On Expressing My Inner Han

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my [Korean] wife…it’s call call call call.”

That was the excellent advice I received this week from a former co-worker after living in my house for two days and two nights without heat or hot water because my boiler broke and my landlord delayed? forgot? to call the repairman.

Before I came to Korea, I read all of the advice books and sites on adapting to Korean culture. They said that Koreans don’t like direct conflict, so if you have a conflict, you should always deal with the person with a smile. They said in Confucian culture people should not raise their voice or show explicit displeasure. Those resources also admonished foreigners for complaining too much, for expecting too much from their housing, for not wanting to do anything outside of their written contract. Any and all complaints they said, were looked on unfavourably in Korea, especially when they came from foreigners. So the best thing to do, whether it be no heat or no pay or no service, was to deal with the conflict with a smile.

So when my ‘Christian’ hagwan found a room for me above a room salon and smack in the middle of a ‘sexy’ noribang, a ‘barber’ shop, and a love motel, I tried not to complain too strongly to the housing manager of the school. Sure I was asked if I was a prostitute every day. Sure I was a bit off-put by walking home through a path of blow up pictures of surgically enhanced women in string bikinis. Sure I was a little fearful by the presence of gangsters in the area. But I didn’t try to push my case until the 24 hour computer horse racing ‘casino’ below my window started blasting horse racing music 24 hours a day, preventing me from sleeping. And even then, when I complained, I did it with a smile.

Although my smile-complaining didn’t work for years, I kept plugging along, thinking that it was because I was a foreigner that nobody paid any attention to my complaints. Or that I was a woman. Or that I was a young woman. In my mind I would get very angry at things, but I held on to that early advice that polite manners were going to get me somewhere.

But of course, culture is a lot more complicated than one-solution-fits-all-problems. That and those advice guides are bullshit.

It’s true that Confucian cultures rules in many situations. Your boss, no matter how young, believes in Confucianism. And if you are a young woman, and your boss is an older woman…she definitely believes in Confucian deference.

But like all cultures and times and places there are an awful lot of forms of power in Korea. For example, the advice guides never tell you about the power of money. Sure in Canada we have the blue bloods and the nouveau riches, and there’s the expressions ‘money talks’ and ‘the customer is always right.’ But in Korea, where there is a profound lack of educational choice for those who do not have the ability to send their kids abroad, parents have found a dearth of power in the hagwan industry. Money speaks volumes here, and it is often parents’ moods and threats and beliefs, no matter how erroneous, which dictate not only curriculum changes but also the race of the people who are hired to teach their kids. Their money, or threats to remove it, can shut down a school in a panic over a non-existent ‘foreign-flu’ threat.

And then there is han. Some say it comes from years of foreign domination and subjugation while others find the Confucian yangban as the culprit. Han is a Korean word that is almost impossible to translate into English. It is a great longing, an unsettling remorse, an unresolved despair, a lament for the injustice felt in one’s restless soul. It is the stuff of pansori and the spirits that suddenly overtake the shaman. And this han, this overwhelming sense of being wronged with no resolution, is best expressed publically in loud laments. And it is han that will always win over measured reason.

Han is best employed when there is money at stake but the winner and the loser have yet to be decided. It is best used when there is a blip in the Confucian hierarchy, or when the stronger party is momentarily caught off guard.

Recently FI has spoken several times about how Koreans love to complain. They love to show their han and they will complain and complain and complain because it is only through their laments that the powerless find power and those that feel injustice, whether it is true or not, find resolution. I have indeed complained often in Korea. I have complained with a smile and I have complained after hours to expat friends and equally powerless Koreans in the corners of dark bars and bustling coffee shops with all the snarkiness and bitterness I could muster. But I had never tried direct and prolonged han with a person in a place of power.

And so, when my boiler broke…and my 50-something male landlord failed to do anything after I used my polite and well measured voice, I tried out a new tactic.

I complained. I complained the way a good ajumma would do. I bemoaned the newly frigid temperatures outside. I lamented the feeling of the cold floor on my feet which was starting to seep into my bones. I eluded ever so slightly to possibility of catching swine flu and thus bringing this feared illness on the whole building. I cried out at the injustice of not being able to take a hot shower and of the possibility that a lack of hot water might result in a truly disastrous flood if the pipes burst. I railed at the situation I was in, and I called and called and called and called.

