One difference between when I first posted this peace and now is that after the recent elections idiots that believe this NGO's line of reasoning are now in power. Yippie.
Here is yet another Korean NGO website: People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD).
Most interesting is their "action body" called The Center for Peace and Disarmament
As usual, I'll select some choice quotes from their Message of Peace and Love and add my unbiased, objective commentary that you all have come to expect.
The peace movements within the civil society that rose between 2001 and 2003 show that South Korean civil society, which had experienced the Korean war and national division, was breaking away from rigid perceptions concerning war and was starting to accept new values concerning peace.
Ah! New values!! And it's about time too! The past 50 years have been quite brutal to Korea, what with all this, uh, improper peace and resulting prosperity that has been going on for the last 50 years thanks to those big-nosed western barbarians. It is shocking that these kinds of peace movements did not start much earlier.
Experiences such as the Inter-Korean summit, improvements in north-south Korean relations, the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, anti-war movements against the war in Afghanistan, movements against the F-X project, candlelight rallies in the memory of the two middle school girls killed by a US military truck, debates on peace and war during the recent presidential elections, and movements against the dispatching of troops to Iraq and against the war in Iraq have all led peace-loving people to reject the choice of war as policy and theory of pro-security and voice their concerns.
I'm sorry, you lost me Peace Guys. Some of these things are related, but most are not. What does the 2002 World Cup have to do with the peace movement? The candlelight rallies for the victims of the accident were anti-war? Hmm...I don't think these all fall under a unified topic of "Peace movement." Try something like "random ultra-nationalistic anti-Americanism." Yeah, now everything you mentioned fits in nicely. Isn't it great how ultra-nationalism and hatred can make someone so Peace-loving? Why wasn't Jesus onto this?
From the view of new security and order in the 21st century, the reality based on south Korea-US alliance is antithetic to the new world view.
Uh huh. And this "new world view" is what now? Oh yeah, the view that North Korea is good and the US is evil. Sorry! I have a hard time keeping that straight sometimes. It's just these damn North Korean refugees who keep opening their loud mouths about the evils of the Kim Jeong il regime that make me confused sometimes. Can't you do something to shut them up? Are KBS and the Hankyoreh the only media outlets truly patriotic enough to pretend these people don't exist?
The peace movement is a cultural movement for the establishment of a peaceful culture. First of all, the peaceful cultural movement rejects the theory of war of national liberation.
Ok, no war to liberate people. I'm sure you have 100% support from Kim Jeong il, Saddam Hussein and all other bloodthirsty tyrants who wish to fuck over their citizens without interference from the outside world. Oh, I guess another charge you can make against the US is that the bloody imperialistic war they had against Japan which ended up freeing Korea. We should have let the Japanese keep Korea, and just peacefully urged them to reconsider their evil ways for at least a few decades. I'm sure they would have come around eventually and South Koreans would have been just fine waiting for that happy day to arrive without any interference from the meddling US.
What else? Oh, I'm sure Tibet will be free any day now since the entire world, including the US, is so nice and progressive enough to just let peace melt the hearts of the Chinese occupiers. And how about those evil Palestinians and those suicide bombings? They should be severely condemned for not following peaceful methods to get Israel out of their lands. Ok Peace Guys, I get it now!
Ultimately, peace must be discussed as a lifestyle. Coexistence, the diversity of life, and tolerance should be practiced in daily life.
Of course, what they really mean is coexistence with regimes like Kim Jeong il. Hey, you say tom-ah-to, I say tom-aye-to. Kim Jeong il butchers and starves his people, the free world gets fat and spoiled with prosperity. To each his own!!
Oh! One question! Does this "tolerance practiced in daily life" extend to American Gis stationed in Korea at your country's request? Or will you still insist that they be punished for wrongdoings beyond what Korean law would do for its own citizens? And are you also encouraging more tolerance of Japan rather than brainwashing your kids to hate them? Hey, what am I saying? Of course you do!! These are progressive, open-minded, loving, drunk on sunshine Peace Guys!!
The culture of peace frees us from our nationalistic interests.
[insert rim-shot laughter cue here]
When we are thus free, we can counter globalization that causes inequality and conflicts.
The "culture of peace" will lesson nationalism AND counter globalization? Cooooool. It's amazing what makes sense after the 3rd bottle of soju, huh?
