Shit Koreans Said ... about US Beef.

I was looking over some old emails when I came across a discussion I had with a friend about the whole "crazy cow" bullshit that swept South Korea. In one email was a list of some of the things I had heard directly or reported in the media.

1) Koreans are more susceptible to BSE (mad cow disease) than Americans.

Some study supposedly showed that Koreans have a gene that makes them infitesimally more susceptible than Americans. We are talking like .0000something. That was all.

This was often said with the add on that this means the US is DELIBERATELY trying to kill Koreans. It is amazing how often the Koreans twist things to blame them on the Americans. I couldn't keep track of the number of times I heard this from adults and kids. When my students brought it up I asked where they heard it. It was split between hearing it on the internet or being told by their parents.

2) Korean Beef is safer than American beef.

Actually, according to the EU's 3 tier rating system US beef was rated as SAFER than Korean due to little things like unsanitary meat production facilities, little to no testing of animals for disease, etc. etc. etc. And who started this rumour? The Korean Beef Industry.

3) Americans want us to eat meat that they won’t even feed to their dogs.

Basically Koreans would say that since Americans don't eat it it must be infected, and that is why they sell it abroad. US fast food chains import cheaper Canadian and Aussie beef. That must mean the US sells off meat they refuse to eat. Or some such nonsense. It was a hard argument to follow let alone swallow.

4) Using (insert name of product here) will give you BSE.

There were claims that using any of about 600 products that use cow’s gelatin or collagen, such as cosmetics, maxi pads, diapers, etc., would give you BSE. At least they got the BS part right.

Kissing will transmit BSE.

Reminds me of the old herpes scare in the mid 80's.

5) U.S. meat packers plan to dump beef from older cows - considered at higher risk for mad cow - on the South Korean market.

Only a small percentage of the beef was coming from older cows. That would hardly have been dumping.

6) Restaurants and shops will lie and say the beef is Australian so US beef should not be allowed.

It is the Americans fault that Korean businesses would lie? Wouldn't that be the fault of the Koreans who would be lying? Wouldn't it be prudent to do something to stop them from lying?

7) The Democratic party created the Beef issue to shoot down the Korea-USA Free Trade Agreement.

Of course this would mean the Democrats got the Koreans to start protesting and rioting. The Democratic party got Korean media to start spreading the lies. Like I said, the lengths Koreans go to blame Americans for their problems is amazing. If only they put the same energy into solving their problems.

8) GNP (the governing Party in Korea is now the GNP) chairman Kang Jae-sup told the US Ambassador that;

“in Korea, beef is not simply a product; our people’s unique sentiment, which cannot be explained with science, permeates beef.”

Which basically translates to screw the science that says your beef is safe. It is now a cultural issue. Which just leads to other Shit Koreans Say "You must understand our culture!" That is supposed to trump reality.

Speaking of stupid things coming out from the Korean government at the time ... the Korean government actually asked the United States Government and it's officials to speak and act carefully. So they won't "spark" any anti-American protests and sentiment. Once again, the blame for things being dumped on the US . Americans dared to say science shows the beef is safe ergo they are inciting anti-American protests. Fucking insane.

9) Koreans even turned on Korean-Americans who didn't blindly agree. They droned on about how Korean-Americans weren't standing up for their country. They were lapdogs of America. They would be the ones pointing guns at Korea if the US and Korea went to war. What the kimchi? Yes, the BSE BS actually devolved to the point where it became a matter of trashing people over a fictional war.

BSE is one of those things that isn't safe to discuss with Koreans, like Dokdo. Unless you agree blindly you are screwed. Rarely is it discussed rationally. It is best to leave it alone unless you feel like riling some Koreans up.