Global Talk Show not quite as global as it thinks
Interesting. Another Misuda panelist in the harsh glare of the media spotlight.
I don’t really follow Misuda (Chatting with Beautiful Women, aka Global Talk Show), for various reasons which I’ve mentioned before. But it’s a pretty popular talk show, and has managed to springboard its foreigners-in-Korea panelists to visibility, some even to acting roles or singing (with varying degrees of success). It’s a non-threatening way for Korea to indulge its fascination with things Western and foreign from within the safe confines of talking about something comfortable — itself.
Some former Misuda participants who’ve moved on to bigger entertainment careers include Haiyen (Vietnam, acting), Eva (Britain, acting), and Jamilya (Uzbekistan, singing — although I use the term “singing” lightly).
All week long, Chinese participant Cai Lina has been in the news and generally lambasted because of the discovery that she actually does have Korean parentage. What’s the big fuss?, you might ask. Given that she’s built up her image through Misuda, and that Misuda is explicitly a show for non-Korean residents of Korea, people are finding her so-called “hidden” Korean background to be disingenuous. Particularly since she’s passed herself off as a Chinese student with an interest in Korean culture.
The netizen response (are we surprised?) has been typically severe. Cai Lina has defended herself saying she’d never concealed her Korean parentage (just not gone out of her way to make it known, perhaps). But people are saying some pretty harsh things, particularly on her own mini-homepage. The backlash almost reminds me of the recent spate of “memoirs” that have been outed as fake (Peggy Seltzer, James Frey), although to a lesser degree; the public feels as though they’ve been cheated, having been sold one thing and receiving another.
The head PD of the program is defending its panelist, saying it will take legal measures to counter some of the more serious and malicious statements being leveled against her, and possibly even request the cyber investigation department’s involvement. A source says, “If you take a look, a few people are continually changing their IDs to post negative comments,” and suggested taking a hard line in dealing with the matter. (And I say: Dude, this is the internet. Like that’s new?)
As of now, there are no plans to remove Cai Lina from the Misuda lineup. She explained that she doesn’t see the big deal, especially since she’s been raised in a Chinese environment and schooled in the Chinese education system, and therefore feels more affinity with her identity as Chinese. She does have a point, but come on, would a (full-blooded) Korean born in America be accepted on Misuda and praised for her interest in Korean culture despite her American identity? (I can tell you, that’s an emphatic no.)
Personally, I think there’s a grey area where Misuda is concerned, because of the nature of the program. If she were an actress or singer, the internet blowup would be an overreaction, because her background shouldn’t affect the quality of her work. But Misuda trades on the novelty of its kitschy-cute-foreigners angle, and when its raison d’etre is undermined, it’s got a very weak leg to stand on, methinks. But then again, I think it’s a silly show to begin with.
Via Hankyung
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Tags: controversies, Misuda
Hmmm I am disappointed. I watch the show sometimes and was always impressed with her Korean and marveled at how she knows more words and phrases than I do… I’m Korea born, but American since 1986… so yeah… I was ashamed of my Korean in reference to hers but now I know the truth. It’s in her blood!
It’s a non-threatening way for Korea to indulge its fascination with things Western and foreign from within the safe confines of talking about something comfortable — itself.
Lol. I like this article. Thanks for the lols.
Ash has hit the nail on the head for the reactions of Korean netizens.
Unfortunately Koreans have adhered to a “bloodlines” based nationalism since the early 19th Century, something it shares with Japan and to a a lesser extent Germany, and so Koreans tend to regard ethnic Koreans anywhere in the world as still “Korean”, even though they may never have been there. Hence many Koreans feeling responsible for the Virginia Tech Massacre for instance, even though the shooter emigrated to the United States when he was 8.
Sorry it that was a bit heavy! In a nutshell, I can understand the reaction of Korean netizens, seeing as she’s not foreign at all to them now, but still the backlash and personal attacks sound a bit excessive.
Message 1: Hi, I am from Russian, and only a Korean man can satisfy me. Giggle giggle. Wanna watch me do the Tell Me dance? Again?
Message 2: If I have 1/32 Korean blood, I’m Really Korean. If I am a Really Korean female (Cai Lina), I’m not interesting to your men. If I am a Really Korean male (Daniel Henney), I’m not threatening to your men.
Message 3: If you like the new Epik High, please buy the album, mm kay?
Once again, netizens blow up over nothing. Maybe they should take up some hobbies. Don’t they have anything better to do?
I’m Korean, and grew up in Canada, and I personally find it amazing that I’m interested in Korean culture at all (well…the entertainment culture..). Many of my Korean-Canadian friends can barely even say “Annyounghaseyo”. And yet we’re still supposed to be “Korean”, and to identify as being “Korean”? Give me a break. This is just Korean nationalism rearing its ugly head again. Blood means nothing compared to experience.
One word of advice for Cai Lina (whom I always liked, whenever I got bored enough to watch an episode of Misuda): Stay far, far away from the internet. At least for the time being.
Javabeans, you’re quite right, people being upset about the deceit probably does have more to do with it.
Just to be clear, I’m not saying that I agree with bloodlines-based nationalism, quite the opposite. But that IS how the majority of Koreans view the world. Hence all the hand-wringing in the Korean media after Virginia Tech for instance, and Korean-American organizations apologising to a rather bemused America for the shooter’s actions, even though very very few Americans cared at all that he was originally from Korea.