Above all, the awareness for breaking away from the fear of death and the rationale for controlling oneself against profits are traits that must be attained by peace lovers.
Ok, I admit I'm pulling this one out of context a little (they are relating their philosophy to that of Kant), but it just sounded so honest and prophetic on its own. For those who would like to see idiots like these rule Corea, being able to overcome the fear of death and "control yourself against profits" is sound advice indeed. Just ask the average North Korean.
Also required are a partially deformed reason to free oneself from the rationale of security and economics and a secondary or voluntary deformity to break free from what we know.
"Deformed reason to free oneself from the rationale of security" Well said. What other hideously deformed reasoning do you have to offer us?
In this aspect, we have to pursue changes in our language and habits as well as changes within the citizens' movements. We also need to undertake media monitoring.
Oh! Oh! I know this one! Changes in language means no more talking bad about North Korea so they do not get their feelings hurt. How would YOU like it if people kept calling you bad names every time you systematically kill off a million or so of your own people? Not very good I'd wager! That's why it's such a noble, courageous and progressive idea for South Korea to refrain from condemning North Korea on human rights. And it is good to note that the media should be monitored to make sure no one strays from the party line. May I make a suggestion? Don't reinvent the wheel; just follow the already tried and true policy the North Koreans have. It does the exact same thing!!
At the moment, the most urgent issues concern the nuclear conflict between North Korea and the USA as well as the related crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
Conflict between NK and the US? SK has no interest in the peninsula staying nuke free? Since when did "peace movements" have no interest in stopping the production of nuclear bombs which in turn would cause surrounding countries to likewise arm themselves? Confusion returns.
The policies of the government will be evaluated and alternatives from civil society will be proposed. In the long term, we aim to build peace and a system of corporation on the Korean Peninsula and in East Asia by countering the US-centered power system.
"Countering the US-centered system"? You mean the same system that has held off a second unprovoked attack from a million NK troops poised on the DMZ to strike? The same system that has prevented Japan from fully rearming? The same system that has kept China from over-running Taiwan? You go girl! I can't wait to see what you intend to replace all that with.
The ultimate aims peace and disarmament are the reductions of arms and breaking away from security-oriented policies.
Yay! And Kim Jeong il PROMISES he will do the same without the need for verification, just like he almost kept his promise not to build nukes. Oh yeah, getting away from security-oriented policies. Nothing gives Kim Jeong-il a boner like that kind of talk coming out of South Korea.
It might seem too idealistic...
What? No! Who would ever accuse Peace Guys of being ignorantly idealistic and dangerously naive?
but citizens monitoring of the military and security sectors must be expanded to take up issues with the increase of military weapons and human rights violations in North Korea.
Ok, you got me. That's not what the site said. The real sentence finishes with, "human rights violations in the military." Rest assured that the Peace Guys (which include several human rights NGOs) not once ever condemn North Korea for human rights violations. If Kim Jeong il tortures and/or kills anyone who does not follow his authoritarian rule, it is not really THAT bad, is it?
In the old days, Peace Guys were hippies who, though perhaps not having the firmest grasp on reality, did good drugs and listened to music that kicked the ass of all music that had come before. They may have been stoned, but at least when they talked about peace and love they had a degree of sincerty. Also, to their credit most eventually put away their bongs, got jobs, and became rational human beings (well, those who lived outside of San Francisco anyway).
The new brand of Peace Guys seems a little different to me. "Love is all you need" has been replaced with "Hate of the US is all you need." I am not saying that the US can't be criticized on war and peace issues. I am just saying that it is very telling what regimes Peace Guys criticize and what regimes they avoid talking about or bend over backwards defending. All this energy being directed at the US and not a peep about the true monsters of our age; that is what the Peace Guys have become.
The day that the US considers carpet-bombing France to resolve some free trade issue or decides to invade Canada just because they call our President a moron I will jump on the Peace bandwagon and be at the next protest calling for Bush's head (hmm, not a very "peaceful" action I guess, but anyway...)
But so long as the US is playing hardball with monstrous (and yes, evil) dictators like Saddam Hussein and Kim Jeong il and medieval regimes like the Taliban, I think I will save my energy for something else. Get some fucking perspective already.
No comments:
Post a Comment