Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun...
Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans," Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Taking the high road
Kids, don't smoke pot in Korea. Period. The original post at Korea Beat and the comments that follow talk about exactly why.
although you probably shouldn't smoke weed in korea, all things considered. too soon. give it like five or six years. what happened to all the hippies? why isn't shin joong-hyun in politics?
I totally respect that there are other views on marijuana prohibition. In fact, as I mentioned at Korea Beat, I support decriminalization and regulation in the United States.
BUT...
The genie is not out of the bottle in South Korea like it is in the US. People say that pot is no more dangerous (or even less dangerous) than alcohol, but that begs the question: Does Korea need another big chemical-related problem? Just to indulge the E2's and the F4's?
I'm consistent on this matter: I'm no fan of expanding legalized gambling to areas where it doesn't already exist (like Korea, for the most part, and Hawaii; in fact, if Democrats pass legalized gambling in Hawaii, that and the Democratic opposition to the FTA are two big issues that may make me tear up my party membership).
As for five or six years, I don't think that's going to happen. Korea makes huge social changes in some areas, but this is not one of them. There aren't enough people doing it already such that there is the appearance, like in the US, that good kids are being sent to jail, and there just isn't the desire to bring up another social problem. And, yeah, that's how pot smoking is perceived.
From a health perspective, it is a problem. From a public safety perspective, somewhat of a problem as well (driving while high? long-term judgement impairment?).
So I would fight for drug legalization in America (at least one that comes with regulation and loads of cup-peeing for people in certain jobs, like bus drivers, nuclear power plant operators, and teachers), but I would fight against it in Korea, at least in the situation that exists now and would likely exist in the foreseeable future.
But regardless of how one feels about this, your point and mine are the same: Don't do it in Korea. Not right now anyway.
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
Scott asked: What does 915 mean?Actually 95, not 915.
It's a moniker I made when I first started getting involved in online forums way back in 1996 or 1997. I explained it here, though it seems a little cliché now.
It was borne from working with or being associated with a few non-Koreans in Seoul for whom it seemed everything set them off. And the whining and bitching became this all-consuming thing, creating a negativity that infected other people and a very unpleasant work or social environment.
So this was just a little perspective, but I think it's fair. Even back in the States, people tend to remember the same-raced person who does something bad as "that guy" or "that woman," but if it's someone else, it's "that Black guy," "that Mexican," "that Oriental," or "that stupid White bitch." Cognitive distortion, turning negative experiences with a handful of people into a negative representation of an entire ethnic or racial category that is used to define that group.
This becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy, where one is looking for the bad and is subconsciously satisfied when it has been found again, reaffirming the negative stereotype one has of the group. "Oh, those Koreans are so fucked up," "Oh, those racist Whites."
It's a bad pathway to take. Here in Hawaii, I see it, too. I have a friend/colleague who thinks that all the Asians are out to get her because she's a Haole, and she sees race-based mistreatment against her when there isn't any actual racial basis for it or, worse, when there isn't any actual mistreatment.
Anyway, it's got to go. And I've gone on too long with that.
OK, I see. Kind of spacing out at the moment and distracted by the romanization, so I converted incorrectly.
About money as drug, the reason pot is illegal in South Korea (and elsewhere) is because widespread usage would turn people here onto the fact that money itself is actually the real drug -- albeit unlike pot entirely synthetic and man-made.
People would be much less inclined to work like slaves their whole lives if it was all for something that's not actually real. Much like the Internet, money is a kind of mass hypnosis, or collective hallucination.
While I agree you may be right that the powers-that-be would rather not have a large portion of the population disinclined to work, because of drugs or whatever reason, I don't think that's the only reason.
There are health and safety risks associated with pot smoking. There also are with alcohol, which is why despite its legality, it's a highly regulated entity. We proscribe its use for large portions of the population while the rest cannot legally consume it in a whole host of situations.
At any rate, one big problem in a social welfare society (which is what much of the world has, though not all to the same degree) is that people who are disinclined to work are still eligible for certain benefits.
We already have a problem with too few workers paying out the pensions and Social Security and old-age medical care (like Medicare) for too many retirees in our aging population, without exacerbating the problem by making many of the productive members of society less productive through extensive drug use.