And then it worked. Then the repairman miraculously appeared within 20 minutes of being called despite being too busy to come for the two days before. Then the heat was fixed without prolonged discomfort. Then the hot water flowed without interruption, and all was fixed in a few minutes.

I am not yet an ajumma. The married woman but also the stereotypically brash and audacious woman full of chutzpah that non-ajummas ridicule and fear. Despite my dear wish to remain outside the Korean hierarchical realm, I will be given that label upon my wedding day by those who know that I have married into the culture. I am quite afraid of being the pushy woman who bangs her shopping cart into others to get through the aisle faster or the woman who stares down a younger woman on the subway through her sun visor in order to terrify the girl into giving up her seat. But now that I’ve had a taste of han-based complaining…now that I’ve had a taste of complaining power I’m intrigued…

Why Consult The Public? You're A Liberal.

Dalton McGuinty, the premier for Ontario, says there is no need to hold any public hearings on its plan to harmonize the provincial sales tax with the federal GST in July of 2010, because voters will be able vote on the subject in the 2011 provincial election. Does anyone else have any trouble with that math? The Liberals don’t care that there will be no say on the matter, because as far as they’re concerned by the time they have to pay for their unilateral move, the HST will have been implemented for a year already.

Mr.McGuinty did the same thing with the provincial health premiums in 2004, when he broke an election promise not to raise taxes to the voters of Ontario. And sure enough, by the time the elections came around in 2007, enough Ontario voters had forgotten about the tax hike and the Liberals were rewarded with another majority mandate.

The federal Conservative government has already come to an agreement with the provincial Liberals on the HST, including the sizable $4.3 billion payout to lubricate the deal. The Liberals have admitted this is as much a cash issue as anything else:

“The feds certainly pushed us; they’ve given us 4.3 billion reasons to do it,” said Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan.

“There are always rats in these debates, and it’s fun to be watching those individuals who are trying to deny the $4.3 billion their government is giving us.”

Interesting how Mr.Duncan makes it look like HST detractors are trying to deny Ontario it’s $4.3 billion gift, rather than save Ontarians from paying 13% on every item in the province. The Liberals have already tried to cushion the blow in the same way the B.C. Liberals did for their infamous carbon tax here, by offering a $1,000 rebate to families to cover the added costs of the HST.

But B.C. is in even worse shape than Ontario when it comes to public consultation, unable to answer simple questions, such as what school boards are expected to do to cover an expected $40 million shortfall because of increased costs resulting from the HST. TD Economics estimates that 20% of expenditures for B.C. residents will increase by 7%, leading to an average increase in household costs of $840 in taxes. The tax is also expected to add 0.7% to the inflation rate in the province as the cost of almost everything will rise.

Both Premier Dalton McGuinty and Premier Gordon Campbell have told voters that they will be judged on the merits of the HST at some future election date. But that’s a rather disingenuous statement to make, since it implies that removing the tax will be as easy as it was to implement. The contracts between the federal government and provinces implementing the HST stipulate that any breach of the contract would forfeit the federal transfer payments made to “ease” the transition of the HST. So while consumers will be hit hard by the new tax, any attempt to change the agreement before 2015 will result in a forfeiture of the federal cash. That makes Mr.McGuinty’s glib remark about voters deciding on the HST in 2011 practically irrelevant. The damage will already have been done.

Not only is the HST likely to increase the burden on Canadians in the provinces that implement it, they would also surrender their taxing authority and rely on the federal government for transfer payments to receive income. Budget shortfalls could result based on any delay in federal transfer payments to the provinces. So when the provinces hand over control of tax autonomy, they do so with the hope that the federal government will come through promptly with the money they need. Ask the municipalities of Canada what they think of the similar arrangement they have with the province.

The Liberals in Ontario and B.C. are hoping to push this through quickly, and then hope that taxpayers forget all about it. And although Dalton McGuinty may certainly get his election test in 2011, there’s no chance it will change anything pertaining to what will probably become a new permanent tax in Canada.

