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Monday, June 30, 2008
Stand up and protest The candle light vigils have re-ignited (pun intended) and there has been more violence on both sides. The latest deal isn't going to quieten the fears over US beef. It looks like the government is going to keep cracking down on the protestors. I'm sure the protestors are going to keep up the pressure. And so it goes on and on and on and on.
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Monday, June 23, 2008
Marmot disappoints Seems I wrote too soon. The Marmot has (again) re-arranged his site and put the post author back at the bottom of the post. PLEASE reconsider this ill-conceived policy - it makes no sense to put post author's name at the bottom of the post on a multi-author blog site. Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Marmot The good news is that the Marmot, although ignoring my demands, has listened to someone and FINALLY put the names of people posting at the top of the post rather than at the bottom. We are all saved from the tedious task of having to scroll down to see who wrote the post in order to know if it could be worth reading. Hooray.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Gardening The beef protests hurt democracy rather than support it The protests continue to branch out. The truckers have joined the fray to complain about petrol costs. They are being joined by construction workers. The mass of people, complaints and issues is now threatening the entire economy according to Times. Korea has a history of struggle against the ruling powers. But, unlike the protests that took place during the 1980s, which were a struggle for democracy, the issues dominating the current protests are much more trivial. Or at least they started off that way. Beef imports, unhappiness with policy, and high oil prices do not mean you are living in a dictatorship. And unlike the pro-democracy protests, these issues are not worth fighting for. In fact, to do so could be dangerous to the very thing they think they are supporting – democracy. The current agenda of complaints are certainly worth raising with government. UK has had a series of truckers’ strikes protesting the same as in Korea. Fears over beef exist in many countries, not just because of BSE but hormone use and whatever other artificial crap gets feed into them that is dangerous to humans but makes the beef cheaper to buy and more juicy to eat. And despite being elected to boost the economy the reality of policy measures that do that (increased competition is generally the done thing) is never going to be popular. These issues are best tackled through dialogue, union activities such as forming a united front to present valid alternatives to government, and by engaging the public to get them on board with the alternatives. Issues like these need a measured approach based on finding a middle ground. In the current protests, both sides have been deficient in their handling on the current set of complaints. On the one hand, hitting the streets should be a last resort form of democratic activity. Large groups people in one space can (and does) lead to negative consequences such as violence and death. On the other hand, the government should have been more open to let the people protest if that is what they felt like doing. By responding with a crackdown they have completely shifted the dynamic of the protest – from a bunch of poorly informed sheep, to fighters of free expression. The stakes got higher even thought the issues remained the same. Turning every policy disagreement into a battle of endurance between people and government ultimately weakens democracy. Protests limit the opportunity for engaging both sides in dialogue. It may even close the doors for future opportunities to work through issues between government and public. In this way, mistrust and contempt becomes the norm and democracy suffers. Another danger is that if/when South Koreans do find their democracy at risk, they may find that they have cried wolf already. And if/when democracy is actually threatened the world is not going to care. Before bothering to find out what the South Korean masses are protesting about, it will be dismissed as just another spring of protests in Korea. Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Template updates I have made a few minor changes on the side bar. I have some grander plans in mind but this is a start. I finally updated the currently reading and changed a few names. If I deleted you from my sidebar and this offends you, let me know and I'll put you back. World Tour - the Americas tour I am heading to Washington DC and up to Canada in July. A short trip to visit a friend in DC on my way to a wedding in Canada. A weekend trip for the wedding alone seemed a bit extravagant. More than beef The protests have been somewhat calmer since the main outburst on the weekend 31 May - 1 June. However, the situation remains tense with more and more people heading out on the street. The focus on beef has diminished (though not on the blogs it seems) and has expanded into criticism of other issues such as privatisation and the hare-brained canal scheme. Plus, of course the fears that the crackdown means a return to the bad old days of authoritarian rule. The June 10 anniversary has now passed but the numbers on the street are still high. Even after the anniversary this situation seems to not be over yet.
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