Nationalism- The Inferiority Complexes of Canada and Korea

Here is a post I have been meaning to do for some time, but didn’t have the energy to pull together. Since it’s the first day of vacation, I figured now would be an opportune moment to crank it out.

I am well aware of the sensitive nature of this topic, and I fully understand this entry has the potential to let tempers flare. I will handle things as diplomatically as possible, but also as honestly as possible. If you are of Canadian or Korean ethnicity, and get sore whenever someone says something less than endearing about your country, I suggest you stop reading and spend your time elsewhere.

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Many Americans have noted the anti-American sentiment within Canada. This isn’t a product of their imagination, nor is it paranoia. It’s real, but it (usually) isn’t personal; it’s a by-product of Canada’s inferiority complex.

What could possibly warrant an inferiority complex in the world’s second largest country?

America was a powerhouse throughout most of our collective history. And as most powerhouses are want to do, America wasn’t afraid to throw its weight around every now and again. America’s Manifest Destiny may be the primary reason Canada came together in the first place. In an attempt to put a stop to America’s creeping expansionism, the Canadian colonies confederated in 1867, and then quickly did their best to claim the western lands with a continent-wide rail system.

Although the US never officially invaded the Canadian colonies after the War of 1812, the fear of invasion was a constant one throughout the 19th century. The 20th century saw Washington exert influence upon Ottawa in ways less overtly confrontational. Economics. Due to the closeness of the US, America has always been Canada’s biggest trading partner; a relationship ripe for exploitation by politicians.

Economic dealings with the US, as reported by the Canadian media, has always led Canadians to see America as a bully. Canadian administrations and politicians have rarely displayed the gall to directly break from Washington policy. This has further entrenched the notion that Canada’s sovereignty is very much up to Washington’s discretion. In the few instances where Ottawa split from Washington, the powerful right-wing lobbies of the American media made enough noise to sullen the capricious nature of Canadians’ collective self-worth.

American criticism of Canada, no matter how slight or justified, is amplified amongst Canadians. 313,000,000 individuals call themselves American, compared to 35,000,000 Canadians. Enter the inferiority complex.

Canadians have an annoying tendency to become agitated and defensive if they overhear an American disparaging the Great White North. This naturally flies in the face of the stereotype of the mild-mannered, polite Canadian. Comments on Canada, by Americans online, draw fire-breathing Canadians by the dozens. YouTube and Facebook comment threads illustrate this to a tee.

Canadians often feel it is their duty to stick up for the little guy, and most Canadians see their country as “the little guy”. When Fox News bashes Canada, it’s an example of America displaying its ignorant superiority. When Canadian stars make it big in the US, it’s an example of Canadians selling-out for the allure of American fame. When Americans show their lack of basic Canadian knowledge, it’s an example of America deeming Canada unimportant.

As time goes on, all this petty resentment builds within the average Canadian. It takes one ill-timed comment for a Canadian to let fly a barrage of anti-American sentiment that puts anti-American countries to shame.

Many Americans I have met abroad believe Canadians should develop thicker skin. I agree, but I doubt it will come any time soon.

Most Canadians, when traveling abroad, will encounter the eventual mistake of being labelled American. There is usually no greater insult to a touring Canadian as being mistaken for an American. It is at this precise moment, the realization dawns that the Canadian identity is not strong enough to step out from under the shadow of the American identity, on the global stage. The traveling Canadian, after unclenching their jaw (and fist), will no doubt (politely) inform the offending party that they are, in fact, Canadian.

If you have the time, and will-power, to read previous blog entries of mine, you can see how rankled I was when confronted by this very situation. It was so frequent an occurrence, I took it upon myself to learn the phrase “I am not an American; I am Canadian”, in Korean. Eventually the years marched on, and it became less a point of contention; I developed thicker skin.

The same inferiority complex can be seen in Koreans. To Koreans, nationalism is, quite often, everything. Koreans also see their country as “the little guy”, and take any disparaging comments to heart.

Non-Koreans are often confronted with the Korean Defence Brigade when any sort of criticism is levied against the country. Whereas the Canadian inferiority complex stems from a fear of being globally irrelevant, and insignificant, the Korean inferiority complex stems from a sense of continuous persecution by outside forces.

The roots of this lie within Korea’s own history. Korea rarely dealt with outside countries, other than China, unless it was invaded. One of the longest lasting dynasties was Joseon. The Joseon dynasty feared outside contamination by the “barbarians” of Japan, or through the morally-decayed tendencies of the West. It literally closed its borders in order to maintain its air of cultural superiority and sophistication, thus earning its nickname “the hermit kingdom”.

Failing to keep up (meaningful) diplomatic ties with other nations ultimately lead to Joseon’s downfall when Japanese imperialism spread westward. With no military worth speaking of, Joseon (now called the Greater Korean Empire) was eventually put under Japanese colonial rule through annexation. What Canadians often feared from America, Japan enacted upon Joseon. Sovereignty was stripped by the Japanese, and Joseon’s culture was discarded to the annals of history.

