[KS] Re: 'Memoir' defames Korean culture

[Yuh Ji-Yeon]

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virtually any word can be used in derogatory ways. that does not mean that=
=20
virtually any word is a derogatory term. to use the examples you give, the=
=20
terms colored and negro are considered outdated and indicative of a lack of=
=20
proper dignity and pride, but they are not considered to be racially=20
derogatory. that designation is reserved for terms like coon and nigger.=20
likewise, oriental is not generally seen as a racial insult -- that is=20
reserved for terms like gook, jap, slant, chink and the like -- but asian=20
americans rightly object to that term on numerous grounds. as someone=20
famously said, "don't call me oriental. i'm a person, not a vase."

in the korean context, honhyol, honhyola and honhyolin are considered=20
neutral terms, even politically correct terms, not insults. that they are=20
imbued with negative connotations and can be used in derogatory ways (i.e.,=
=20
"oh, he's a just a honhyolin.")  has to do with the fact that being of=20
mixed race heritage is still considered inferior, even outcaste, in general=
=20
korean society. likewise, the fact that terms like oriental, colored and=20
negro can be used in derogatory ways has to do with the fact that asians=20
and asian americans, black africans and african americans are still viewed=
=20
as not only different, but somehow inferior to whites and not quite in the=
=20
"all-american" mold.

to reiterate, the honhyol terms would not be hurled as insults, and=20
certainly not in rural farming villages of the 1950s and 1960s (honhyol=20
would have been unknown to their residents). and especially not when such=20
juicy and satisfying (to the prejudiced speaker) terms such as twigi were=20
available. even today, when someone wants to insult and hurt, the terms of=
=20
choice are twigi and japjong.

best,
ji-yeon

At 11:34 =BF=C0=C0=FC 00-09-09 +0900, you wrote:
>Terms like honhy=F4l, honhy=F4ra, or honhy=F4rin, are clinical descriptive=
=20
>terms, yes. But that status does not preclude them from being a vehicle=20
>for racial insult. "Oriental" was a term I had never found particularly=20
>offensive when I was young (at the time I didn't know of the etymological=
=20
>reasons why "Oriental" was *lexica non grata* among East Asian community=20
>leaders), until I heard some rather unenlightened people (talking about=20
>the merits of jumping on the "White flight" bandwagon to southern Orange=20
>County and northern San Diego County) referring to "o-REE-entals" moving=20
>in to parts of Orange County in large numbers, and how they didn't want to=
=20
>live near so many "o-REE-entals".
>
>The context in which the word is found, and the way in which the word is=20
>said, can take an innocuous term and turn it into something close to an=20
>insulting epithet. Isn't this, to a large degree, how "Colored" and then=20
>"Negro" fell out of favor: the words were originally neutral (or even=20
>positive) terms, hence their use in the title of the NAACP or the United=20
>Negro College Fund (now, apparently, simply called "the College Fund").=20
>But hearing White supremacists talk about NEEgro crime, the NEEgro=20
>problem, keeping them NEEgros out of the schools, "our Colored folk are=20
>happy where they are", etc., these terms became automatically connected to=
=20
>the context in which they were used.
>
>Just my thoughts. Purely observational.
>
>K U S H I B O
>
>Yuh Ji-Yeon wrote:
>regarding the terms honhyol, honhyolah, and honhyolin, yes, they are cold
>and clinical, but they are not used or seen as derogatory terms. and they
>most certainly would not have been in casual circulation in korean rural
>farming villages of the 1950s, the alleged setting for elizabeth kim's
>korean infancy and early childhood. in addition to their origins with=20
>japanese kanji terms, these terms are highly similar to the english terms=
=20
>"mixed blood" and "mixed race." after all, europeans and
>americans also have a long history of fixation on "pure" bloodlines and a
>horror of getting them tainted by inferior blood, whether that blood is
>deemed inferior due to class or race.


