Baseball In Busan

One of the glories of living in South Korea is baseball.  With cheerleaders, player theme songs, flag waving, and no-holds bat-flipping, I can't really think of a better way to spend an afternoon than at the ballpark.

10,000 won (about nine bucks) will buy you an outfield seat, and that's really all you need.  Now, my team of choice is the Samsung Lions (representing Daegu, as Korean teams go by their corporate sponsors' names).  But for Chuseok I went down to Busan to take in a game with their hometown squad, the Lotte Giants.

As much as I like Samsung Lions Park here in lurvely Daegu, Sajik Stadium in Busan is absolutely gorgeous.  Mountains surround the stadium, and I got very lucky with the weather.  And for food, while fried chicken is the preferred victual, I went with a tray of tasty blood sausage and some beers.

So all in all, it was another great day at the ballpark.  Busan came from behind to beat the NCSoft Dinos 8-7.

Even Morer Summer Pics

Mt. Airy, Maryland.

More Summer Pics

Bellingham, Washington.

I Believe Anita Hill. I Believe Christine Ford. I Believe Deborah Ramirez.

Some thoughts on Kavanaugh:

1)  I went to a DC area private school.  I've been told it is of "elite" status.  (The tuition certainly wasn't cheap.)  But it was also politically on the opposite end of Georgetown Prep (Go Friends!).  All of this is to say, I learned what teabagging was around 91' or so because a bunch of older Prep students basically forced their testicles into the mouths of freshmen.  I don't remember what sports team it was, exactly.  This is my most vivid memory of Georgetown Prep, other than the fact that they always crushed us in baseball.  Not that there wasn't a fair share of entitled, white-boy assholery at my esteemed institution as well, but at least it wasn't an ethos.

2)  Who hasn't come forward and admitted to literal attempted rape in order to get their good buddy onto the Supreme Court?  Two different dudes, actually, because she was that much of a slutty-Mcslut-slut!

3)  We now know Kavanaugh either is or was a serious alcoholic.  As strong as #MeToo has (thankfully) become, it would have been relatively easy for him to admit that he is / was a drunk, but now Jesus and / or an AA program has brought him to the light of sobriety.  Americans love this kind of story.  If his handlers had led with this narrative I think he'd have been seated already, with minimal drama.

4)  I still think the odds are 50-50.  Collins and Murkowsi and Flake want him seated, because they are Republicans (further tax cuts for Paris Hilton matter above all else).  Blasey Ford's actual testimony will be significant.

5)  Blasey Ford is an American hero.

6)  If Kavanaugh is seated, a probable harasser and possible rapist, nominated by an actual harasser and possible rapist, will provide the vote that overturns Roe, setting back women's health and rights by about a century.

7)  How any woman can ever vote for a Republican after this absolute shit-show of a spectacle is beyond me.

And A Happy Chuseok To You

I'm in Busan for the Chuseok holiday.  I'm at a Starbucks by the beach reading Elvis Costello's autobiography (I knew he had a musical father, but didn't realize he was actually a pretty accomplished and somewhat famous vocalist) and sipping on a way-too-big ice coffee.  Last night I took in a Busan iPark soccer match (Busan F.C., basically) and it was about what you'd expect from Korean second-tier play (the "above ground pool" of the sport, basically).  But the weather was lovely.

They've done some serious renovations around here at Haeundae Beach.  Some of the main roads are a lot more pedestrian friendly now (always a shock in Korea) and there are some honest-to-goodness public spaces where street performers can do their thing to large crowds.  (The fire jugglers are pretty amazing.)

So I'm here for a few more days before, inexplicably, going back to Daegu to teach on Thursday (why not just give us the whole week you beareaucratic slave-drivers?).

Free Speech Is Great. Nazis Aren't Interested In Free Speech.

Laurie Penny cuts to the chase when it comes to the pressures of "being civil" with fascists, Nazis, MRA's, etc.:

"If we deny racists a platform, they feed off the appearance of censorship, but if we give them a platform, they’ve won by being respectfully invited into the mainstream. Either way, what matters to them is not debate, but attention. There is no perfect choice.

But there is a choice, and this, to my mind, is the sensible one: To refuse to dignify these people with prestigious public platforms, or to share them. To refuse to offer them airtime or engage them in public debate.

Fortunately, we live in a brave new world where real censorship is something that is almost infeasible unless you are extremely rich and venal and have an army of lawyers. If you want to hear what Bannon thinks, you can. Extensively, at many, many websites and forums. If you want to try to tease out and challenge the deeper truth behind far-right ideas, you’re free to do so, although be prepared to be disappointed. You see, the deeper truth is that there is no deeper truth. No hidden nuance. The new right have already shown us exactly who they are. Now the rest of us get to choose who we want to be."

There are many, many very stupid Trumpers and White Nationalists and #GamerGaters who are literally too dumb to understand, behind the thick veil of their White Privilege, that "freedom of speech" does not mean a) freedom from consequences of speech and / or b) the freedom to force people to listen to you when they'd rather just ignore and mock and shun you.

