Re: "Calling all 'A-level' Korean women"
Posted by hi G on 2011. 7. 9. 14:40Wow. What a day.
Like all the other memorable and exciting things in my life, my writing "debut" on CNNGo happened so quickly and unexpectedly. Quickly because I had to respond to a ridiculous Joongang op-ed before people forgot to get mad about it, and unexpectedly because I never thought I would begin my formal writing career writing about, well, marriage. At first I was a little hesitant to publish this piece because it was scary to think about throwing myself out there for everyone's judgment, especially writing about such a sensational topic. But I was pretty sure I wasn't the only one who cringed after reading the op-ed, and when I thought more about it, it was something that needed to be said. Although it's something most people have heard or thought of, not many people have expressed it in writing.
If there is one thing that I wish I hadn't missed to include, as some people fairly pointed out to me, is a disclaimer about the so-called "ABCD" grading of marriage candidates. We all know it's ridiculous to grade people solely based on measures like educational level, income, and looks. But we also know these "grades" do unfortunately exist within the matchmaking agencies, where a lot of Korean people depend on to get married, and in many people's minds. Since my article was specifically about the group of women with high levels of education and income, rated "A" by these agencies, I thought it would be a bit of digression to include the disclaimer. But had I included that disclaimer, it might have spared me some of the angry comments.
I had a butterfly in my stomach all day yesterday and my heart dropped every time a sneering comment popped up, but I guess it's natural for a first-time writer. The smirky comments from some of the male readers, though hurtful, were completely expected (and not well thought-out, I thought) and that's precisely the kind of attitude that I wanted to address and fight.
I am most grateful for the overwhelming support and congratulations I received from my friends and family. I thank my friend who encouraged me to publish this article and made it happen, and others who read the draft and gave me a "go."
Hopefully this is the most "sensationalistic" article that I'll ever write. In the broadest sense, I wish to continue writing about marginalized people -- in the past I've written about North Korean refugees, oppressed journalists, AIDS activists in China, etc. -- though some people seemed to disagree, understandably, about the "marginalization" of the well-educated and high-earning Korean women. But, to drive the point home, whether I write about "A-level" women's marriage or sexual trafficking of North Korean women, I believe the core nature of oppression is the same. Hopefully I'll make it clearer in my future writings.
Like all the other memorable and exciting things in my life, my writing "debut" on CNNGo happened so quickly and unexpectedly. Quickly because I had to respond to a ridiculous Joongang op-ed before people forgot to get mad about it, and unexpectedly because I never thought I would begin my formal writing career writing about, well, marriage. At first I was a little hesitant to publish this piece because it was scary to think about throwing myself out there for everyone's judgment, especially writing about such a sensational topic. But I was pretty sure I wasn't the only one who cringed after reading the op-ed, and when I thought more about it, it was something that needed to be said. Although it's something most people have heard or thought of, not many people have expressed it in writing.
If there is one thing that I wish I hadn't missed to include, as some people fairly pointed out to me, is a disclaimer about the so-called "ABCD" grading of marriage candidates. We all know it's ridiculous to grade people solely based on measures like educational level, income, and looks. But we also know these "grades" do unfortunately exist within the matchmaking agencies, where a lot of Korean people depend on to get married, and in many people's minds. Since my article was specifically about the group of women with high levels of education and income, rated "A" by these agencies, I thought it would be a bit of digression to include the disclaimer. But had I included that disclaimer, it might have spared me some of the angry comments.
I had a butterfly in my stomach all day yesterday and my heart dropped every time a sneering comment popped up, but I guess it's natural for a first-time writer. The smirky comments from some of the male readers, though hurtful, were completely expected (and not well thought-out, I thought) and that's precisely the kind of attitude that I wanted to address and fight.
I am most grateful for the overwhelming support and congratulations I received from my friends and family. I thank my friend who encouraged me to publish this article and made it happen, and others who read the draft and gave me a "go."
Hopefully this is the most "sensationalistic" article that I'll ever write. In the broadest sense, I wish to continue writing about marginalized people -- in the past I've written about North Korean refugees, oppressed journalists, AIDS activists in China, etc. -- though some people seemed to disagree, understandably, about the "marginalization" of the well-educated and high-earning Korean women. But, to drive the point home, whether I write about "A-level" women's marriage or sexual trafficking of North Korean women, I believe the core nature of oppression is the same. Hopefully I'll make it clearer in my future writings.