The Kangaroo Panopticon
Why do I like Park Chan-wook’s Korean film, Oldboy, you ask? Why, the reason I like Oldboy is because I long to punish my enemies. Not only do I want to tit their tat, but also to utterly annihilate their entire existence while ruining everything they love. If they love nothing? Then I want to give them love only to violate it while blossoming. My enemies should not only suffer physically, but should also endure every possible psychological torture procurable. I want my adversaries to be at the peak of their hopes before kicking down their sandcastles. Before you indignantly judge me, you must remember that when I say “I”, you know that it means “we”: for beneath all of our politeness, beneath all of our reservations, linger spiteful, vindictive thoughts. Speak for myself? No, I will speak for all of us.
Elucidating this idea, Russell Roberts, the director of Vancouver, Canada’s Shakespearian Bard on the Beach play, Titus Andronicus, defends the choice of using gratuitous fake blood instead of “arty-farty” red ribbons:
“We’re very inhuman, we human beings. I mean, look what’s happening in Afghanistan, in Baghdad, in Somalia. It has happened since day one. This is no more violent or horrible than what’s going on around the globe right now. Titus has been catalogued as a problem play, but I think that the problem—if there’s a problem—is that we don’t like to have that mirror put up to us.”
Please, I Want to Go to Prison
Why do I like Park Chan-wook’s Korean film, Oldboy, you ask? Why, I like the film because I secretly want to be locked up for 15 years. In fact, I have dreamt of my incarceration since I was a kid. My romanticisation of a reclusive lifestyle began during one camping trip while reading Old Norse mythology. From the tales, there were a few that stuck with me such as those of the Norse God, Odin, who hung himself upside-down from a tree until he died. Why would he do that? He did it because he had learned everything except the knowledge of the afterlife, and his curiosity led him to explore the world that he could only reach through death. So I sat in my tent in solitude reading with no distractions of how Odin finally bartered his way out of Hades by plucking out his eye. Seemed like a good deal to me: an eye for immense, if not total, wisdom. Later, back at home, being so enthralled with the story, I came close to gouging out my own eye with a piece of broken glass. In the end, with the thin splinter against my eye, I thought better of the oedipism. To this day, I wonder how close I was. The fascination may be why I have a thing for cute girls wearing eye-patches.
Many years later, and with both eyes unpunctured, I spent most of my time in Cuba reading. I should pause to say this now: I am not an avid reader. Unlike the admirable voracious readers I have met, reading doesn’t come easily to me. Each page, for me, is onerous. Commas and semicolons, to me, are more like periods. I have an attention span that barely makes it until the end of the.
Oldboy for Little Girls and Little Boys
Why do I like Park Chan-wook’s Korean film, Oldboy, you ask? Why, I love the quirky action-packed romantic comedy because it’s good wholesome fun for the whole family! Are you a fan of true love, superheroes, and octopuses? If you are, you will definitely enjoy this showdown between good and evil based on the popular Japanese comic written by Nobuaki Minegishi. If you like anti-heroes such as the Dark Knight and pretty Grrl-power heroines such as Batgirl, you will love the zany adventures of Oh Dae-su and Mi-do. There’s no lame Aquaman in the movie! No way, no how!
Oldboy has it all: adventure, suspense, humour, and of course, love! Our hero, Oh Dae-su, similar to Harry Potter, begins the tale as a loser just getting through life one day at a time. One dark night, Dae-su is kidnapped then imprisoned in a hotel room for 15 years. During this time, Dae-su trains himself by shadowboxing. He begins to find his true destiny that will lead him to making the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of others. When he is finally mysteriously released back into the world, Dae-su seeks to avenge the cruel murder of his wife and save his daughter. In the end, Dae-su must fight for justice and face the evil mastermind, Woo-jin, and his henchman, Mr. Han. Woo-jin has all of the answers and knows a secret that will change everyone’s lives forever. Dae-su must solve the puzzle quickly—it’s a race against the clock! Can Dae-su find Woo-jin in time?
On Pico Iyer’s ‘Where Worlds Collide’
In his essay, Where Worlds Collide, Pico Iyer analyses the hustle and bustle of the Los Angeles International Airport while transvaluing the associations of the airport culture into current trends of globalisation. Through his long, descriptive sentences, Iyer controls the perception of time to take snapshots of juxtapositions, contradictions, and ironies.
Beginning with a single long sentence paragraph, Iyer captures attention with suspense as the reader tries to figure out who “they” are. He repeats “they” and “them” while providing visual and audial details allowing the reader to put everything together until Iyer finally states the location at the end of the third paragraph. By starting with the perspective of the collective, we get a sense of multiple views while also understanding indirectly that Iyer is only one set of eyes. He uses such a perspective as a device for adding his own experiences into the writing. Through this, he writes with limited omnipresence.