Penny is right on that the smarter ones, the Bannons for example, are just better at playing the victim-hood game.  So can we dispense with the myth that there's some latter-day, mind-blowing series of Symposia just out of reach, just waiting for Richard Spencer and Bernie Sanders to sit down with one another?  (Maybe Charlie Rose could moderate!)

It's bullshit all the way down.  They're aren't worth the time or effort, let alone the normalization (and often, significant payday) that comes with pretending they're here to engage in substantive discourse, rather than just throwing rhetorical bombs and spreading their poison to the hopelessly ignorant.

Lazy Thursday

Red Garland, Stepping Out (1981, w/ Ron Carter, Kenny Burrell, Ben Riley)

Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving, begins this Sunday.  I'm getting a five-day weekend out of it so I'm headed to lovely Busan this Saturday.  I might call up some foreigner friends for drinks, but a lot of them will be traveling abroad or going up to Seoul.  I've got plans to see a Busan iPark soccer match Saturday (Busan F.C., basically) and then my first Lotte Giants game (Busan's baseball team) on Tuesday afternoon.  And swim, maybe?  It's going to be in the mid-70's, but the ocean will be freezing I'm sure.

There's also a new brew pub I want to check out.  They are a bit of a welcome trend in Korea these days.  (I'm not a reflexive Korean beer hater by any means, but I do like knowing I can drink the bitter-y and dark artisanal stuff when I want to.)

Anyhow, Red Garland is a better piano player than you or I shall ever be.  Just sayin'.

Interesting Times

Among the many shocks of life under Cheeto Hitler the one that really stands out for me is the realization that for Trump supporters, sexual abuse, assault, harassment, and yes, even outright rape, are no longer disqualifiers for public life, let alone living outside of a dank, forgotten cave coated in misery and sackcloth for the rest of one's days.

In fact, crimes against women are now the ultimate badges of honor.

"the labor of women goes invisible because it’s supposed to come naturally"

An alleged rapist is on the cusp of becoming a Supreme Court justice.  This is, of course, because life is awful and terrible since Trump took power.

But maybe, just maybe, things will be different this time and justice will be served.

Meanwhile, I found this article about the history and current decline of American "breastraunts" (e.g., Hooter's) to be surprisingly timely and even a little hopeful:

"I was a Hooters Girl in Santa Monica, California, for the better part of 2005, while I attended college. The hourly rate was about one dollar above the state’s minimum wage, but the tips covered enough of my expenses that I could work just three shifts per week, and spend the rest of my time studying. The job offered me a chance to monetize my youth and beauty—the sole marketable assets I possessed before obtaining a degree or meaningful work experience—in a way that was legal and safer than many parts of the actual sex industry.

The problem was only that my cut should have been bigger. Hooters made multiple demands of the girls; we had to do our hair and makeup in a particular style ('like you’re going out on a date with your boyfriend,' the manager explained) and dance on the wooden barstools a few times per shift. We also had to upsell branded merchandise like T-shirts, beer koozies, and swimsuit calendars, and act as a sort of therapist to the needy men who regularly came in seeking attention from women 30 years younger than them. We had to perform the emotional labor of pretending to find these men fascinating, while deflecting their bolder advances because Hooters is, after all, 'a family restaurant.' The gimmick was genius: give married dads hot wings, beer, and flesh to ogle, but with plausible deniability. Hooters is no strip club. It’s wholesome, peak America, where the labor of women goes invisible because it’s supposed to come naturally."

One of my few claims to immortality in this life is that for one year I lived behind the only Hooter's located in South Korea.  I walked past it many times, but never went in.

This Is America

A possible rapist could decide women's health issues for the next 30 years.

A literal serial killer was working as a US border patrol agent.

What the fuck, reality?

— Stormy Jamesiels (@wetcasements) September 17, 2018

Test Day

Mt. Airy, Maryland.

Pizza And Patriotism Oh My

Military service in South Korea is mandatory for all males before they turn 28.  Some of them are pigging out on pizza to avoid the inevitable:

"But 12 vocal students have found a new way to avoid service: expanding their waistlines.

The aspiring singers, who were not named, binged on pizza and hamburgers five times a day in an effort to gain weight and ultimately fail the military physical. They swapped tips over chat apps and determined 'high-calorie protein shakes, supplements and drinking a lot of aloe juice to retain water weight' were the best options, according to a military investigation.

All South Korean men must serve about 22 months before the age of 28 and are subject to a physical to determine whether they are fit for duty. Those who fail the physical requirements are either exempt from service altogether or must complete alternative civilian work, generally seen as preferable to the privations of military life."

Kidding aside, military service here is, in scientific parlance, quite some bullshit.  Unlike service in the U.S., recruits here get paid less than 300 dollars a month.

