Koreanovellas and the rallies
My arms hurt like heck. I carried one of the yellow banners of the ILPS in this morning’s march, and had to wave it around like a lunatic (albeit one with choreography and a sense of rythm, bwahaha) because today’s main prop gimmick was a flag dance. Red, yellow, blue, green and white are the main colors of the ILPS and BAYAN-led organizations here. Oh, also lavender — the women hold that color somewhat sacred.
I don’t really mind much that my arms feel like they’re going to fall off. All the flag waving and marching and dancing (four basic movements from left to right, then front and back) made me warm, and for the first time since I got here, I was able to walk around without a sweater, mittens and ski-cap on - hurrah! It was also great that the sun showed up.
I can write reams and reams on the WTO, citing and lifting from the countless statements and position papers being distributed here by the various groups from all over the world critical or opposed to the WTO; but I won’t because, well, this blog would turn into an academic journal/protest website.
(Actually, this is already a protest blogspot…)
What I’ll do instead is right about how happy and honored I feel to be here, being one of the thousands of people from all walks of all life from various countries declaring loud and vehement opposition to the most infamous institution of global monopoly capitalism.
Evenings, the comrades from Korea bring out their food (bean curd soup with sprouts and carrots; chao fan) and share it with us. The language difference is something of a problem as the Korean protestors can’t speak English very well, but we communicate with smiles and nods and handshakes, and the difficulty is overcome. We make waving motions, pointing gestures to say what we what to communicate, and somehow, everyone gets the message. They are farmers, workers and fisherfolk from Korea — big strapping Asians who brave the freezing waters of Causeway Bay, trying to swim towards the HK Convention Center where the MC6 is being held.
I watch Korean films and telenovellas all the time. I’m something 
of an addict. I love Korean comedies and love stories. I find them clever and amusing. The plots are intelligent, the conflict intriguing, the characters engaging, and the pacing swift. One of my all-time favorite actors is Park Shin-Yang and Kim Jae-Yung. Back at home in Manila I play Korean songs, and though I don’t understand a single word in the lyrics, I sing along: the words are easy to pronounce, and I’ve clocked so many hours watching Koreanovellas that I can even imitate the accent somewhat.
Based from these Koreanovellas, I’ve formed the impression of how funny, intelligent an artistic Koreans are.
Now, after seeing with my own eyes how Koreans rally and protest, I am in even greater awe and admiration of them. Their discipline is wondrous to behold.
I am most respectful of that trait- discipline. That ability of controlling your mind, your body, your feelings and your actions to such a degree that order and organization is created and maintained. There’s also an aesthetic sense to this order– the harmony of movement, the seeming singularity of thought united with action. The decisiveness of it all!
The Korean rallyists are very disciplined. Theirs is one of the most orderly protests I’ve ever seen, and one of the most militant. I won’t go into some of the problems that have erupted because of this self-same militancy and discipline (when these go against the coordinated actions and plans of other protestors, and even threaten the very safety and security of the rest of the demonstration), but instead focus on their qualities that are well-worth emulating and imitating.
