Monday, November 08, 2010

Korean liberalism

Wall Street Journal:

To keep growing, economists here and abroad believe, [South Korea] will have to make fundamental changes to its hierarchical, male-dominated society -- not only bringing more women into the workplace, but also encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship, promoting by merit rather than seniority and opening the door to immigrants.
...
Part of the reason the government's heavy-handed role in the economy is accepted is because it's in line with Korean society's Confucian-rooted belief in the power of hierarchies. That same belief spills over to everyday work. South Koreans routinely defer to people older than themselves, a habit that preserves order but chills interaction and suppresses new ideas.

And the hierarchical tradition is further complicated by the power it assigns to men over women. Until the 1990s, Korean textbooks preached that women should stay at home. Even now, women are routinely encouraged to quit work when they become pregnant. And it was only this April that a judge for the first time held a South Korean company liable in a sexual-harassment case involving a male boss and female subordinate.

Just as soon as capital hits any social obstacle, society must be rearranged to ensure its flight. That which is independent, but in the way, must be subordinated; that which is subordinated, but inadequate, must become independent.

See also femenins

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ach! I didn't understand this until I read femenins. For a woman to have the same rights as a man, in this regard, is not to have any rights at all. If I could add, except those we make.

drip

Cüneyt said...

So, basically, capital has its own will to power.

what the Tee Vee taught said...

I'd say so. My internet guru, Daniel Coffeen, has a very pleasurable take: capital is a virus.

http://hilariousbookbinder.blogspot.com/2010/05/state-of-things-as-i-see-it-notes-on.html

Anonymous said...

capital is a virus. Which Coffeen gathered from William Burroughs, with due credit, I hope.

drip

what the Tee Vee taught said...

Had you read the link, you'd have seen your hope realized.

Yet, I'm not on board with the sentiment. Because you know Burroughs — rather famously — referred to it as a virus, you conclude Coffeen must have been somehow influenced by this?

Nah. Not every idea has to be "sourced", unless you'd like endless and altogether incoherent citation.