That said my understanding, based on Kim Young-ha's novel I Hear Your Voice, is that the tried and true method of avoiding military service is to cut off the trigger finger of your right hand.  (The South Korean military does not accommodate lefties, so don't embarrass yourself and your ancestors by cutting off a left-handed finger.)

Here's a recent post about South Korea's current soccer star, Son Heung-min, and how he narrowly avoided military service with a win in the 2018 Asian Games.

Too Soon?

17 years ago the U.S. lost its fucking mind over a horrible, preventable tragedy and has only gotten crazier since.

— Stormy Jamesiels (@wetcasements) September 12, 2018

Pop Cultural Intake Update

The Wire and George Pelecanos and porn and dystopian nightmare 1970's New York and Maggie Gyllenhaal check a lot of my boxes but I still haven't seen The Deuce.  Franco-aversion, possibly.  But maybe this will be something I manage to binge-watch as we move into fall.

Minor Thought

you guys all realize re: America/American politics that there's no "going back to normal" after this Trump GOP, right? like, the crazy train has left the bat-shit genie insane-o bottle forever and ever and we all bought tickets?

— Stormy Jamesiels (@wetcasements) September 6, 2018

We Can Be Heroes (Not)

The White House is an actively anti-American snake pit.  No secrets there.  But "standing up to Trump" does not make you a hero, not by a long shot.  Erik Loomis:

"Fuck whoever this is. This isn’t resistance. This is self-preservation and nothing more. The person is either a fascist or a facilitator of fascism. This person, be it Pence or Mattis or Sessions or whoever, is a clown. If you want to be a powerful Republican actually resisting Trump, you have a model. It’s John Dean. Otherwise, please jump off a boat."

It's not hyperbole to suggest that while America will probably survive Trump, it cannot survive a Republican Party that lets the pussy-grabber have his way as long as Paris Hilton gets more tax cuts.

Mellow Fruitfulness Yadda Yadda

This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen....

Seriously though, it's still hot here in lurvely Daegu but this morning I walked to work and you could feel the faintest of breezes through the trees.  It's still humid as hell, but if you squint you can almost see some of them starting to turn, and imagine the ajummas dusting off their sweet potato broilers as the kinder season comes unto us.

Love And Theft

Hari Kunzru on his novel White Tears, hipsters, and blues music

I loved the idea behind the first half of Hari Kunzru's White Tears, but the second half is a bit of a letdown.  The characters are interesting, but the shift from straight-up narrative to magical realism feels very forced and unearned to me.

Still, the issues of authenticity and appropriation in American blues music are always worth thinking about.  (The basic plot involves two white hipsters who manage to "invent" an old-time blues song through field recordings of modern-day New York City.)

But this interview makes me appreciate the novel a bit more.

Summer Pics From The USA

Taylor Dock, Bellingham WA

Nephew getting his hot dog on (beer was mine, I think)

Camden Yards, Baltimore MD

Nephew and two buddies after a horse tournament, Mt. Airy MD

As mentioned, my annual August trips to America have really come down to a week of misery, if not agony, while visiting my MAGA-dad in the wilds of Bellingham, Washington, and then a few weeks with my sister and her son near Baltimore where we eat and swim and drive around and do really fun things.  These constitute the proverbial "vegetables" and "dessert" of dealing with your family, I guess.

And the Orioles managed to beat the Mets, so that was worth it.

Things I've Learned On The Internet Today:

1)  White Nationalists like Steve Bannon have a right not just to speak at any public event they wish, but to also be paid handsomely for doing so because Free Speech.

2)  Nike is not a hugely exploitative multinational behemoth but actually a secret liberal cabal that cares not one wit as to how much they make in a given economic quarter.

3)  For some unknown reason, President Pussy-grabber hasn't yet forced Jeff Sessions into a leather gimp-suit and ball-gag, but that literally could change by tomorrow.

Small Thought On Son Heung-min Being Exempted From Two Years Of Military Service

Simple Thought: If Korean footballers get military exemptions for winning (relatively minor) Asian Game golds, why not other Soft Power icons such as musicians?

— Stormy Jamesiels (@wetcasements) September 3, 2018

"doesn't matter what you do / you know what you've done"

Guided By Voices, "Space Gun"

Korea has two major national holidays, Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) and the Lunar New Year.  Chuseok falls in late September / early October, which means I get a second vacation coming right off of my annual trip to America.  It looks like a five-day weekend this year, so I'll probably head down to Busan for a bit and check out the beach.

It's weird though, as mentally I feel like I don't deserve the days off.  (Thanks again, Capitalism!)  And it murders my teaching schedule very early on in the semester.

Anyhow, it's the best time to visit Busan which is stupidly hot and crowded during July and August.

And for some reason, Busan lifeguards on their goofy jet-skis are total assholes.  Like, if you go more than 20 feet out into the ocean they ride over and scream at you.  They're more dangerous than the ocean itself, because Korea.