For decades, the peninsula languished under Japan. Its agricultural and industrial sectors fuelled the Japanese war machine while its people starved. Its men were conscripted to fight in Japanese armies.  Its women were raped by Japanese soldiers. For all its cultural superiority, Joseon had proven to be no match for the Western-inspired modernisation of Japan.

When Japan surrendered at the close of WWII, Korea’s moment of freedom had come. Only, it hadn’t. The peninsula was divided with the North being the puppet of communist China and Russia, and the South being the puppet of America. Civil war broke out as the great powers of the world fought shadow battles with each other on foreign soil. When formal hostilities ceased, the North remained under communist control, and the South had tens of thousands of American troops stationed within it at all times.

Koreans were once again confronted with the reality they were unable to stand on their own two feet as a sovereign nation. This was a sobering realization for a society that had enforced strict isolationism.

To promote self-worth, the fledgling republic’s propaganda ministries worked overtime. Korea: one nation, one people, forever united against outside adversity. Any attempt to criticize the country, or an individual, immediately drew a response from the collective society.

This continues to manifest itself in a variety of ways. Tensions between American GI’s and the native populace. Exaggerated fears of foreign English teachers. Proposed free trade agreements drawing violent protests. Unwarranted fears over international food products. Attitudes towards “foreign” diseases, such as HIV. All these foreign elements wrecking havoc on the persecuted Korean nation.

Like Canadians, Koreans fly off the handle if you mistake their nationality. Being mistaken for Chinese is no longer the compliment it was centuries ago (if it ever was). To many Koreans, China is dirty, poor and smelly. Being called Japanese is akin to a Canuck being called a Yank. Koreans don’t want to be associated with the imperialist past of Japan’s, just as many Canadians don’t want to be associated with the war-hungry tendencies of America’s present.

There are always hot button issue destined to set off both groups. In Canada, it’s hockey. In Korea, it’s Dokdo.

Hockey is more than a sport in Canada; it’s an institution sown throughout the very fabric of the Canadian identity. And while this may seem slightly amusing to most, the sport has had larger roles to play besides being merely a game.

Dokdo for Korea symbolises another foreign assertion of control. On the surface, it’s a collection of rocks, of no possible benefit to anyone. Yet, they are Korea’s rocks, and Japan must abide by the treaty it signed following WWII. If Japan fails to live up to that agreement, it’s just another example of Japan flouting respect towards Korea.

Canadians and Koreans alike need to move beyond their perceived inferiority.  They are too busy nursing their bruised egos to think, or behave, rationally when confronted with “unfair” criticisms or comparisons. In desperate attempts to prove themselves on the international stage, they merely draw attention to their own immaturity.

Canadians need to collectively stop caring what the US thinks of Canada. Canada has all the necessary ingredients for absolute greatness, and yet squanders them. Canada wants to be differentiated from the US, but doesn’t want to stray too far for fear of economic repercussions. The needless pandering has gotten us nowhere.

Koreans need to stop defending every aspect of Korean society from outside criticism. Being able to handle criticism is necessary in today’s globalised world. Korea wants to be seen as a progressively modern country, but too quickly clings to past attitudes to defend itself.

Like preening teenagers, both sets of citizens are too preoccupied with how others perceive them. It is high time to grow up and move on. =================================================================

Herein lies my disclaimer:

-Due to expediency, and intellectual laziness, I draw some pretty broad generalizations between Canadians and Koreans. Of course not all Canadians have anti-American tendencies. And many Koreans criticise their country a lot more than this entry gives them credit for. While I am on vacation, I am not particularly keen on writing a 4000 word essay, when 1900 words will do. I’ll leave that for when I get my MA in (Korean?) history.

-While I address present day problems, I am more interested in the historical roots of these attitudes. The history lesson was included to give you a better understanding and explanation. I dumbed it down a bit because most people’s eyes glaze over when confronted with detailed historical facts. The 19th century was a little more complicated for Korea than what I’ve decided to include.

-Many foreigners don’t understand why Koreans are so uptight with criticism. If you dislike K-pop, then you hate Korea. If you think Jeju is unworthy of its recent designation, then you hate Korea. Etc, etc. I wanted to illustrate why this was, and the historical connotations it has had. To make the point stick, I chose Canada as a comparison subject. I am Canadian, and most Westerners are aware of Canadians’ irritability with the US.

-If you are American and are being hazed in Canada, or by Canadians, take them to task. Ask them why they are being so intellectually lazy by conflating American governmental policies with citizens who probably didn’t vote in the politicians responsible. If they are unable to do this, ask them why they continuously vote in Harper. As a final insult, you could also ask why the Canadian junior team is unable to beat the Russian one.