Over at Korean Media Watch, there is an article titled “The Pornographic and Pedophilic Tendencies of the Chosun Ilbo“, which criticizes the Korean Daily for being overly sexual in its content. I do not disagree that the Chosun Ilbo has a considerable amount of content dedicated to scantily clad women (Though so do a lot of other papers around the world, including Toronto). Hence, there is a reason it has the nickname The Chosun Bimbo. At its core, the article makes a number of good points, except that they are clouded by its poor use of vocabulary; vocabulary that ends up making the post sensational. For example:
If you are a Chosun Ilbo photographer, you can publish bikini shots and upskirt photos of teenage girls, but if you’re a brown foreigner, it’s “sexual harrassment?”
Ok, you say in the article (or was it at the one you linked at KoreaBeat) that in addition to the “brown foreigners” a couple of Koreans were arrested as well. The sentence is clearly sensational. It would have come off much better if the post had said “If you are a Chosun Ilbo photographer, you can……,but if you are a member of the general public, it’s sexual harassment.”
But this is not what our comment discussion was about. No, our comment discussion was about the use of the word ‘upskirt’ in the post. In none of the pictures posted or linked at Korean Media Watch are there upskirt photos of underage girls.
Chiamattt says:
None of the shots linked or shown on the site are upskirt pictures. Clearly, you either don’t know what an upskirt shot is, or you are simply being as sensational as the media you are angry at. The entire planet is full of “news” sites that have sexually charged articles, information, and pictures.
The Metropolitician says:
Yes, some of them [the pictures] are [upskirts]. And it doesn’t necessarily matter that several were shot from a 300mm lens from GROUND level, with the photographer standing BELOW ground level, as several of the shots were, with the orange from the Chosun Ilbo logo thankfully giving a little of needed cover. It’s the question of emphasis, newsworthiness, and whether you need to dispatch staff photographers to take 20 pictures to make a simple point. Less pictures on that site are dedicated to world news events, riots, and other REAL news than the bikini, wet schoolgirl, and skirt shots. THAT’S also a major part of the point you’ve missed.
Chiamattt says:
The point you have missed, is that none of the pictures are upskirt. You are wrong about that, and I am sorry you refuse to accept the fact that calling those shots upskirt is bogus. I’m not disagreeing that the Chosun Ilbo is overly sexual. So is the Toronto Sun. But to say that those pictures are upskirt, is also wrong. You could make your same point about the Chosun ilbo not spending enough time on world events and sending staff photographers to meaningful shoots without calling those shots upskirt. It’s also true that the Chosun blurs out Korean faces and does not blur out foreign faces. That is also not up for dispute…and is wrong of them to do so. But when it comes to your choice of vocabulary…you are wrong. Nowhere in those pictures do you see up the skirt. You see thigh. Thigh because of a short skirt, but not panties because of an upskirt. Fact is, I am not going to change your opinion, so I am going to stop trying.
This is about as close to an upskirt there is, and yet it is not an upskirt.
Upskirt
1. describing a voyeuristic image of the view up a girl’s or woman’s skirt.
This is an upskirt.
By your definition of upskirt, you too are guilty of taking upskirt photographs, even though I don’t think they are upskirt photographs. The only difference is that you do not work for the Chosun Ilbo, your photos did not appear on their website, and the women you took photographs of were not in middle or high school.
I really have nothing against you, Mr. Metropolitician, but your stubbornness is sometimes painful; as is the sensational way you insist on covering serious issues. I really have nothing more to say, I simply wanted to bring the discussion we’d had over to smokehard and chiam.tumblr. Be cool.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Great, first of all, I looked like a perv reading this on the train. Second of all, on a related note, there is a segment of rightwing Japanese society that is seeking to censor overtly sexual material here because it gives a bad impression of Japan to the rest of the world. They also try to censor other things. And they are succeeding.
Mike Hurt is a disingenuous twat and this is not the first time he has been called on his predilection for taking surreptitious photos of young women in the streets and working at female only high schools. Attacking print journalists for taking photos less risque that what he likely rubs one out over every night is his way of trolling. no wonder he has so many altercations in the street: HINT: its not because he’s black, its because he is not perceived to respect the customs or laws of Korea. (and he also appears to be a dirty paedo)
With regard to both comments…people who promote censorship have no place in modern society. There is a line, but society as a whole has drawn that line and it’s called “common sense”.
Also, it is interesting that Mr. Hurt never once, in all that I have seen of his photography classes, ever has a male model.
Sorry for the late replies on these comments. Maybe I should setup a reply notification system?