Dateline Seoul -- June 10-11, 2008: This crowd of 80-100,000 South Koreans in Seoul are not happy campers . What are they so upset about? Their government's decision to resume importing beef from America! They believe their government is playing Russian roulette with their health because of the threat of Mad Cow Disease in older American beef cattle -- which is what the agreement allows. And they want no part of it because of the fear of MCD in American beef.
I love it! Smart people. I saw on a health DVD recently where studies on the brains of some people who supposedly died of Alzheimer's disease didn't die from Alzheimer's at all -- but from Mad Cow Disease -- as many as 15%! The early symptoms of MCD are not unlike that of Alzheimer's but the people died before MCD became full-blown in its symptoms so it appeared they died from Alzheimer's.
If you want to see how serious this demonstration was, and read the full report, check this slide show at Yahoo.news. These people are serious about not wanting to be guinea pigs in the name of import-export profit. If you're still eating feedlot-grown and slaughterhouse-rendered beef, you ought to have your head examined -- literally. (Photo above from Xinhua/Reuters.)
I love it! Smart people. I saw on a health DVD recently where studies on the brains of some people who supposedly died of Alzheimer's disease didn't die from Alzheimer's at all -- but from Mad Cow Disease -- as many as 15%! The early symptoms of MCD are not unlike that of Alzheimer's but the people died before MCD became full-blown in its symptoms so it appeared they died from Alzheimer's.
If you want to see how serious this demonstration was, and read the full report, check this slide show at Yahoo.news. These people are serious about not wanting to be guinea pigs in the name of import-export profit. If you're still eating feedlot-grown and slaughterhouse-rendered beef, you ought to have your head examined -- literally. (Photo above from Xinhua/Reuters.)
Posts
Just a note on South Koreans and protest. They are renowned in the protest communities for their unity, organization, strength, force, and strategy. Video footage of some South Korean labor marches resemble military marches far more than what we generally see in American protest rallies.
ReplyDeleteThey are also a nice counterexample to what are pejoratively termed "anarchist" or "black bloc" methodology in the US. This type of protest in the US is portrayed in the media and largely even in protest communities as "too active". But somehow South Koreans have been able to make direct action respectable!
Daniel
I've noticed what you cite before re: the South Koreans. I saw some better overhead shots of this protest online and couldn't believe how organized it was -- neat rows of people standing/marching abreast -- waves of them block after block. Amazing how organized they are.
ReplyDelete