There's a difference between working to live, and living to work. In my experience, I've found that those who have experimented with drugs at some point are generally more aware of this important distinction.
As a Californian myself, I would note that its GDP is actually larger than South Korea's, and it's also ground zero for potheads in the US. As they often say, the future happens first in California, and widespread drug experimentation is one important reason for that.
Sometimes you can have your spacecakes and eat them, too!
Scott wrote: There's a difference between working to live, and living to work. In my experience, I've found that those who have experimented with drugs at some point are generally more aware of this important distinction.Ahem, drug use is not the only door that leads to this realization.
I am a hard worker, but since college I have only worked in jobs I found enriching and valuable to me on a personal level.
I don't live to work, but I enjoy what I do for work.
But you know what, I have never smoked pot or taken any illegal drug whatsoever, and I still came to that realization.
As a Californian myself, I would note that its GDP is actually larger than South Korea's, and it's also ground zero for potheads in the US. But California's demographics and geography make for a very different situation, vis-à-vis the situation I described.
First off, California's much larger geography provides resources that offset drops in per-worker productivity. Second, California tends to import loads and loads of people — from other states and other countries — that make up for the slack.
It is a non-sustainable growth in population and depletion of resources that allows people to slack off in relative comfort.
Korea cannot afford that. It doesn't have the people or the land to do so.
As they often say, the future happens first in California, and widespread drug experimentation is one important reason for that.I don't buy that. California's future orientation is because of factors that are completely removed from drug usage. First, you have a highly mobile population that is not hopelessly rooted to old ideas, you have a population that is self-motivated or else they wouldn't have traveled the thousands of miles in the first place to get there, and you have a wide range of resources and markets available to try things.
There might be some drug users who have discovered something new or innovated, but the "because of drugs" cases are probably outnumbered by the "despite drugs" cases.
Wow, you've got an awful lot of opinions about pot/drugs for someone who's never tried them. You're like a sex counselor who just happens to be a virgin!
I never said that California's economic success was based solely on drug usage. However, if we look just at the culture industry, which is a huge part of California's economy, it is absolutely the case that drugs are a crucial part of that culture, for better or worse. West Coast jazz, rock, hip-hop, electronica -- drugs have been a key theme, source of inspiration and component of these creative communities. Same for Hollywood -- heck even the Governator famously toked on the Silver Screen!
Anyway, it's cool is you don't want to "get high," but no need for you to get on your "high horse" and ride it all over other people.
Scott wrote: Wow, you've got an awful lot of opinions about pot/drugs for someone who's never tried them. You're like a sex counselor who just happens to be a virgin!That's a pretty lame analogy. You could just as easily have gone with an FAA investigator who's never been in an airline crash.
It's a b.s. argument that could be applied either way. If I haven't tried them, how can I form an opinion? If I have tried them, then my push for drug decriminalization is self-serving.
Without having tried pot, I form opinions based on observation and analysis. For anyone who's objective it's not hard to see that pot is not the lethal life-ender that some conservatives make it out to be, but neither is it the harmless drug that many of its proponents claim it to be.
I never said that California's economic success was based solely on drug usage. However, if we look just at the culture industry, which is a huge part of California's economy, it is absolutely the case that drugs are a crucial part of that culture, for better or worse. Yeah, but that's just it: we can just look at the culture/entertainment industry because that's really the only example.
West Coast jazz, rock, hip-hop, electronica -- drugs have been a key theme, source of inspiration and component of these creative communities. Same for Hollywood -- heck even the Governator famously toked on the Silver Screen!I'd also like to point out that the culture industry is dominated by the entertainment industry, which is full of money-grubbing cokeheads and other high-end druggies.
Anyway, it's cool is you don't want to "get high," but no need for you to get on your "high horse" and ride it all over other people.What high horse is that? I think I've made it fairly clear that I support a regulated form of legalization for pot in the US.
just in case my previous peer reviewed article was not cleared by the nuances of my office computer server, I include my intended comments below:
Scott said... PS: I thought "Kushibo" referred to the number of socks you have!
ha ha ha
Wow, you've got an awful lot of opinions about pot/drugs for someone who's never tried them. You're like a sex counselor who just happens to be a virgin!
