Unfortunately Koreans might be too dense to understand this.

ChickenHead
ChickenHead
7 years ago

That is a slippery slope to allow such slanted coverage through yellow journalism.

Hopefully, they rice up against that.

JoeC
JoeC
7 years ago

Inappropriately trying to show how much he wishes to be Korean. Kind of like Rachel Dolezal.

ChickenHead
ChickenHead
7 years ago

Once in a Korean restaurant, this little kid kept staring at me. He also kept poking at his parants and pointing me out.

I later caught him taking his fingers and holding his eyes open to make big round western eyes.

This bothered me approximately zero.

Those who create their own self-worth are not bothered by nonsense such as this (even in cases where it really is intended to be insulting).

Those who have so little self-worth that they are easily offended by every real and imaginary slight, are worth even less to me… and their thoughts and feelings are of no concern.

johnnyboy
johnnyboy
7 years ago

I don’t even see the guy they are talking about…..

The Korean guy on the far left with the ring around his head is a little darker and has fuzzier hair but other than that……….

Martin
Martin
7 years ago

Absolutely inappropriate behaviour. Same thing as a Nazi salute. @chickenhead you compare this to a little kid staring at you…pathetic.

To all commenters, Korea is not perfect, we all know, but why do you bother reading this blog and comment, if you are so against everything that has to do with Korea anyways? Got nothing else to do? Wouldn’t it be awkward, if you actually lived in Korea and hate it so much (as your comments show) and still stick around???

Your comments reflect badly on this blog, which actually gives some good insides and critical views. Would be nice if comments were a bit more educated and less sarcastic!

Before the bashing starts, not Korean, not native English speaker, and not someone who comments on blogs frequently online like you do.

ChickenHead
ChickenHead
7 years ago

LIMERICK

Martin… you are so right.

Making fun of slanty eyes is just like a Nazi salute… totally inappropriate.

Hitler killed six million Jews and the guy who made slanty eyes… uh… well… bugged a few people… or something… maybe.

Martin, WTF is wrong with you?

Nobody wrote anything “against Korea”.

They simply spoke the truth.

Korea has no problem making fun of other countries or races. I like that about Korea… even when they make fun of Americans or white people or whatever I identify with… as, if it is done sincerely and truthfully, it is amusing and insightful.

…but that takes away any right to complain about other races/nationalities sincerely making fun of Koreans… which I also find amusing if it is done truthfully.

Every country/race/culture/sub-culture/sexual orientation/gender/person/species/planet or origin/dimensional shift offset/etc has flaws… and they are all fair game to make fun of.

…but it means more if the person/etc making fun does not have the same flaws.

Let’s make fun of you.

There once was a man named Martin
whose lecture to us was just startin’.
We hoped that he’d quit
’cause he was full of shyt
and his speaking was less than me fartin’.

Sometimes I crack myself up.

Martin
Martin
7 years ago

Nothing is wrong with me. Slanted eyes in a comedy show – funny – maybe, at the Olympics its NOT!

Martin
Martin
7 years ago

@chickenhead – on a second note, a bunch of Germans (maybe a family with kids?) in this particular situation has good time, here comes you, you make a beard with one of your fingers and the Nazi salute – funny? Then you go over to some Israelis, you have a fake barcode tattoo on one of your arms and show it into the camera – funny? Then you go over to some Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and do your slanted eye gesture – funny? How about painting your face black and make a monkey gesture besides some African fans – funny? So, you just insulted billions – still funny or just plain racism?

MTB Rider
MTB Rider
7 years ago

“Please Understand our Unique Situation.”

Yep. Heard it before, fully expect to hear it again.

I assure you, all the folks here except BONEHEAD love Korea, and many of us have made, or will make Korea our home. But that doesn’t mean we won’t call out Koreaisms when they happen.

I’ve been “shown off” as a beloved pet, been interviewed at bike races just because I’m the only American to enter, and have had kids stop and stare when I’m away from the base areas. “You too old to be ESL teacher! Hello! Can I practice English?”

Just let it roll off.

ChickenHead
ChickenHead
7 years ago

“you make a beard with one of your fingers and the Nazi salute – funny?”

Hitler had a mustache. Abraham Lincoln had the beard… so… yes… funny (in a stupid way).

“Then you go over to some Israelis, you have a fake barcode tattoo on one of your arms and show it into the camera – funny?”

Jews had numbers. People with barcodes were hunted by terminators when they couldn’t find Sarah Connors… so… yes… funny.

“Then you go over to some Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and do your slanted eye gesture – funny?”

So… Asians can wear western clothes, copy western music, dye their hair blond, get plastic surgery for western eyes… and I am the bad guy if I temporarily make slanted eyes with my fingers?

Do you have a pea in your mattress, princess?

“How about painting your face black and make a monkey gesture besides some African fans – funny?”

Maybe. The last African fan I saw was making chinky eyes with his fingers within a red circle at the top of this page.

…and it just takes about 30 seconds of googling to show that a large percentage of Africans make comical monkey gestures on their own without my prompting… which is petty funny…

…at least when they aren’t hacking each other to death with DIY machetes or raping babies to cure their AIDS.

So… what was the problem again?

MTB Rider
MTB Rider
7 years ago

I’m sure I’m the only one who cares about this event, but I was curious how this is playing out in Korea:
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/rio-2016-mark-cavendish-threatens-sue-journalists-crash-video-allegations-he-deliberately-crashed-a7193211.html

Mark Cavendish body checked Park Sang Hoon, sending him to the hospital. Cavendish took the blame for causing the accident later, but it looks like he made eye contact before dropping into Park’s lane. Other places, that would have earned him a DQ.

How is this playing out in the news in Korea?

setnaffa
setnaffa
Reply to  Martin
7 years ago

Who the heck are you anyway? You ain’t from around here. We love Korea more than many Koreans. And your poor ESL skills either reflect poorly on you, your teacher, or your Dear Leader.

Normally, I’d have more patience with a drive-by sniper like you; but my second round of chemotherapy has me a bit on edge.

You should be ashamed of yourself for your immediate outrage at something you misinterpreted. You act like someone without a family. And I’d say you’re likely not even South Korean, because even the most arse-ended I’ve met since 1972 were more polite to strangers at their worst than you at your best so far.

Actual Nazis killed 30 Million people. Your grasp of appropriate hyperbole is non-existent. And your research is something any real Netizen could out-do in the time it took to read your whingey screed.

And all because someone liked South Korean athletes in a manner you disapprove, you call strangers Nazis.

Shame on you, shame.

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