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Sorry for my random introspective babble. This has been sitting on my mind ever since the whole controversy broke out, and I still think the majority of fans don't understand why GOM/Koreans reacted the way they did. I will make some generalizations here, but of course there are exceptions to every rule.
Let me preface this to say that I do like Naniwa, and I am a fan of him, so this is not bashing on his character or anything. I want to let more people understand that this is really a difference in cultures, not just single targeting of one player. If another progamer had done the same thing as Naniwa, the consequences would have been the same. I saw many fans after this incident saying they thought that GOM was too harsh on Naniwa well some people, a definite minority, said that it was not harsh enough. Oddly enough, if I compare this to how pop idols are viewed in Korea and America (I am using America since I live here. I cannot speak for Europe although I think it is similar in this regard), I can draw some interesting parallels.
And yes, I did say pop idols! Here, in the US, if some pop idol gets pulled over for drunk driving or there are some naked pictures floating around, people don't really care too much about it. At times, it is even expected that they would do such things. Although they are pop idols, they are not really role models except that we may respect their dancing and singing abilities, but not necessarily how they carry out their lifestyle. We don't expect them to lead model lifestyles as we only expect them to sing and dance well.
On the other hand, Korea has had various cases where a pop idol has been drunk driving, and then all their promotional activities have to be canceled for the next 2-3 months depending on the public backlash. Underage drinking also results in some finger pointing and drugs? Don't even go there! There is a different perception that because you are a pop idol, you really are an idol, a person that people idolize. Koreans expect their pop idols to live model lives, do charitable things, etc. You can't just dance and sing well; you need to act appropriately too.
So now we can start comparing this to how fans view progamers in Korea and in the West. In the West, people say Naniwa has no obligation to play for fans (even though we fund him >.> generalization) since as long as the team doesn't care what he does, it's fine. Of course it's bad for PR, but did it really deserve that much of a punishment from the tournament organizers? As long as his play is good, why should we care so much?
On the other hand, the other Korean fans and progamers find his attitude distinctly unprofessional. What they have the most issue with is that he lacks the ethics of a professional. They think that even if you're already out of the tournament because of group stage play, you should still play for your fans, if not yourself.
In the end, it's a distinct clash of cultures, but so many people fail to realize that. They're all, omg Korean people are so crazy or omg Westerners have no honor. I think we should learn to respect our own cultural differences, just like we do in real life. Anyways, I hope some people get a better understanding of why Koreans interpreted Naniwa's actions the way they did. ^^ Thank you for reading this wall of text if you did 
 
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Koreans felt insulted, teamliquid rooting for naniwa didn't feel as insulted; Both very understandable reactions. Gomtv revokes code s invite, teamliquid naniwa fans says too harsh!. I don't see where cultural differences come into play, very predictable reactions if you assume all cultures are the same
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ehm... why did you make this blog like at this time when it's all finally cooled down..
and btw, i won't go into detail but i could scrap 3/4th of what you've written in that blog.
User was warned for this post
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On December 29 2011 09:02 Lw247_ wrote:
ehm... why did you make this blog like at this time when it's all finally cooled down..
and btw, i won't go into detail but i could scrap 3/4th of what you've written in that blog.
I made it because it's been sitting on my mind for awhile. I don't really expect many replies or anything, but writing helps me stop thinking about it in real life. And even though you would scrap 3/4th, I'm not writing an article anything. These are just my personal opinions to express so I didn't edit it or anything; just wrote what I thought.
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In a way you are correct in saying that Korean celebrities try to look humble/conservative in front of the camera because it is a virtue held in high regard, but it is not like it's something westerners can't understand. Think of Golf or Ice Skating. Can you imagine Tiger Woods or some ice skater dissing their opponents after their game? Not likely right? because that is not the norm in their respective fields. There is another point we have to keep in mind which is Korea had more than a decade of professional esports. So even when we compare SC2 with BW, to become a pro in BW, you need to be licensed by Kespa (I could be wrong though) and there are professional obligations you need to attend to, whereas in SC2, you can just play and participate in any tournament as long as you have good skill.
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SNSD give other performers full 90 degree bows even if they are younger and newer than them, as a sign of support and camaraderie and respect.
Not sure how that is most relevant but I just like typing SNSD.
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On December 29 2011 09:02 Lw247_ wrote:
ehm... why did you make this blog like at this time when it's all finally cooled down..
and btw, i won't go into detail but i could scrap 3/4th of what you've written in that blog.
This is his blog, and if he wants to write about his feelings regarding the GOM/naniwa incident, then that is his choice, in how many or few words as he likes. Why would you with a brand new account, come in here and act really disrespectful? Seems pretty dumb to me.
Nice blog OP, I agree that the eastern philosophy is vastly different than what we experience in the west. Sometimes I wish we had more emphasis on respect and professionalism among people that reside here. All too often people would rather tell you to go fuck yourself, than listen to what you are saying and agree with it.