The Prime Minister’s Apology

The media has given considerable prominence to Gordon Brown’s forthcoming apology for the State’s encouragement of the shipment of thousands of British children to Australia. However, little has been said about the other destinations to which tens of thousands of children were also shipped: principally to Canada. This is probably because it occurred mainly before the First World War. It is also surprising that there has been no comment on the failure to have learnt from this earlier shameful affair. Certainly, it did not prevent the switch to Australia that followed in the 1920s. What beggars belief, though, is that a third wave of child trans-shipment should have begun after the Second World War and been continued well into the 1960s. Why did it take 100 years for these schemes to be brought to a halt, despite mounting disquiet about the suffering that so many endured?

There are several reasons. One is the cavalier disregard for history. Another is that such awful schemes were driven forward by a powerful combination of economic interests, imperial aspirations, population concerns and the demand for cheap labour. There was also the enthusiasm of voluntary bodies and private individuals that fed upon such seductive slogans as ‘child saving’ and the ‘fresh start’. Furthermore, the religious credentials of most of the ‘emigrationists’ cloaked the movement in an aura of legitimacy. All these factors undermined any opposition or criticism that materialised, whether from socialists, women’s groups, local authorities or, indeed, from the children themselves.

Roy Parker, Professor Emeritus, University of Bristol and author of Uprooted: the Shipment of Poor Children to Canada, 1867-1917 (Policy Press, 2008 – paperback available January 2010). Pre-order your copy at 30% discount.

The world's best countries

Earlier today, The Economist declared Somalia the unfortunate winner of the British newsmagazine’s ultimate booby prize — The Worst Country on Earth. Previous winners Afghanistan and Turkmenistan would undoubtedly have been relieved to be rid of the title if they weren’t preoccupied with all their other problems.

At the same time, The Economist’s writers put out a challenge to readers to nominate the best country on Earth.

Naturally, I’d be inclined to nominate Canada — but I decided instead to open up a spreadsheet and do a quick calculation of where the 20 highest ranking nations in the latest United Nations Human Development Index stood in three other widely consulted indicators of good government: Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, the Switzerland-based Institute for Management Development’s World Competitiveness Scoreboard and Vision of Humanity’s Global Peace Index.

There are three things I should note here. First, I was forced to drop Iceland and Liechtenstein because of incomplete information. Second, in the Human Development Index rankings, I treated two countries with the same raw score as being tied, which is something the Wikipedia article does not do. Third, countries that did not finish in the Human Development Index Top 20 were excluded as not meeting a vital minimum standard for being considered as one of the world’s 10 best-run countries.

I calculated each country’s average ranking across the four indexes. Wherever there was a tie, I used each country’s worst score — its weakest link — as the tie-breaker. As the countries were ranked from best to worst, the closer a country’s average ranking came to ‘1′, the better.

Keep in mind that this is just for fun, and something I had no intention of working all night on — other people might have other methodologies and criticisms of this one.

Without any further ado, here is a countdown of the world’s ten best-run countries.

#10 -- Luxembourg, average rank 11.5 (Copyright © Albert Nagy; from Panoramio)

 

#9 -- The Netherlands; average rank 11.0 (Copyright © yo-rafael; from Panoramio)

 

#8 -- New Zealand; average rank 9.25 (Copyright © funtor; from Panoramio)

 

#7 -- Australia, average rank 9.0 (Copyright © Daniel Meyer; from Panoramio)

 

#6 -- Switzerland, average rank 9.0 (Copyright © wx; from Panoramio)

 

#5 -- Finland, average rank 9.0 (Copyright © picsonthemove; from Panoramio)

 

#4 -- Canada (yay!), average rank 7.0 (Copyright © Lukas Novak; from Panoramio)

 

#3 -- Norway, average rank 6.25 (Copyright © Matthew Walters; from Panoramio)

 

#2 -- Denmark, average rank 5.75 (Copyright © KWO Tsoumenis; from Panoramio)

 

And now the grand prize winner as the world’s best-run country:

#1 -- Sweden, average rank 5.5 (Copyright © Adam Salwanowicz; from Panoramio)

 

The others:

11. Japan (12.5)
12. Ireland (12.5)
13. Austria (12.75)
14. Belgium (18.75)
15. France (22.5)
16. Spain (28.25)
17. United States (29.00)
18. Italy (41.75)

The Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls are voluminous waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York and 75 miles (120 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.

Historically, the Niagara Region is one of the richest areas in all of Canada and much of that history has been preserved and is available to the visitor.
While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet (168,000 m³) of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet (110,000 m³) on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.

The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 1800s.

