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2 days ago, our social studies teacher recited a speech about our forefathers.
He went:
"After the 5.16 Military Revolution, the to-be President-for-Life Park Chung Hee went to the united states to meet the then president, JFK. JFK had stopped the economic and food aid citing the inefficiency of the previous goverment, although the people were starving. Park Chung Hee tried for 2 weeks to meet the US president, but could not, for nobody, and especially the leader of the world superpower, wanted to meet the leader of a country that was poorer than Ethiopia, and ranked 169th in the world."
"What could General Park Chung Hee do? He, as a last resort, turned to West Germany, which like our country had been divided by communism. Despite the interference of the US, he succeeded in making a deal with the West German goverment. The deal was in human resources."
"Our country sent hundreds, perhaps thousands of miners and nurses to West Germany where they were desperately needed. They worked 14 hours a day, thousands of kilometers away from there homeland in conditions that were inhuman. The miners worked kilometers below ground in temperatures of more than 40 degrees celsius. The nurses could not even take breaks during their jobs of corpse-cleaning."
"But they worked. They did not give up."
"When Park Chung Hee visited Germany, the miners and nurses wept and cried. And he cried with them after hearing the stories. He met the Prime minister of west Germany, who thanked him for the workers that they sent. And the money he recieved went directly to building Korean factories."
"Look at your grandparents. And your parents. They are the ones that you disregard, that you disrespect because they are "uncool" and "old". But they are the ones that through blood and sweat acheived miracles. Miracles that enable you to live in peace and prosperity. By they're sacrifice, you are able to eat 3 meals a day. To go to school instead of working in coal mines. To play Starcraft. You should be thankful, and ashamed of yourselves."
"In the 70s, the President-for-Life Park Chung Hee sent thousands of troops to Vietnam to help the US. The US gave money in return. For the blood they spilled, for every man dead and maimed in that hostile foreign fields so far away from home, we made highways. We made ships. We made airports. And thanks to them, we now have the best shipyards in the world."
"Your parents, and their parents, were miracle workers. Respect them."
Then he added: "Oh, and you know, it wasn't Oswald that shot JFK. It was one of Park Chung Hee's aides that went along with him for his first visit in the US."
At this point, people were crying, including the teacher himself. And tears flowed from my eyes as well, for the first time in many, many years. Feelings of sadness, respect, and just hot patriotism filled up my insides. Then there was anger at those who did not cry, those who lacked patriotism, whose loyalties that I now began to doubt.
Then I thought that JFK deserved to be shot.
It was an horrible thought and I realized that after several seconds. The guy had died right next to his wife who watched his head get blown up. He had children, and most likely he was loved by many people. Most likely many had mourned his passing.
And I realized my sudden hatred toward some of my classmates that were talking amongst themselves happily during the speech was unrational. They were my friends. I liked them, and they liked me.
I remembered Orwell's 1984, and the Two Minutes Hate. I thought then, maybe, yes, this is indoctrination, and I have had been subject to it. Maybe for years and years. Feelings that I was not able to control without thinking it out. Feelings of hatred against JFK, the unpatriotic, and the communists. Maybe, yes. Just maybe.
However, my feelings of love for my country and uttermost respect for those who gave there lives so that we could live better, so that our country could be forever prosperous and peaceful and mighty, it did not die. 'The fatherland is great. It is greater than Death.' cried my mind again and again.
But the doubt lingered.
He went:
"After the 5.16 Military Revolution, the to-be President-for-Life Park Chung Hee went to the united states to meet the then president, JFK. JFK had stopped the economic and food aid citing the inefficiency of the previous goverment, although the people were starving. Park Chung Hee tried for 2 weeks to meet the US president, but could not, for nobody, and especially the leader of the world superpower, wanted to meet the leader of a country that was poorer than Ethiopia, and ranked 169th in the world."
"What could General Park Chung Hee do? He, as a last resort, turned to West Germany, which like our country had been divided by communism. Despite the interference of the US, he succeeded in making a deal with the West German goverment. The deal was in human resources."
"Our country sent hundreds, perhaps thousands of miners and nurses to West Germany where they were desperately needed. They worked 14 hours a day, thousands of kilometers away from there homeland in conditions that were inhuman. The miners worked kilometers below ground in temperatures of more than 40 degrees celsius. The nurses could not even take breaks during their jobs of corpse-cleaning."
"But they worked. They did not give up."
"When Park Chung Hee visited Germany, the miners and nurses wept and cried. And he cried with them after hearing the stories. He met the Prime minister of west Germany, who thanked him for the workers that they sent. And the money he recieved went directly to building Korean factories."
"Look at your grandparents. And your parents. They are the ones that you disregard, that you disrespect because they are "uncool" and "old". But they are the ones that through blood and sweat acheived miracles. Miracles that enable you to live in peace and prosperity. By they're sacrifice, you are able to eat 3 meals a day. To go to school instead of working in coal mines. To play Starcraft. You should be thankful, and ashamed of yourselves."
"In the 70s, the President-for-Life Park Chung Hee sent thousands of troops to Vietnam to help the US. The US gave money in return. For the blood they spilled, for every man dead and maimed in that hostile foreign fields so far away from home, we made highways. We made ships. We made airports. And thanks to them, we now have the best shipyards in the world."
"Your parents, and their parents, were miracle workers. Respect them."
Then he added: "Oh, and you know, it wasn't Oswald that shot JFK. It was one of Park Chung Hee's aides that went along with him for his first visit in the US."
At this point, people were crying, including the teacher himself. And tears flowed from my eyes as well, for the first time in many, many years. Feelings of sadness, respect, and just hot patriotism filled up my insides. Then there was anger at those who did not cry, those who lacked patriotism, whose loyalties that I now began to doubt.
Then I thought that JFK deserved to be shot.
It was an horrible thought and I realized that after several seconds. The guy had died right next to his wife who watched his head get blown up. He had children, and most likely he was loved by many people. Most likely many had mourned his passing.
And I realized my sudden hatred toward some of my classmates that were talking amongst themselves happily during the speech was unrational. They were my friends. I liked them, and they liked me.
I remembered Orwell's 1984, and the Two Minutes Hate. I thought then, maybe, yes, this is indoctrination, and I have had been subject to it. Maybe for years and years. Feelings that I was not able to control without thinking it out. Feelings of hatred against JFK, the unpatriotic, and the communists. Maybe, yes. Just maybe.
However, my feelings of love for my country and uttermost respect for those who gave there lives so that we could live better, so that our country could be forever prosperous and peaceful and mighty, it did not die. 'The fatherland is great. It is greater than Death.' cried my mind again and again.
But the doubt lingered.