By working through observation and a control of time similar to editing video, Iyer catches many ironies through various juxtapositions in the airport. One such juxtaposition is the contrast between the “American Dream” and reality. While many developing countries invest heavily into their airports to make a good first impression for visitors, the LAX is less appealing and may be a disappointment to those who have heard exaggerations of U.S. wealth. Iyer often induces what people expect and compares it to he thinks they actually experience from the things that he sees. He uses his intuition to role-play how people interact the environment that he sees. In one instance, newcomers experience a gift of a keychain globe (a symbol that, like postcards made in Korea, visually enriches his essay with details of cultural and global interconnectedness) that ends up to not being free at all, but instead a solicitation for a donation. In another example, Iyer mentions the graffiti of “Mexicans go home” scrawled on a bathroom wall that contradicts the international culture within the airport. Through Iyer’s juxtapositions, readers can see both tolerance and intolerance of intercultural relations. On one hand, we see the prejudice against Mexicans, and on the other we see Ethiopians, despite extreme cultural animosity, working along with the Tigre. Iyer suggests that people are “amnesiac” towards historical tensions and much is forgotten for the sake of coexistence, yet he also reveals much of the lingering undercurrents of resentment.
We are God, and God is Dead: The Deaths and Resurrections of the comedic genius, Kim Jong-il
؟ ؟ ؟
God’s Ministry of Comedy
The Juche-bag Kim Jong has died. We saw it coming: he’s been Il for a long time.
And so it goes.
Although we +1, ✓Like, and resend these mostly annoying, crude jokes while participating in the cheap giggles, we cannot think of dystopia without also thinking of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. We sit at our computers connected from all around the world laughing at people who still don’t have the voice to defend themselves. We taunt their country, their leaders, their idols, and their Gods. Do we laugh because we are malicious? Yes, sometimes. There is, however, something deeper than mere vindictiveness. We know the North Korean situation is bad—unimaginably, unbearably beyond bad. Surely, it is not malignity, but rather sympathy that keeps us laughing for the very fact that their situation is so horrible. What do many of us do? We laugh because of the desperate, juxtaposed extremes. The situation is so dark, and we are so helpless to do anything meaningful, that all we can do is laugh. Laughter: our last link to sanity.
Swimming in Charcoal: Following South Korean Streams into Culture, History, and Memory
Written by Knigel Holmes
If someone had told me that I would become obsessed with charcoal during my stay in South Korea — well, no one would ever have told me that. From plebs to intellectuals, we enjoy the work of others; we rarely think deeply about the products around us. Charcoal, for one, is rather humdrum. Sure, one might consider charcoal when in need of heat, but the thought goes little further than basic utility. One might know a few technical facts such as activated charcoal makes an efficient water filter, or that most “charcoal briquettes” are usually a mixture of coke and coal instead of real charcoal — yawn. Perhaps one even has one of those odd little facts useful for filling in awkward moments of silence:
“Hey, did you know that African red colobus monkeys self-medicate themselves by eating charcoal which absorbs the cyanide from their leafy diets?”
(Awkward silence resumes.)
No, I did not come to Korea to ponder such a ho-hum, mind-numbing topic. I came to Korea for the raw octopuses, the bitter Soju, the cinematic ultra-violence, and of course, the Busan Bikini.
Never mind, forget about charcoal. Instead, let me tell the tale of the cunning, old Chinese joker, Dongfang Shuo, otherwise known in Korean as Tongbang Sak who, after eating the goddess Seo Wang-mo’s peach down by a river, became so blessed with longevity that the spirit world wailed with jealousy. So long did Tongbang live that his name officially appeared in the red ink of a dead man allowing spirits to drag his soul into the afterlife.
The Obituary of Billy Capra
Creative Non-fiction: Yes, this is a true story.
Written by Knigel HolmesThe Obituary of Billy Capra
Billy Capra, whose amiable personality and sincere, trusting character made him a favourite of all those who met him, died in Holguín, Cuba, on the farm where he was born and raised. Similar to many others born into the improper record keeping of the countryside, Billy’s exact age remains a mystery. Still, Billy could not have been older than 12 years old at his death.
Billy was survived by many close family members. Living in little more than a shed unattached to the main farmhouse, Billy’s family and he spent most of their time together. Although various nannies looked after Billy, his whole family ate together, slept together, and even bathed together. While some might frown on the Capra family’s closeness as something uncivilized, we must look onto them with compassion instead of judgement. They lived together out of oppressive necessity. Money was a luxury that the family went without.
Although Billy lived in what we might assume to be a life full of strife, he did not let on that the hardship affected him. He not only had a tough hide, but he was also a playful, sociable kid always out in some game with anyone who would humour him. On the rare occasion of butting heads with his peers over some mundane trifle Billy’s jovial temperament deflated any grudge. We cannot say, of course, that his constant gaiety did not annoy some of the crankier old goats. Billy’s natural inquisitiveness and intelligence kept everyone anticipating his next antics. From when he was a baby on four legs, his yearning for freedom oft led him somehow out of his pen and into trouble. Later this trouble would be the doe-eyed girls who fauned over the still-too-young Billy whom flourished under the attention.
