A call for a paradigm shift: from fake news to extreme speech
Without any hesitation, I can say that one of the most important factors of political divisions in our current society is the generational gap. This applies to the U.S., my home country Korea, and others like Italy.
The recent U.S. election has proven the effect of mobilized Gen Z, and how this racially-diverse generation stands at the forefront of progressive issues compared to its older counterparts.
In Korea, the older generation (with the exception of Jeonla province residents) tends to be more conservative, in favor of the rightist…
Why liberal arts education is not liberal at all
I study politics, take philosophy classes, and do research on religion. As many would agree, I’m about to be left jobless.
During my high school senior year, my friend was genuinely concerned about my future employment prospects, and he asked me: “Look, what are you going to do in life by pursuing political science?”
Truthfully, I had no idea. It was as if I had to fabricate ambitious dreams to justify the discipline of my choice with statements like: “I want to be a politician” or “I am going to grow into a journalist covering controversial political issues.”
The irony…
My thoughts on nationalism as an Asian with an anglicized name
Jessica was born in January 2009. Nine years after I was named SooIn.
In 2009, I moved to an international school in Shanghai, China where I was suddenly asked to take classes in English while living in a Chinese-speaking country with a Korean-speaking family.
Nobody asked me to create a separate English name. But when I saw that my other Korean friends had names like “Erica,” “Jane,” and “Gina,” I felt that I needed one too.
Even though more than half of the people I met in life know me as “Jess” now, I never considered Jessica as my official…
I lost my internship, got fired, but became promoted as a full-time associate.
I was forced to fly back home to Korea in April when the pandemic was getting worse. I had my summer internship position secured but turns out life doesn’t always go the way you planned it to be. When I returned home, I decided I am going to earn money in Korea. Three weeks into my job hunt, here’s how things unraveled:
- Applied to 30 jobs
- Heard back from 4 places
- Got fired at a job midway
At this point, I was not too hopeful. But here’s the plot twist: Three months later, I got an offer to become a…
Welcome to a society where women self-objectify themselves
Living away from home has allowed me to reexamine what it means to be a woman in Korea. I have been developing an outsider’s perspective on many cultural aspects that I took for granted in the past. One of which is that a woman’s appearance matters a lot in determining her sense of worth.
I pinned down three observations that demonstrate the extent to which a woman’s appearance matters in South Korea. In a lot of ways, these three aspects make me insecure and uncomfortable living as a woman in Korea.
Homogeneous Fashion Code
An unspoken dress code exists in Korean society. There…
Jess
Young and ambitious Korean woman confused about the world. Bridging East Asia and the Middle East; Poli sci undergrad located in Qatar.
