mango

I left off on episode 7: no you're not! I am little peeved (albeit, also confused): first, the picture fiasco, which was followed by a public misunderstanding. it implied to the ill-informed that the two slept together (I mean, I didn't read into that wrong, did I? it was kind of shady-sounding...), & that was a low move. moreover: he knows one of the unequivocal consequences means sha sha will retaliate against xiao xi for *his* actions.

there are other ways to go about his rebellion WITHOUT xiao xi's involvement, so I'm perplexed. I can't get into liu bing's head rn---before the banquet I wondered if his interest in xiao xi (whether he acknowledges it as romantic or not) played a part in his motivation to do this. THEN the dance happened, & I thought maybe not. now he's barged into xiao xi's home & says they "have" to share the same room.

...what? do you like her not, liu bing? please stop confusing me! I see him as a bit of a tsuntsun type who doesn't express his emotions too well, but all that aside? I can't stay too mad for long, even tho it doesn't negate what he did (whatever his reasons are). [/long comment]

I could not walk away from bleak night without crying my head off & feeling like there was dead weight on my chest---that is one super heartbreaking film, but it is so good at the same time! I wish more people would watch it tbh.

putting suspicious housekeeper on my list. I'm always down for watching kim so hyun.

thank you!

nearly caught up &

a) so far sha sha's (lack of) development saddens me. I want her to be more than Designated Mean Girl. she needs layers, she needs depth. like a real person. (because I'd like to love her character, even if she's confined to an antagonistic role, but so far there is zero reason to appreciate her existence.)

b) LIU BING WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

c) oh hao xue, why is she in so few scenes?

d) if someone knows the title of the ending song I'd appreciate it ❤

drama law dictates that hye jin will likely end up w/ crazy joon---I get strong SLS vibes from shin hyuk, sadly. unless this drama is brave & goes against the norm! but it's unlikely. I know crazy joon will redeem himself *somehow*, but rn I'm just too mad over his comments. like, she "contaminates" the "oxygen"? dude. what is his problem? it stings, & he's so rude to "lesser people" (read: hye jin), which hurts all the more bc she's the real hye jin he thinks he loves & I'd think---considering his past as the chubby kid others made fun of---he'd show more decency.

I predict that he'll begin to suspect hye jin & see the inner beauty she's always had. which is great & all but shin hyuk already sees that beauty in her, sooooo. argh! ofc I hope I'm wrong & hye jin opens her eyes to siwon's character.

I don't want to give my hopes up but I'm hoping this very scenario plays out. It would make me so happy!

I'm still very early in (episode three) but I love that the male lead has this genuine bemused interest & comes across as a cute little shy nerd sometimes vs a certain someone w/ anger management issues whose interest starts off in a "harassment is my expression of love" sort of way, you feel

*cough*

VERY excited for these october dramas! honestly, all of them are on my hit list but awl---which I just added. as a huge misaeng fan I look forward to this one, though it'll be hard to convince anything can top misaeng. still, a good drama is a good drama & awl sounds promising.

glorious temptation is something I'll definitely check out. I like the cast, but I'm mainly coming for kim sae ron. she's a talented young actress, & I've loved her in the movies I've seen, but I think she needs a meatier drama role. I just don't know if I can stick w/ two 50-ep dramas (I've been looking forward to six flying dragons for a while) with everything else I want to catch.

the video stream is still in raw-form, sadly. keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that, one day, it will get subbed. (maybe KBS will add it to their youtube channel...) as a kim sae ron fan, ofc I'd love to watch this & actually *understand* it.

lol @Kachiiing the stubborn immaturity & rudeness this whole matter has been dealt with has left me feeling so astounded that the horror of it exhausts me. I guess we're resigned into biting our tongues, lest we carry on with our hysterical comments. it's not like we have grounds to feel upset over the misuse of a highly sensitive word or anything. shame on us!

ceki, I am not telling you to change your opinion; I am asking you to be considerate. (a futile attempt, as you seem unwilling to even try to understand my point.) this here makes the whopping fourth comment I've made regarding this issue, & I've remained level with you throughout. so, there's no need to further insult me by calling me hysterical, or to say I'm "over(re?)acting." my feelings over the flippant use of "rape" are very valid---as are everyone else's---& you should not discredit them.

re: wrist-grabs & slaps, however, there are a number of people claiming they are & aren't abusive. but when it comes to calling a forced hair cut rape? thus far I've seen nothing but agreement in that your word choice is a bad move.

but as I said: it's all for naught. la dee dah. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

"those who do not agree will have to get over it because this is after all my article"

no, no, no. no. I do not have to "get over it." this is your article, but this is not your site. this article does weigh on the site and how people are going to feel about it and view it. after all, you are posting on MDL in a community where who knows how many users (& visitors) will read this, & your article bears a portion of responsibility in the site's representation. I have yet to see one person join this particular argument & actively take your side, so you must realize that those of us speaking out should count for something. you have legitimately offended me in your word choice, but here you're telling me I need to suck it up. that's not only rude for its level of inconsideration, but unabashedly brazen.

yes, you warned that this contains "sensitive content," but how many of us expect that to mean, "I refer to forced hair cutting as rape"? I bet no one. our issue is not the sensitive content. our issue is your wording & refusal to correct it, or---in the least---unwillingness to alter is so that it specifies this is your personal view, as you protest the opposing perspective.

