Revolts of students in America / How about in Korea?

Michael Moore became famous in Korea for his documentary ‘Sicko’ about the American health care system because the president of Korea was trying to change the present health care system of Korea to be similar to that of the United States. Michael Moore’s bitter criticism on the American health care system made Korean people to oppose to change in present system and finally foiled the president’s attempt involuntarily.

However, High School Newspaper is not about Michael Moore or his documentaries. It is about us, the teenagers. Michael Moore is just giving the teenagers the opportunity to make their messages heard by more public. In the article, Michael Moore is expressing his amazement and deep impression he received from the students’ revolt in Wisconsin.

I mentioned about a book last time and as Mr.Garrioch said in his comment, I also thought this book is even more relevant to this issue than last one. This book is called ‘The 880 thousand won generation’. The author of this book used this term for the first time in an effort to define the 20s and teenagers in Korea. The term was created from a calculation of the average amount of income the teenagers will receive after they graduate from college. Therefore, a worker who had finished a high level of education from a college will earn only about 800 dollars a month. According to the book, this phenomenon occurred because the former generation of people flourished too much. The people of father generation in Korea did not have to worry about looking for a job because if they had attended a college and received a certificate, they could pick any company they want to work at by themselves. In contrast, although the teenagers study a lot more than the past and even when they get into a university they spend a chunk of time to qualify for a job. When I occasionally go back home from school and visit library on a Sunday, I see a lot of college students studying for TOEIC which is required by most firms in Korea. Students in Korea come to library on weekends to study for an exam not to read books! What a non-sense situation happening in Korea. Similarly, high school students cram and memorize for 3 years of their high school lives just for the national college entrance exam.

At the back cover of the book, there was a short passage recommending the book, written by a columnist. In the passage, he said “While Korean students are hostile to others including other students or adult, they do not possess critical opinion toward Korean society. In contrast, students in European countries are benevolent toward people around them, and at the same time can express their thoughts about the society they belong to critically”. I did really agree to his point and I thought this is the major difference between Korean students and other students in countries that possess better education system in Korea.

In my opinion, normal Korean students are stupid. I, a KMLA student, am stupid too. The difference is that I wasted a bit more time during middle school years and my parents invested more money on me. Most importantly, I will not become a part of ‘the 880 thousand won generation’. The prestigious name of this school already guarantees the minimum amount of dignity for all the students in this school. However, the classmates and friends I had in the past, surely more than half of them will end up being part of ‘the 880 thousand won generation’. Thinking in this way, I was literally sad and afraid because a person cannot pursue a moderate life with this kind of small money. Surely they are not smart, and when they realize they are part of ‘the 880 thousand won generation’ they will just comfort themselves by reproaching themselves not cramming enough earlier like me for example. However, this isn’t just right! The system is wrong not that the students did not try hard. Looking at the Michael Moore’s amazement in high school students’ revolt, I envied US education system. Education systems in more advanced countries do not make students memorize and line them up by scores. Rather, they encourage students to think and to have their own opinion of them. Whenever there is a change in administration or government, a new president has suggested a new education policy, but every single time, people were disappointed.

We should not expect the government or elite upper class to change our circumstance. Naturally, they do not want any change in the current system because it functions as they exactly want; manufacturing dull workers who will not complain about the inequitable society.

I am not sure who should or will lead the revolt in Korea. I am not sure whether I, who are very lucky to escape from the dread situation in Korea, am willing to take part in the change because I have high chance of becoming an elite or upperclass later in future. I think I need more time to think on. However, one sure thing is that there should be a change in Korea in education or economy whatever.