[KS] Official end of WWII in Asia

[Robinson, Michael E.]

Dear Kwang-On:

I think the point is the use of  the word "hero".  Yoon's involvement in terrorism in the cause of Korean independence is I suppose rightly heroic in nationalist logic.  This requires that a previous judgment has been made about the various causes the principles represented.  Here the hapless general who was blown up is associated with Japan and its morally reprehensible colonialism and Mr. Yoon the righteous Korean cause of independence...which further requires a belief in some doctrine of the immutability of ethnic groups to self-determination....and on and on.  More believable would be a narrative that correctly identifies the causes, motives, on both sides and gets the facts of the terror correct and maybe recognizes the humanity of both victim and perpetrator....and then uses language which might neutralize our valorization of murder in a righteous cause since that is the kind of thinking which unfortunately animates so much killing throughout human history....a lamentable but immutable fact in and of itself.

Mike Robinson

From: koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws [mailto:koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws] On Behalf Of Kwang On Yoo
Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2010 12:31 PM
To: Ruediger Frank; Korean Studies Discussion List
Subject: Re: [KS] Official end of WWII in Asia

Dear Mr. Frank,

I understand your distaste but desperate time bears desperate heroism.

Kwang-On Yoo
On Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 7:32 AM, Ruediger Frank <ruediger.frank at univie.ac.at<mailto:ruediger.frank at univie.ac.at>> wrote:
Dear all,
am I the only one who has second thoughts regarding this thread?
Let me put it this way: In today's world, would Mr. Yoon's deeds be regarded as an act of heroism? Or as an example of another -ism? Not that such a discussion would lead us very far on this list, but I find it interesting to observe how blowing up a person (or ripping off one of his legs) with a bomb can be interpreted in very different ways depending on... on what? On context? On culture? On vantage point?
Best wishes,
Rudiger Frank

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