Off the Subject

I just want to say that I like Benedict Cumberbatch and whoever else, Chris Pine, or Taylor Lautner, or Ryan Gosling as much as anyone else.

They're all talented good looking guys, most of them are even very talented at acting, some more than others, but that's beside the point.

I...assume I would not be upset to meet any of them. No more than I would any other talented good looking guy, would make it cool that I already knew their name before meeting them and thus wouldn't have to ask it ten times in one night just to remember.

But, and this relates to my previous  post about fangirls, I am incredibly uncomfortable when I read or see women worshiping these men. And lately, I can't look at a new photo posted on fb or read an article on someone's upcoming movie or check out an interview without the comments section being inundated with such things.

If it was girls, well, I understand a certain level of delusional idiocy. I was never one of those girls as a teen, but I was delusional and stupid about other things.

But it's not! It's grown women! Women writing things I am not going to repeat because they're just ... wrong. 

I will never ever worship any man.

As a teacher I have been on the receiving end of just a little of that undue attention that comes from being a public face and it is acutely uncomfortable.

(I know it's culture to think that if someone is willing to be seen they belong to the public, but that's not true. Everyone has a right to privacy, everyone has a right to respect, everyone has the right to be seen *first* as a person, before they're seen as a face, or an object. Frankly, no one should be seen as an object, and objectifying men doesn't make up for the wrong of women being objectified, it just makes the world doubly as messed up as it was before.)

I cringe for these men, and for the discomfort they have to endure from rabid fans, and the damaging risk it poses to their sense of self. It is not encouraging, it is not helpful. At worst, it is dangerous and destructive, at best to be tolerated and ignored.

I cringe for the women voicing these extreme and disconnected views. I can't help but wonder if they suffer from a mental illness. Whose life is so devoid of joy and meaning that they turn to a pretty face on a screen as their source of personal identity/joy/adoration/holiness?

I'm embarrassed for my sex.
I'm embarrassed on behalf of my species.

Please, stop worshiping strangers, stop lusting after men you don't even know. Like them, respect them, and leave it at that. They, you, and the world will be a better place because of it.

After a month

I've been in South Korea for a month now. Hard to believe, I know.
The yellow sand has begun.
And I have a wonderful bike to get me around town.
I went to church in Sangju for the first time last week. That was interesting. Presbyterian. I'm having to adjust to different denominations in the same church. It's one thing to say "yeah, I'm happy that you're my brother/sister with different ideas" and another thing entirely to live with it.
The church is quite small (12 members, maybe) and they sit on mats on the floor. They all eat lunch together but from last year I figure that's normal.
Other interesting cultural occorances.
I got taken out by some of my sweet coteachers for doksomethingoranother, not dokgalbi, not dokbegi. Darn, forgot. Anyway, it's spicy rice cakes and kimbap. And, over the course of the meal I was informed that men will like me more if I get my ears  pierced and straiten my hair...because men find pierced ears and straitened hair more beautiful. It was definitely one of those cultural things that I had to take a second and step back for. I told them I thought guys often had different tastes in what they preferred and that maybe the magazines lied. They were quite surprised by this.
Other cultural things:
Principals asking favors of me.
Things not happening until the last minute and feeling like I can't prepare.
Working extra hours. Surprised? No way.

I found the local community gym. It actually looks quite nice and if I can force myself up at 6am regularly than I should be able to go work out.
Right now I have a headache, actually the hungover feeling is probably a migraine. Particularly because I didn't drink anything last night, or yesterday, or the day before.

I'm curious, what do you think of the social and cultural differences between different denominations and/or countries? How should they be responded to? How do you give grace to people you disagree with while still voicing your disagreements?