두배로 ha ha ha
이진담은 만진실
but then again, like the white hand king says, you can't knock anal sex with an asian male until you've tried it!
Scott wrote: Considering that you live in Hawaii, if you've never gotten high and watched the local sunset, you simply haven't lived.I've seen many a local sunset here, and they are quite beautiful.
How are they enhanced by watching them while high? (Asking in a non-rhetorical way)
Okay now, both of you, stick to the topic at hand. And if you're suggesting, Scott, that emily is a sock of mine, then again I say, you do not know what you think you know.
Marijuana enhances sensory perception, ideal when in an outdoor natural setting such as at the beach, while at the same time expanding consciousness when used properly and in the right setting.
Anything that allows one to experience different modes of consciousness can only be a good thing.
Anything that allows one to experience different modes of consciousness can only be a good thing.Let me come over to Pagoda Park and kick you in the head Scott and we'll see how you enjoy that different mode of consciousness. Marijuana consumption causes debilitating trauma. For some people just one toke can precipitate schizophrenia or other mental illness. Now I'm not your 오빠 so if you want to smoke that shit go ahead, its evident that its allready having a negative effect on your thinking process. But you can't advocate dangerous acts in public without full disclosure of the facts. Kids read the Internet too, you know.
You support pee testing for teachers in the US? Why? Do you think they are going to get hungry and eat the kids? Pot is safe, and there is no reason teachers shouldn't smoke it. Man, you are a drag.
as the voice of anarchism here on monster island, i have prepared a statement:
ReplyDelete"fight the power"
although you probably shouldn't smoke weed in korea, all things considered. too soon. give it like five or six years. what happened to all the hippies? why isn't shin joong-hyun in politics?
ReplyDeleteI totally respect that there are other views on marijuana prohibition. In fact, as I mentioned at Korea Beat, I support decriminalization and regulation in the United States.
ReplyDeleteBUT...
The genie is not out of the bottle in South Korea like it is in the US. People say that pot is no more dangerous (or even less dangerous) than alcohol, but that begs the question: Does Korea need another big chemical-related problem? Just to indulge the E2's and the F4's?
I'm consistent on this matter: I'm no fan of expanding legalized gambling to areas where it doesn't already exist (like Korea, for the most part, and Hawaii; in fact, if Democrats pass legalized gambling in Hawaii, that and the Democratic opposition to the FTA are two big issues that may make me tear up my party membership).
As for five or six years, I don't think that's going to happen. Korea makes huge social changes in some areas, but this is not one of them. There aren't enough people doing it already such that there is the appearance, like in the US, that good kids are being sent to jail, and there just isn't the desire to bring up another social problem. And, yeah, that's how pot smoking is perceived.
From a health perspective, it is a problem. From a public safety perspective, somewhat of a problem as well (driving while high? long-term judgement impairment?).
So I would fight for drug legalization in America (at least one that comes with regulation and loads of cup-peeing for people in certain jobs, like bus drivers, nuclear power plant operators, and teachers), but I would fight against it in Korea, at least in the situation that exists now and would likely exist in the foreseeable future.
But regardless of how one feels about this, your point and mine are the same: Don't do it in Korea. Not right now anyway.
Marijuana fucks with your head. Anybody who thinks otherwise merely prove this point.
ReplyDeleteBan it.
South Korea's favorite mind-altering drug is money.
ReplyDeleteIt causes all sorts of extreme, dodgy behavior and wild distortions of reality.
True that, Scott.
ReplyDelete"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
— 1 Timothy 6:10
What does 915 mean?
ReplyDeleteScott asked:
ReplyDeleteWhat does 915 mean?Actually 95, not 915.
It's a moniker I made when I first started getting involved in online forums way back in 1996 or 1997. I explained it here, though it seems a little cliché now.
It was borne from working with or being associated with a few non-Koreans in Seoul for whom it seemed everything set them off. And the whining and bitching became this all-consuming thing, creating a negativity that infected other people and a very unpleasant work or social environment.