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Um. I think your comparison is a little weak here, coach. There is a difference between maybe having a questionable personal life, and being unprofessional at your place of work. I didn't follow the controversy, but if what you say about American and Korean culture is true, then it's more likely that Koreans consider StarCraft real work more than Americans do. Therefore it's more offensive. However, I think that even in America if you are unprofessional at your place of work you will be heavily criticized. A singer would not just be able to walk off stage in the middle of their show because they thought the show wasn't important. If this is the comparison we are making.
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On December 29 2011 09:26 Chef wrote:
Um. I think your comparison is a little weak here, coach. There is a difference between maybe having a questionable personal life, and being unprofessional at your place of work. I didn't follow the controversy, but if what you say about American and Korean culture is true, then it's more likely that Koreans consider StarCraft real work more than Americans do. Therefore it's more offensive. However, I think that even in America if you are unprofessional at your place of work you will be heavily criticized. A singer would not just be able to walk off stage in the middle of their show because they thought the show wasn't important. If this is the comparison we are making.
Just to address your example of american singers, there have been quite a few who have walked off stage in the middle of performances due to silly things. (Axel Rose walked off stage 1 time because someone took a picture in the audience, and he didnt want any cameras there. Hank Williams Jr. also walked off stage at the CMT awards not too long ago because he didn't like the way he was singing. Jennifer Lopez also walked off stage 1 time when she got too emotional while singing One,Love. Apparently it reminded her too much of her ex's)
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I've never heard of them. Can you elaborate on the consequences they faced, if any?
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Man, you guys should really just grab a copy of the anthropological book "The silent language". It's really edifying, will puit to rest the whole reason why this went down, and you'll learn a lot extra. It talks about all this stuff. Sorry to plug it, I just found it invaluable for understanding how things work in different countries. its actually area specific, which is cool.
Which is why all that talk of different cultures respecting different cultures is bull. Its a nice white lie, but we still hold people to our own standard. thats as true cross civilization as with personal interaction, and since everyone has a unique set of standards, people will always be judging and hating each other. It's what stops true "tolerance" from being a realized and actual standard in the world.
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Just to chime in @Chef, eXigent. :
I know of Pete Doherty (Babyshambles frontman) just being totally wasted on stage and aborting running concerts as well as cancelling them on very short notice. Same goes for Amy Winehouse.
It is (was) not a usual thing to happen but something a fan had to expect. There was never any (noticeable) outcry about professionalism but that's mostly because their music always had the feel of being written or being performed the best in a drug-induced state. Other examples would be Johnny Cash or Jimi Hendrix, not being innocent in that regard either.
In the creative arts, alcohol and drugs seem like an accepted excuse for non-professionalism as boundaries and rules are considered detrimental to the process of creativity. This however shouldn't translate to sports.
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lol "i can destroy your argument, but i don't want to go into detail" oh if only this worked in university..
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On December 29 2011 10:27 Endymion wrote:
lol "i can destroy your argument, but i don't want to go into detail" oh if only this worked in university..
haha fucking seriously. the whole gom/naniwa thing is a nonissue to me right now, but that post irritated the shit out of me
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On December 29 2011 09:23 eXigent. wrote:Show nested quote +On December 29 2011 09:02 Lw247_ wrote:
ehm... why did you make this blog like at this time when it's all finally cooled down..
and btw, i won't go into detail but i could scrap 3/4th of what you've written in that blog. This is his blog, and if he wants to write about his feelings regarding the GOM/naniwa incident, then that is his choice, in how many or few words as he likes. Why would you with a brand new account, come in here and act really disrespectful? Seems pretty dumb to me. Nice blog OP, I agree that the eastern philosophy is vastly different than what we experience in the west. Sometimes I wish we had more emphasis on respect and professionalism among people that reside here. All too often people would rather tell you to go fuck yourself, than listen to what you are saying and agree with it.
there's a difference between speaking your mind & being plain disrespectful, people don't seem to get that.
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grats on reinforcing the idea that western culture, sorry...American culture (since you live here) just has dumbed down standards. thank you. really.
especially when it's already been talked about to death.
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On December 29 2011 17:39 Lw247_ wrote:Show nested quote +On December 29 2011 09:23 eXigent. wrote:On December 29 2011 09:02 Lw247_ wrote:
ehm... why did you make this blog like at this time when it's all finally cooled down..
and btw, i won't go into detail but i could scrap 3/4th of what you've written in that blog. This is his blog, and if he wants to write about his feelings regarding the GOM/naniwa incident, then that is his choice, in how many or few words as he likes. Why would you with a brand new account, come in here and act really disrespectful? Seems pretty dumb to me. Nice blog OP, I agree that the eastern philosophy is vastly different than what we experience in the west. Sometimes I wish we had more emphasis on respect and professionalism among people that reside here. All too often people would rather tell you to go fuck yourself, than listen to what you are saying and agree with it. there's a difference between speaking your mind & being plain disrespectful, people don't seem to get that.
well, wjhen it become s disrespectful to speak your mind, I guess your world makes sense.
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EPT
