Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 00:58:01 +0900
From: "S. LAbbe" <fli311-AT-cheju1.cheju.ac.kr>
Subject: Response to cjs wallia's post and a question


Hello all,

I have lurked on this list for a couple of weeks: this post has me puzzled.  I
can't figure out if it was meant as a joke - surely Mr. Abd-Al Hameed can't be
serious - or as a can-you-believe-this-guy forward.

If the man who wrote this is indeed serious, of course his generalizations are
ridiculous in ways that I imagine are obvious to subscribers of this list. What
never fails to piss me off is how the U.S. as a body can present itself (and be
re-presented, as in this case) as benefactor to those whose plight it had a
large hand in causing. Nothing is so illustrative of global power imbalances as
the U.S.'s position as "aid" controller and distributor. I am here teaching
English in Korea and it is truly amazing and saddening to hear so many speak
disparagingly of the IMF, then look at me dumbfounded when I suggest the role of
the U.S. in their economic woes.

If it was meant tongue-in-cheek, then I suppose the irony was lost on me. I
can't figure out why this post was sent to the list, as it seems simply ignorant
to make such vast generalizations on such limited personal experiences. At least
it is illustrative of how economic domination, the capability to choose who will
receive aid, and the self-serving spectacularization of that "aid" can be passed
off as generosity and can divert attention from larger issues.

That having been said, I have a question. I am in Korea and have little of the
language. I observe the culture around me from the perspective that my
post-structuralist critical training has lent me, but yet I feel that I am being
naive to apply "Western" theory to a nation that seems not to have established
self-critique along similar theoretical lines. Do you have any opinions about
the applicability of post-colonial or post-structural theory in the analysis of
East Asian culture, particularly Korea? Perhaps texts on these matters exist in
North America and Europe, but what does it mean when such texts are unavailable
in the country that is the subject of critique? These are vague questions, I
know, but any opinions you have on the matter will be welcome.

By the way, Terry Goldie - I am a York alumnus... hello to you.

Sonnet L'Abbe
Visiting Professor
Cheju National University
1 Ara 1 Dong
Chejudo, Republic of Korea


C. J. S. Wallia wrote: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 18:45:41 +0500
> From: "M. A. Hameed" <mah-AT-BRAIN.NET.PK>
> Subject: Who are the most generous and stingiest people in the world?
>
> Americans are the most generous people in the world, both as a nation and as
> individuals. That has been my experience for 40 years. As a nation, they
> helped very generously, first, the devastated countries of Europe after the
> World War II, and, then, the poor countries of Asia and Africa without
> getting anything in return. The US was the biggest source of foreign aid in
> the world for many years.
>
> Though the isolationist Congresses turned off the taps at the national level
> in recent years, there has been no change at the individual level. Over the
> years I have received huge quantities of useful material from the US
> companies merely for the asking, even when there was obviously not even the
> remotest possibility of my ever becoming a customer. And, at a collective
> level, it is only because of the American generosity that the entire world
> has access to the tremendous amount of knowledge that is now available on
> the Internet free of any charge.
>
> As individuals too, the Americans are simply wonderful. I can quote many
> examples of generosity, including my experiences and observations during my
> two visits to the States in 1980s. The latest was right here when I recently
> asked for information about sources for remainders. Short of sending me a
> copy of "Literary Marketplace" (which I didn't need anyway), people promptly
> supplied me all the information I could wish for! And a noble soul, Deborah
> Shaw, took time to correct and improve my resume, which I had sent her for
> information only! (In addition, she gave me very helpful tips.)
>
> As a complete contrast, I have found their cousins across the Atlantic --
> with due apology to all concerned -- the stingiest people in the world. Even
> a simple request gets a No. (What else can one expect of the residents of
> the former empire, which got everything from its colonies but gave back very
> little.) To quote a very recent example, I made four very small requests in
> one day to four different people in England, got prompt replies, all of
> which were in the negative!
>
> Here is my rule of thumb: An American will say Yes unless he has to say No.
> And an Englishman will say No unless he cannot find any excuse for not
> saying Yes!
>
> Muhammad Abd al-Hameed
> Editor, Translator, Proofreader
> GPO Box 109, Lahore, Pakistan 54000
>
> E-mail: mah-AT-brain.net.pk
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> >
> >
> >
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> C. J. S. Wallia, Ph.D.
> Publisher, IndiaStar Review of Books
> http://www.indiastar.com
> Phone and Fax: (510) 848-8200
> P.O. Box 5582, Berkeley, CA 94705, U.S.A.
> ----------------------------------------------------------------





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