A summary of what’s happening in Chile

A day has already passed so I thought it would be a good idea to gather everything that has happened so far here regarding the protests, riots and police brutality:

- On october 6th, the government announced that the public transportation fare in Santiago, specifically the metro, would be raised to 830 chilean pesos (around $1.17 dollars). This has not been the first raise this year.

- The news angered the citizens, since both salaries and the pension system are miserable compared to the prices in transportation, education, health and electricity. Water is private, the health system is collapsing due to lack of supplies and recently we found out that our president has avoided almost 30 years in taxes, without consecuences.

- For context: minimum wage in Chile right now is 301.000 pesos, or $422 dollars. In a month, a person spends 51.460 pesos ($73 dollars) just in transportation, considering two trips daily. This is a sixth of their income. And the pensions aren’t much better: 134.000 pesos ($189 dollars) monthly. And there are people who get much less than that.

- Students decided to protest and take control of Santiago’s metro stations, inviting the rest of the citizens to evade the fare to show the general discontent of the population.

- The government replied by sending the police to fight against the protesters, hitting them, throwing tear gas bombs and even shooting them. Chilean press only shows the riots, avoiding the real facts.

- The protests got to the streets: riots and cacerolazos, and even multiple fires affect Santiago. All of this while President Sebastián Piñera is seen in a restaurant located in a wealthy área, having dinner with his family.

- At about midnight, Piñera annunces that Santiago is under Emergency State. The military goes out to the street, and the violence is harder than ever. This is the biggest event of repression Chile has faced since the Dictatorship that our country was in between 1973 and 1990.

This is still going on. Cities along the entire country are getting organized to protest, because this isn’t just about the raise of a metro fare. This is the explosion of a social unrest that’s been growing for decades, and instead of dialoguing and trying to listen to the people, the government is endorsing abuse, forced disappearances and even the murder of hundred of people.

But this won’t stay like this. We are fighting back, and we will be heard.

[Some links in english: Reuters, The Guardian, Bloomberg, BBC News]

UPDATE: Valparaíso and Concepción are under Emergency State as well.

Santiago is now under curfew, from 10 PM to 7 AM. The military forces will have the power do whatever they want to arrest everyone on the streets.

[PRESS PICS] 170113 Kim Jaejoong at the Red Carpet of 2017 Golden Disc Awards

► 63 pics HERE

Credits: as tagged Shared by: JYJ3 + JYJ Soul

https://www.instagram.com/p/BO9G5vHjyPk/

So, Shinhwa need new ideas, like kisses (from JJ if he’s happy) .. slaps.. LOL p.s.: Beware of SHCJ, dearie Shinhwa. We’re bigger trolls than you! xD (fc © H yan, trans © malpabo)

Lacomar, Lucia

Why Eatyourkimchi is Offensive (Updated)

Slut-shaming

White and English-speaking Privilege/Ethnocentrism

Racism

Ableism

Transphobia

Anti-Semitism (maybe not overt, but offensive language/jokes)

Mocking/Disrespecting Idols

Mocking/Disrespecting Fans

Other

A few good critical posts about EYK (first three from owning-my-truth, last from jalmotaesseo)

And this isn’t even everything; this is just a list of the most egregious things they have done and the first links that I found. But if you read any of their blog posts or watch any of their videos, you will find a sense of privilege, entitlement and lack of respect for the Korean culture that they are profiting off their misrepresentation of, in addition to casual racism, misogyny, slut-shaming and ableist language. 

If I missed anything or you have any additional examples or sources, please message me and let me know. If you support EYK and see nothing wrong with the things they have done, please save yourself the trouble of sending me anon hate and just unfollow me.

@myotherurliscreative I’m not trying to get you to hate them but please look at these people’s opinions and make your own judgment.

also, please remind mom to ship me my water bottle.

As a once fan of EYK, I’ve come to realize just how terrible they were/are being.

First of all, as a first year anthropology student, I am no expert, but I know enough to make a statement about how EYK is incredibly ethnocentric and rude.

The first thing you learn in Cultural Anthropology is how to do field work. An anthropologist’s field work is participant observation, which means that to study the complex inner workings of a particular culture, you assimilate. You do the things that people there do. You wear their clothes, you take on their customs, you become socialized. You take in the influences and history of the geographical area, the bonds that tie people together, their strengths, their weaknesses, why they feel how that feel, and how that affects their relationships and actions. You study how their food and ways of eating and gathering form impressions upon the people you are studying. You look at a culture from it’s own perspective first and foremost. You are not looking at the culture from the outside and going, “gee, that is totally stupid and where I’m from we’d never do that,” or “wow, look how weird this is why don’t they look around and see that what they’re doing is weird and this would never happen anywhere else,” or “LOOK HOW TERRIBLE THE TRANSLATED ENGLISH IS ON THIS PRODUCT THAT WAS MADE IN A NON ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY! LOL”

In this way, EYK has terribly failed.

Statements like these definitely come from a place of deep privilege. They show just how far your head is up your own ass. If you’re going to live in a country for 7+ years, learn their language. All of it. All intimacy levels, the complex grammar, the idiosyncrasies of said language, you need to fucking sit down and learn it. 

You cannot move to another country and make fun of the people there for not acting like you. Of course they don’t. It’s not where you grew up. It’s not where you were socialized. Stop looking at culture as if any culture other than yours is weird. That’s not how culture works. Your culture is weird too. you know what I think is weird about White North Americans? They think they can go anywhere and do anything they want to without repercussions to their actions and when people criticize them they act like they’re the victim. (Yes, I am including myself in this generalization. I am still learning.) 

EYK used to be a learning tool for me. I used to think that through them I was learning about a new and different culture that I thought was fun to learn about. I laughed at their Idol English ratings, Simon’s fangurilla, and Martina’s impressions of GD. I thought it was fun. I thought it was ok. But it isn’t, and it wasn’t.

I was learning to ridicule the Korean culture, not about it. They showed me how “strange” it was, how it didn’t deserve respect because it was different. And you know what? I’ve learned more about Korean culture from reading history books than I did from these two dweebs. They showed me a Westerner’s perspective. And though I, too, would have had that perspective, I do not live there. I do not walk the streets of Seoul and ridicule English translations. I do not publish videos about their celebrities and talk about the strange actions that people take in the very country that I decided to live and work in. That is rude, ignorant, and disgusting behavior. And it just furthers the amount that countries that aren’t European/America/Canada hate those who come to visit them. 

The world is not a playground for you and people are not your playthings. Culture is not a zoo for you to come through and take pictures of and post them to Facebook telling the rest of the world how weird it was and aren’t you glad you live in America? Jesus. 

EYK is not above scrutiny for their actions even though they were taken in ignorance, and neither am I. Neither is anyone.