So this was just a little perspective, but I think it's fair. Even back in the States, people tend to remember the same-raced person who does something bad as "that guy" or "that woman," but if it's someone else, it's "that Black guy," "that Mexican," "that Oriental," or "that stupid White bitch." Cognitive distortion, turning negative experiences with a handful of people into a negative representation of an entire ethnic or racial category that is used to define that group.
This becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy, where one is looking for the bad and is subconsciously satisfied when it has been found again, reaffirming the negative stereotype one has of the group. "Oh, those Koreans are so fucked up," "Oh, those racist Whites."
It's a bad pathway to take. Here in Hawaii, I see it, too. I have a friend/colleague who thinks that all the Asians are out to get her because she's a Haole, and she sees race-based mistreatment against her when there isn't any actual racial basis for it or, worse, when there isn't any actual mistreatment.
Anyway, it's got to go. And I've gone on too long with that.
OK, I see. Kind of spacing out at the moment and distracted by the romanization, so I converted incorrectly.
ReplyDeleteAbout money as drug, the reason pot is illegal in South Korea (and elsewhere) is because widespread usage would turn people here onto the fact that money itself is actually the real drug -- albeit unlike pot entirely synthetic and man-made.
People would be much less inclined to work like slaves their whole lives if it was all for something that's not actually real. Much like the Internet, money is a kind of mass hypnosis, or collective hallucination.
While I agree you may be right that the powers-that-be would rather not have a large portion of the population disinclined to work, because of drugs or whatever reason, I don't think that's the only reason.
ReplyDeleteThere are health and safety risks associated with pot smoking. There also are with alcohol, which is why despite its legality, it's a highly regulated entity. We proscribe its use for large portions of the population while the rest cannot legally consume it in a whole host of situations.
At any rate, one big problem in a social welfare society (which is what much of the world has, though not all to the same degree) is that people who are disinclined to work are still eligible for certain benefits.
We already have a problem with too few workers paying out the pensions and Social Security and old-age medical care (like Medicare) for too many retirees in our aging population, without exacerbating the problem by making many of the productive members of society less productive through extensive drug use.
There's a difference between working to live, and living to work. In my experience, I've found that those who have experimented with drugs at some point are generally more aware of this important distinction.
ReplyDeleteAs a Californian myself, I would note that its GDP is actually larger than South Korea's, and it's also ground zero for potheads in the US. As they often say, the future happens first in California, and widespread drug experimentation is one important reason for that.
Sometimes you can have your spacecakes and eat them, too!
PS: I thought "Kushibo" referred to the number of socks you have!
ReplyDeleteScott wrote:
ReplyDeleteThere's a difference between working to live, and living to work. In my experience, I've found that those who have experimented with drugs at some point are generally more aware of this important distinction.Ahem, drug use is not the only door that leads to this realization.
I am a hard worker, but since college I have only worked in jobs I found enriching and valuable to me on a personal level.
I don't live to work, but I enjoy what I do for work.
But you know what, I have never smoked pot or taken any illegal drug whatsoever, and I still came to that realization.
As a Californian myself, I would note that its GDP is actually larger than South Korea's, and it's also ground zero for potheads in the US. But California's demographics and geography make for a very different situation, vis-à-vis the situation I described.
First off, California's much larger geography provides resources that offset drops in per-worker productivity. Second, California tends to import loads and loads of people — from other states and other countries — that make up for the slack.
It is a non-sustainable growth in population and depletion of resources that allows people to slack off in relative comfort.
Korea cannot afford that. It doesn't have the people or the land to do so.
As they often say, the future happens first in California, and widespread drug experimentation is one important reason for that.I don't buy that. California's future orientation is because of factors that are completely removed from drug usage. First, you have a highly mobile population that is not hopelessly rooted to old ideas, you have a population that is self-motivated or else they wouldn't have traveled the thousands of miles in the first place to get there, and you have a wide range of resources and markets available to try things.
There might be some drug users who have discovered something new or innovated, but the "because of drugs" cases are probably outnumbered by the "despite drugs" cases.
Scott wrote:
ReplyDeletePS: I thought "Kushibo" referred to the number of socks you have!If that's true, then you do not know what you think you know.
"95" could be the number of people I have helping me write all these posts.
Wow, you've got an awful lot of opinions about pot/drugs for someone who's never tried them. You're like a sex counselor who just happens to be a virgin!