Political Correctness and the English Language
Written by Knigel Holmes
In Politics and the English Language, Orwell criticises modern language for hiding true intentions behind unclear writing. “The great enemy of clear language is insincerity,” writes Orwell. “When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink”. Orwell argues that euphemisms manipulate language and allow those controlling the meaning to distort reality. Following his argument, contemporary disputes of political correctness reveal modern power struggles. If, as Orwell argues, the enemy of clear language is insincerity, then political correctness is also an enemy of clear language. Political correctness and euphemisms, moreover, prematurely euthanize critical thought.
“'Who controls the past,” writes George Orwell in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, ”controls the future: who controls the present controls the past”. While critics abuse the term “Orwellian” by comparing Orwell’s dystopia to modern government, there has yet to be a government able to maintain such control on the populous. No single authority controls the thoughts of contemporary society; however, various institutions and organisations vie to shape language into what will best support their agendas. A Logocracy rules global culture through the power of language. Words define what is legal, what is clinical, and what is acceptable. A switch in meaning changes a benevolent act into a crime. Instead of a central authority, a coalition of individuals, media, businesses, and governments rule public thought through language. Each member of society receives and sends information shaping language and meaning; however, there is no balance of power in this coalition.
Vegetarians: Don’t Be Bad Guests
The is a followup from my previous post: Confessions of a Vegan Meat-Eater
Written by Knigel Holmes
Eat what the locals eat. Eat the dog, pig, and cow. Eat the whale, seal, and urchin. Eat the scorpion, cockroach and larvae. Shun cultural arrogance, and instead of confining freedom to strict vegetarianism or religious food restrictions, open up to other cultures. Religion and moral righteousness are not valid excuses for not challenging one’s own cultural norms. Sharing food and participating in food culture is not simply a matter of politeness. No, breaking bread is a highly moral act because it brings cultures closer together. Rejecting food and generosity rejects the culture and is, therefore, a competing immoral act. The choice of vegetarianism, for example, is not inherently “right” or “wrong”, it is, however, mainly a decision from within more food secure nations and not ethically superior to the choice of an adaptive diet. Instead of alienating hosts, take part in local food culture, and consider temporarily relaxing dietary preferences.
Contrary to claims of moral superiority, the vegetarian diet is not inherently “good”. As far as we know, the diet is merely a preference among other ethical choices. Without evidence of a deity, we cannot claim to have any absolute wrong or right (Sinnott-Armstrong). Thus, our morality is human-centric. Beliefs of “right” and “wrong” stem from events that affect us as humans. For example, if given the choice between a fresh, ripe apple and a rotten, decomposing apple most would choose the fresh apple. Given that we have no evidence of an intrinsic morality, we can only design our own extrinsic morals. Since there is no certainty of one path of ethics, we can think of ethics in terms of moral landscapes with different peaks and drops. The moral landscape, says author Sam Harris, is:
Have Your Marshmallow and Eat Two
Written by Knigel Holmes
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not.”(Epicurus)
Pop psychology appeals to a broader audience because it forces complex data into neat, digestible categories. Diametric categories are more memorable and market-friendly; therefore, consumers know of Martian men and Venusian women, logical left-brainers and creative right-brainers, and now, impulsive one-marshmallow eaters and self-controlled two-marshmallow eaters. Walter Mischel’s “marshmallow experiments” were conducted in the mid-1960s, whereby researchers let children choose between receiving one marshmallow immediately and waiting for two marshmallows at a later time. Mischel’s research, the follow-up studies (Lehrer), and the media response have fuelled the belief that there are only two types of people in the world: those who resist temptation and receive their two metaphorical marshmallows, and those who succumb to their immediate impulses and eat only one metaphorical marshmallow.
Both sides of the divide have compelling arguments. Pop culture references such as Joachim de Posada’s Don’t Eat the Marshmallow…Yet! have promoted delayed gratification because of a positive correlation in the research between resisting temptation at an earlier age and a more successful life later on. In addition, with regards to the interests of society, the two-marshmallow philosophy is more functional than its counterpart. Society tends to value productive, long lives more than short, intense lives, emphasising the belief that restraining our desires for the hope of a future reward allows us to become more contributing, productive members to the collective. While we do have moments of satisfaction and joy, we learn to endure discontent, and through this conditioning, habitually delay truly enjoying life. So much is this belief embedded into our moral codes that it is not uncommon to find individuals working safe, albeit boring jobs to support their families, thinking twice before doing anything that could jeopardise living comfortably at an old age. In fact, society often scolds those who live more intense lives for being selfish and inconsiderate. Not only do deviants get the stink eye for enjoying the pleasures of life, but they also face legal sanctions for behaviour that affects none besides themselves. The perceptions behind these mores and laws exist as a result of the orthodox definition and parameters of “normal behaviour” that come from our emphasis on delayed gratification.
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- The Kangaroo Panopticon
- Please, I Want to Go to Prison
- Oldboy for Little Girls and Little Boys
- On Pico Iyer’s ‘Where Worlds Collide’
- We are God, and God is Dead: The Deaths and Resurrections of the comedic genius, Kim Jong-il
- The Many Names: A South Korean Folktale
- Lies
- Swimming in Charcoal: Following South Korean Streams into Culture, History, and Memory
- The Obituary of Billy Capra
- Political Correctness and the English Language
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