The mighty river plunges over a cliff of dolostone and shale. Niagara Falls is the second largest  falls on the globe next to Victoria Falls in southern Africa.

One fifth of all the fresh water in the world lies in the four Upper Great Lakes-Michigan, Huron, Superior and Erie. All the outflow empties into the Niagara river and eventually cascades over  the falls. The water flow on the American side of the falls is much less in strength because of Goat Island,  whereas Horseshoe Falls has no obstruction to divert it. It should be noted that a third much narrower falls exists. Over the years these falls have been  called at different times; Luna Falls, Iris Falls and is currently named Bridal Veil Falls.

The tremendous volume of water never stops flowing,  However, the falling water and mist create ice formations along the banks of the falls and river. This can result in mounds of ice as thick as fifty feet. If the Winter is cold for long enough, the ice will completely stretch across the river and form what is known as the “ice bridge”.  This ice bridge can extend for several miles down river until it reaches the area known as the lower rapids.  Until 1912,visitors were allowed to actually walk out on the ice bridge and  view the Falls from below. February 24th of 1888 the local newspaper reported that at least 20,000 people watched or tobogganed on the ice. Shanties selling liquor, photographs and curiosities abounded. On February 4th 1912 the ice bridge broke up and 3 tourists lives were lost.

Too Successful To Deport?

I’m sure we’re supposed to feel sorry for Miaomiao Wang, 26, a mother of two Canadian-born girls including one two months old, who faces imminent deportation after being in Canada for six years. After all, she has a successful business that employs 19 Canadian workers, a travel agency firm and a rental car store in Markham, and owns an enormous house. She would appear to be the model citizen we’re looking for in this country.

The truth is, I do feel a little sorry for her, because a great deal of blame needs to be placed on the Canadian government. First, for letting this refugee case take six years to resolve. Second, for letting her own her own businesses, and buying a home here. I mean, shouldn’t a person be officially allowed to live here before we let them employ Canadians, buy homes, and open businesses here? Or does that make too much sense?

A failed refugee who became a successful Markham businesswoman says she might have to lay off 19 Canadian workers and shut two firms if she’s deported to her native China.

Miaomiao Wang, 26, the mom of two Canadian-born girls including one two months old, owns and operate a travel agency and a car rental firm in Markham, which she founded after arriving in Canada.

She arrived here in 2003 as a student and filed an unsuccessful refugee claim and appeal.

Wang is awaiting documents for her children so they can return with her to China.

“I am very worried for my children,” she said yesterday. “My girls won’t be able to attend school or get medical help in China.”

Wang said she spent all her time in Canada building up her businesses, which have allowed her to purchase a large home.

She’ll also be fined $200,000 in China for having children out of wedlock with her boyfriend, who has already been deported to China as well. Her children will also lose Canadian citizenship in China, a country that doesn’t allow dual-citizen status.

Even if I do agree with rejecting the refugee claim, I have some reservations about it happening six years after the fact. I don’t agree with people jumping the queue and deciding to simply set up shop in Canada, pretending there isn’t a long waiting list ahead of them to get in here. But it’s also impressive that Ms.Wang basically showed up at 20 years of age, opened a few businesses, and appears to be doing pretty well for herself without apparent need of government help.

Clearly the problems with our refugee system need to fixed, and soon. If it’s immoral to detain somebody abroad for six years before bringing them back to Canada, it should also be considered immoral to allow someone to stay here for six years only to ask them to pack up and leave when their file finally works it’s way through the bureaucracy.

Khadr gets his court

Will we now get the real story of Canadian Omar Khadr?

Khadr then and now.

Promising open and fair trials for all the world to see, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Friday he is confident five prime suspects in the attacks of 9/11 will face the “ultimate punishment” of death after they are returned and tried near the scene of the crime in New York City.

In a milestone decision marking a crucial step in the winding down of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, Holder also revealed that Canadian detainee Omar Khadr will be prosecuted before a U.S. military tribunal – but the attorney general indicated the U.S. government will remain open to the possibility returning detainee Omar Khadr to Canada, depending on the outcome of a Supreme Court hearing underway today in Ottawa.

The two dramas playing out in Ottawa and Washington leave the prosecutorial fate of Khadr as yet unresolved.

The story is from the Toronto Star here.

Good luck Omar (if you’re not guilty).