ReplyDeleteI never said that California's economic success was based solely on drug usage. However, if we look just at the culture industry, which is a huge part of California's economy, it is absolutely the case that drugs are a crucial part of that culture, for better or worse. West Coast jazz, rock, hip-hop, electronica -- drugs have been a key theme, source of inspiration and component of these creative communities. Same for Hollywood -- heck even the Governator famously toked on the Silver Screen!
Anyway, it's cool is you don't want to "get high," but no need for you to get on your "high horse" and ride it all over other people.
Scott wrote:
ReplyDeleteWow, you've got an awful lot of opinions about pot/drugs for someone who's never tried them. You're like a sex counselor who just happens to be a virgin!That's a pretty lame analogy. You could just as easily have gone with an FAA investigator who's never been in an airline crash.
It's a b.s. argument that could be applied either way. If I haven't tried them, how can I form an opinion? If I have tried them, then my push for drug decriminalization is self-serving.
Without having tried pot, I form opinions based on observation and analysis. For anyone who's objective it's not hard to see that pot is not the lethal life-ender that some conservatives make it out to be, but neither is it the harmless drug that many of its proponents claim it to be.
I never said that California's economic success was based solely on drug usage. However, if we look just at the culture industry, which is a huge part of California's economy, it is absolutely the case that drugs are a crucial part of that culture, for better or worse. Yeah, but that's just it: we can just look at the culture/entertainment industry because that's really the only example.
West Coast jazz, rock, hip-hop, electronica -- drugs have been a key theme, source of inspiration and component of these creative communities. Same for Hollywood -- heck even the Governator famously toked on the Silver Screen!I'd also like to point out that the culture industry is dominated by the entertainment industry, which is full of money-grubbing cokeheads and other high-end druggies.
Anyway, it's cool is you don't want to "get high," but no need for you to get on your "high horse" and ride it all over other people.What high horse is that? I think I've made it fairly clear that I support a regulated form of legalization for pot in the US.
Considering that you live in Hawaii, if you've never gotten high and watched the local sunset, you simply haven't lived.
ReplyDeletejust in case my previous peer reviewed article was not cleared by the nuances of my office computer server, I include my intended comments below:
ReplyDeleteScott said...
PS: I thought "Kushibo" referred to the number of socks you have!
ha ha ha
Wow, you've got an awful lot of opinions about pot/drugs for someone who's never tried them. You're like a sex counselor who just happens to be a virgin!
두배로 ha ha ha
이진담은 만진실
but then again, like the white hand king says, you can't knock anal sex with an asian male until you've tried it!
Emily, what number are you?
ReplyDeleteNumber?
ReplyDeleteDo I look Jewish?
My guess is Crazy 8s.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe Snake Eyes.
Scott wrote:
ReplyDeleteConsidering that you live in Hawaii, if you've never gotten high and watched the local sunset, you simply haven't lived.I've seen many a local sunset here, and they are quite beautiful.
How are they enhanced by watching them while high? (Asking in a non-rhetorical way)
Okay now, both of you, stick to the topic at hand. And if you're suggesting, Scott, that emily is a sock of mine, then again I say, you do not know what you think you know.
ReplyDeleteEnough with that stuff already.
Marijuana enhances sensory perception, ideal when in an outdoor natural setting such as at the beach, while at the same time expanding consciousness when used properly and in the right setting.
ReplyDeleteAnything that allows one to experience different modes of consciousness can only be a good thing.
Anything that allows one to experience different modes of consciousness can only be a good thing.Let me come over to Pagoda Park and kick you in the head Scott and we'll see how you enjoy that different mode of consciousness.
ReplyDeleteMarijuana consumption causes debilitating trauma. For some people just one toke can precipitate schizophrenia or other mental illness.
Now I'm not your 오빠 so if you want to smoke that shit go ahead, its evident that its allready having a negative effect on your thinking process. But you can't advocate dangerous acts in public without full disclosure of the facts.
Kids read the Internet too, you know.
You support pee testing for teachers in the US? Why? Do you think they are going to get hungry and eat the kids? Pot is safe, and there is no reason teachers shouldn't smoke it. Man, you are a drag.
ReplyDelete