Department of History                           Harris Hall 202
Northwestern University                 1881 Sheridan Road
j-yuh at northwestern.edu                  Evanston, IL 60208 U.S.A.
tel: 1-847-467-6538                             fax: 1-847-467-1393


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<html>
virtually any word can be used in derogatory ways. that does not mean
that virtually any word is a derogatory term. to use the examples you
give, the terms colored and negro are considered outdated and indicative
of a lack of proper dignity and pride, but they are not considered to be
racially derogatory. that designation is reserved for terms like coon and
nigger. likewise, oriental is not generally seen as a racial insult --
that is reserved for terms like gook, jap, slant, chink and the like --
but asian americans rightly object to that term on numerous grounds. as
someone famously said, "don't call me oriental. i'm a person, not a
vase."<br>
<br>
in the korean context, honhyol, honhyola and honhyolin are considered
neutral terms, even politically correct terms, not insults. that they are
imbued with negative connotations and can be used in derogatory ways
(i.e., "oh, he's a just a honhyolin.")  has to do with the
fact that being of mixed race heritage is still considered inferior, even
outcaste, in general korean society. likewise, the fact that terms like
oriental, colored and negro can be used in derogatory ways has to do with
the fact that asians and asian americans, black africans and african
americans are still viewed as not only different, but somehow inferior to
whites and not quite in the "all-american" mold.<br>
<br>
to reiterate, the honhyol terms would not be hurled as insults, and
certainly not in rural farming villages of the 1950s and 1960s (honhyol
would have been unknown to their residents). and especially not when such
juicy and satisfying (to the prejudiced speaker) terms such as twigi were
available. even today, when someone wants to insult and hurt, the terms
of choice are twigi and japjong.<br>
<br>
best,<br>
ji-yeon<br>
<br>
At 11:34 =BF=C0=C0=FC 00-09-09 +0900, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=3Dcite cite>Terms like honhy=F4l, honhy=F4ra, or honhy=F4ri=
n,
are clinical descriptive terms, yes. But that status does not preclude
them from being a vehicle for racial insult. "Oriental" was a
term I had never found particularly offensive when I was young (at the
time I didn't know of the etymological reasons why "Oriental"
was *lexica non grata* among East Asian community leaders), until I heard
some rather unenlightened people (talking about the merits of jumping on
the "White flight" bandwagon to southern Orange County and
northern San Diego County) referring to "o-REE-entals" moving
in to parts of Orange County in large numbers, and how they didn't want
to live near so many "o-REE-entals". <br>
<br>
The context in which the word is found, and the way in which the word is
said, can take an innocuous term and turn it into something close to an
insulting epithet. Isn't this, to a large degree, how "Colored"
and then "Negro" fell out of favor: the words were originally
neutral (or even positive) terms, hence their use in the title of the
NAACP or the United Negro College Fund (now, apparently, simply called
"the College Fund"). But hearing White supremacists talk about
NEEgro crime, the NEEgro problem, keeping them NEEgros out of the
schools, "our Colored folk are happy where they are", etc.,
these terms became automatically connected to the context in which they
were used.<br>
<br>
Just my thoughts. Purely observational.<br>
<br>
K U S H I B O<br>
<br>
Yuh Ji-Yeon wrote:
<dl>
<dd>regarding the terms honhyol, honhyolah, and honhyolin, yes, they are
cold=20
<dd>and clinical, but they are not used or seen as derogatory terms. and
they=20
<dd>most certainly would not have been in casual circulation in korean
rural=20
<dd>farming villages of the 1950s, the alleged setting for elizabeth
kim's=20
<dd>korean infancy and early childhood. in addition to their origins with
japanese kanji terms, these terms are highly similar to the english terms
"mixed blood" and "mixed race." after all, europeans
and=20
<dd>americans also have a long history of fixation on "pure"
bloodlines and a=20
<dd>horror of getting them tainted by inferior blood, whether that blood
is=20
<dd>deemed inferior due to class or race.
</dl></blockquote><br>
<br>
<div>Department of
History<x-tab>   </x-tab><x-tab>    &nbsp=
;   </x-tab><x-tab>       =
 </x-tab><x-tab>        </x-tab=
>Harris
Hall 202</div>
<div>Northwestern
University<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>      &n=
bsp; </x-tab><x-tab>        </x=
-tab>1881
Sheridan Road</div>
<div>j-yuh at northwestern.edu<x-tab>  </x-tab><x-tab>  &nb=
sp;     </x-tab><x-tab>    &nbs=
p;   </x-tab>Evanston,
IL 60208 U.S.A.</div>
<div>tel:
1-847-467-6538<x-tab>     </x-tab><x-tab> &nbs=
p;      </x-tab><x-tab>   &nbsp=
;    </x-tab><x-tab>      =
  </x-tab>fax:
1-847-467-1393</div>
<br>
</html>

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