Campus Event Reflection

30 November 2019, Cedar Lee Theater, Cleveland Heights

I attended a showing of the critically acclaimed South Korean film Parasite. The film is centered around the extreme contrasts between the impoverished Kims and affluent Parks. Differences that director Bong Joon-ho and co-writer Han Jin-won masterfully use to illustrate the tension resulting from ever-widening social and wealth inequality in ways unique to South Korea. The Kims’ original work folding pizza boxes and scramble to make ends meet shows the bleak reality of an underclass that cannot afford to survive off the work available to them. They drink to celebrate a public wifi signal reachable only by standing on the toilet. Drunks urinate openly outside their window nightly. The Kims then take an opportunity to skillfully con the rich and unsuspecting Parks by gradually and comedically infiltrating all the positions they hire. The son Ki-woo has a chance to tutor the daughter of the Parks but lacks a college education, easily remedied by a bit of photoshop. Bong pokes at the constrained social mobility of South Korea, but most importantly he illustrates how work can take one’s dignity and self-respect away from them. A line in the film states “An opening for a security guard attracts five hundred university graduates” showing a lack of stable work that can cause many to resort to unsafe or demeaning labor. Ki-taek, the father, describes once working as a Daeri driver, one who drives drunks across the city to their homes. The work requires drivers to constantly stay on-call and many suffer from health issues over time.  Many living in Seoul also suffer from food insecurity as costs of living rise which is mirrored by the diet of the Kims. Seoul now sits within the top ten most expensive cities in the world and those earning starvation wages struggle to keep up. In a system that is designed to shove them to the ground, the Kims fight to defy their status and create stability. The Parks know nothing but stability. I won’t say more of the plot as one should of course see the film first. The film was absolutely incredible and gave important insight into wealthy disparity and the deepening plight of the working class in South Korea. I’m very glad this was listed as an International Affairs event as seeing it is nothing less than essential.

Campus Event Reflection

8 October 2019, Enarson Classroom Building

I had the pleasure of attending a presentation on world fashion and its ongoing evolution. The two presenters began by guiding us through a powerpoint of various styles from different nations, explaining the cultural significance of each along the way. We learned of the origins of Greek and Malaysian traditional dress, along with fashion from various other nations. Whether resulting from foreign occupation or religious influence, fashion adapts to the times and the condition of those who embrace it. Fashion often serves as a form of expression of ethnic or cultural identity. We later played a Kahoot (a competitive online group quiz) where images of fashion in specific nations were displayed and players would attempt to determine the country of origin. Many of the images were of foreign styles and domestic trends I had never seen before, so to have that exposure was very fascinating. There was a dress of Russian origin that was particularly striking, causing me to want to explore more into the topic after the presentation.

Later into the event, we delved into the world of contemporary fashion and the impact of cities known for cultivating avant-garde styles. From Milan to Tokyo, various fashion houses such as Christian Dior or BAPE are constantly pushing the envelope not just in formal styles, but streetwear as well. The event finished with an open discussion of our opinions on current trends in which I castigated anyone who wore hoodies with zippers. For their own good of course. This event certainly relates to International Affairs as we learned of the impacts of culture and identity on world styles, and how fashion is in all ways global.