Sorry if I’m getting off topic. It’s just my first reaction to hearing the news was that with that background that I mention, to most Koreans if Cai Lina is Korean or not is a black and white issue…hence the backlash…whereas I think to most non-Koreans her nationality would be more of a grey area.
I think the issue is whether her parents speak Korean and are culturally Korean. If they are not, then they are more or less just like any other Chinese and it would not have been unfair for Cai Lina to claim to be Chinese. There is a sizable ethnic Korean population in China and nowadays, many of the younger generation tend to identify themselves more as Chinese than as Korean.
In fact, China is culturally and ethnically very diverse. Hankyung of the boy group Super Junior is not ethnically Chinese. He belongs to the Nanai minority group which comes from northeastern China (i.e. Manchuria). Ethnically he is probably closer to Koreans than he is to Chinese. But he is always referred to as the Chinese member of the group. So is Hankyung also an imposter? I don’t think so since culturally Hankyung identifies himself as Chinese not to mention he is a Chinese citizen.
I agree with James on this. Also it touches upon the complex attitudes Korean and Koreans living outside the peninsula have toward each other. Or here, ROK attitudes toward ethnic Koreans in a semi-plural China, as Cathy mentioned. (Korean-Chinese are not as self-conscious over a hyphenate identity as Korean-Westerners, which is why Cai’s puzzlement makes sense.)
But I mostly keen on the sexist unilateralism of the show. And the show is kinda fun to watch, because the irony is so deliciously, blissfully unintentional.
Eva’s adorable in Likable or Not, though!
@ James Turnbull ~ RE: V-Tech
Perhaps they were also influenced by the U.S. media which kept calling the shooter Korean and always using his surname first to sound more foreign. They also kept emphasizing he was an immigrant.
***
A question to anyone who knows:
If a Chinese family moves to Korea and stays there for several generations would their grandchildren be considered Korean? Or is it like how 3rd-gen Koreans in Japan are not considered Japanese?
I understand that the whole lying issue is a big part of it…But, I have to wonder, would they have cared as much if it hadn’t been an ethnic issue? I sense an undertone of “We thought you were a foreigner, and we felt so puffed up, inviting you into our fold, but then you turned out to be one of US! How COULD you??”.
Plus, a Korean denying being Korean is like, the ultimate sin. Or something. (Ha!)
But maybe that’s just me and my cynicism running away with me again.
I agree with Cathy (#8) that it would depend on her parents. My Korean adopted kids are full-blooded Korean and were born in Korea, yet (sadly) lost their Korean culture being raised by 100% American parents. If my daughter would someday get her Korean to a fluent level, I think she would qualify!
And the opposite is true, as well. Both of my parents were born and raised in Korea, but they’re ethnically Chinese (well . . . my mother is half Korean). And because of that, they were not allowed to attend Korean schools, buy land, and were heavily discriminated against.
I also find that Korean are very racist, especially towards blacks and Latinos. I know that despite the university-level education of my grandparents, they had to do menial work like cleaning houses because they couldn’t find proper jobs after emigrating to Korea. And because of the hard work, both of my grandfathers died when my parents were four.
My parents have never ever been accepted as Korean, although they speak and write the language better than they do Chinese. My family eats kimchee, we watch Korean dramas, we go to Korea to see our family - but we are not Korean, and we never will be. I don’t really mind, because I can still be proud of my Chinese culture which will still accept me (although they look at me with wary eyes because of my American upbringing). I also find that although I am proud of my family background, and I enjoy many aspects of Korean culture, I am still angry with the way my family has been treated. But of course, the Chinese have treated the Koreans very badly as well.
But Korean is Korean, and if it isn’t . . . it never will be.
the show is pathetic. Who is it for anyway?
All it’s doing is breeding fetish about foreigners and perhaps feeding to the illusion that Korea is a diverse and accepting country when it clearly is not.
If the show is so proud of Korean identity, shouldn’t it be the one welcoming this girl with open arms because she is one of their own?
the show is pathetic. Who is it for anyway?
All it’s doing is breeding fetish about foreigners and perhaps feeding to the illusion that Korea is a diverse and accepting country when it clearly is not.
If the show is so proud of Korean identity, shouldn’t it be the one welcoming this girl with open arms because she is one of their own?
I agreed 100% .
just think it this way
” I’m taking a basic 101 France lesson, I struggle to pronounce every single words, and there’s a girl who can speak almost perfect France, and praise by the teacher, and even get into school newspaper, and she’s so popular for the france departement…at the end the whole class found out that she’s 1/4 France, she communicate with her grandma in France”
feel cheated? heck yes. I feel like wanting to smack her. So I think, this show should not let anyone with Korean bloodline to take part. it’s a show about FOREINGNER who learn to talk/understand the Korean Language.
a natural response to deception, but i think korean netizens always take it overboard so i’m really not surprised.
She lied. I think that’s the primary people are upset. There are other subtexts like being ethnically Korean and being claimed no matter where you were raised. The same thing happened with Hines Ward. He’s half but when he was MVP Koreans acted like it was no problem that he was half black. I’m glad that his mother set the record straight on that.
She didn’t reveal this because it’s pretty clear that had she revealed it, she wouldn’t have gotten on the show or, at least, wouldn’t have stayed very long.
I think the show is crap and it’s only promoting this false sense of acceptance of foreigners in Korean society. Koreans can ask foreign women stupid questions and, because they’re paid, they have to sit there and answer them. Wooooooooo!
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