I used to wear a T-Shirt with Southpark's "Timmy" gracing the front. For those who need briefing: Timmy is the mentally handicapped, whellchair-bound character with ADD who can only say his own name. I considered myself conscious of the sensitivities of disability, yet I found Timmy's mental shortcomings hilarious. It is, after all, a cartoon. But after recently, I've rethought the humor of that animated situation.
What's brought about this wind of change? Several days ago, I was watching television with a Korean friend, an SBS (Korean TV station) news program. On the screen was a middle-aged man, raising his lips to further reveal already-protruding teeth. My friend translated for me. "He's 44 years old, but has the mind of an eight-year old," he snickered. I wondered if he would notice the total absence of amusement on my face. I also wondered why the hell the SBS program had laugh tracks playing when the mentally-challenged man struggled to tie his shoes. In an attempt to write his name, he failed. Laugh tracks. "Oh my God, he can't even spell his own name right!" Apparently, this man has achieved celebrity status. A movie has been made about him. He now attends an elementary school with eight-year-olds, because special education in South Korea is pretty scarce.
I also saw, a week ago, a news program featuring a Korean chef who went and cooked up some food for orphans with disabilities, sans laugh-tracks. It was something nice to see, in contrast to what I saw later. Some people (including TV programming editors) can be nice, and others can be jerks.
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3 comments:
papa scrumps, glad tidings from the other side of the world. it´s good to see you are still scribbling away in the web world. after teaching english for only four days, i have a new found respect for you. it can be very difficult. directions are almost impossible! i hope you´re well, despite cultural misunderstandings. i´m sure you´re thriving and pushing the korean buttons. good writings. take care.
dan
Happy Birthday kid! Hope your 24th is productive and enlightening. Send me your address too and I´ll mail you something. Take care kid.
Happy 24th kid! I hope you´re celebrating with a huge plate of noddles and some salty Korean beer. Many glad tidings for the year ahead, may it bring you philosophical gains and peace of mind. Cheers!
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