I agree with many of the points your article raises, & I can't stress enough how important it is to call these issues out when we see them. your article does well in that it is generating discussion, & yet your refusal to admit some of your own problematic points leaves me baffled. what you're telling me---& everyone who agrees with me---is that *we* are the problem & should quietly turn our heads. I will leave it alone here, but wow. I'm exasperated, sure, but moreover: I am truly appalled.

this classmate wasn't playing a "prank." she did, in fact, wish to humiliate me as punishment. her intent was cruel, & it's by luck that a teacher noticed in time & gave her detention, but my personal experience is quite beside the point.

it's not that I believe cutting hair doesn't leave lasting wounds, but that I think it is unlikely. instances in which cutting hair does create life-long scars would be (imo):

(a) this is a repeated offence
(b) it is a one-time (or repeated) incident combined with additional incidences

the most plausible scenarios would be bullying, or a situation where a family member intends to be cruel or is abusive. the intention would be to humiliate and degrade that person up until or beyond the point where the victim experience loss in self-esteem (among other things).

([edit:] & none of this is to say that people DON'T feel long-term hurt from having their hair forcibly cut off, even if it's a one-time occurrence. I don't wish to invalidate those emotions or say that such an act isn't "bad" or "as bad," but when it comes down to it: yes, rape is the greater of the two offences. like I said, it's not my intention to invalidate anyone's feelings, or to say, "what happened to you isn't as bad as [insert form of abuse here]," but you don't seem to understand why cutting hair should not be described in words that specify the sexual violation of another person.[/edit])

in the case of reply 1997 specifically, this is a one-time offence that serves as parental punishment. my memory isn't crystal clear re: the show, but shi won is an outspoken, confident girl, & her father's action doesn't give long-lasting effects. was it mean? yes, but "cutting one's hair forcefully is considered a rape" are your exact words---I don't agree with that, nor do I agree that "it can be matched to some aspects" of sexual assault.

to be degraded, physically or otherwise, & emotionally hurt describes a number of various forms of abuse, but we don't call them "rape" because rape is in a class of its own. it's both ignorant & offensive to say otherwise, as it diminishes the severity of the crime & simultaneously belittles victims' feelings. by definition alone, I can see where you might be coming from, as rape---in a broader spectrum---is considered to "take" something by "force," & yet this is not how the word is commonly used today. (e.g., "the rape of the lock" is used in context of the 1700s, & is a mock-epic that makes fun of [european] high society vanities. (there's actually an interesting backstory to this poem, but I digress.) today's stance, however, holds a much darker, more negative connotation for the word.)

I agree with what's been said before me, ceki91. rape---the act of sexually violating another person---is incomparable to forcefully cutting another's hair. the two exist on entirely different levels that simply cannot, & should not, be likened as equals. as KMR said, hair grows back. it leaves no lasting wounds, but rape victims experience a deep pain that never fully leaves. (see lady gaga's song about her own rape, "'till it happens to you," which is a very emotional take from a victim's pov.) it's a horribly, undeniably, graphic assault, much unlike cutting hair.

& speaking as someone who nearly had her hair chopped off by classmate, I can't say I agree with your stand point. I was angry---pissed off, even---& had this girl succeeded, I'm sure I'd have felt momentary insecurity & embarrassment. hair, however, can easily be fixed & grown back out, & bad hair days =/= sexual violation.

think of it this way... which is more sacred: consent to cut your hair or consent to have sex? touch my hair, fine. I'll live. but I can't imagine what it feels like to be sexually violated.

edit: what I'm trying to point out is that neither should be considered acceptable, but cutting hair =/= rape, nor should it be matched to the severity of rape.

I don't think this topic can be brought up enough, & it's good to see an article kindle some discussion. what's most irksome is that these forms of abuse are depicted with romantic or comedic intent, and what kind of message does this give an audience? it's saying that a crime as abominable as rape is okay, that asserting your dominance is okay (lookin' at you, especially, Wrist Grabs), and that double standards don't exist. these incidences are "romantic" or "funny," & that right here makes my hair stand on end.

most cases depict women on the receiving end to boot---we're the weaker, the less powerful, less intelligent, meek, or submissive. (or, even, reduced to "bitches" who are limited to snobbish roles meant to foil the angelic lead or as women 'overstepping boundaries.') more often than not, we're the inferior damsels in need of a man's rescue. (& on that note, can I just say that I always found the almost-rape scene in hana yori dango/BoF incredibly disturbing for the nonchalance it's dealt with? I will never not feel bothered by scenes like this.) when women don't fall into these lesser categories---& even when women do---it's "funny" to hand the abusive role to the female characters. like in my sassy girl, for example. it's one of my favorite movies, but I was completely taken aback by the sheer amount of female-on-male abuse. oh, but it's "okay" because it's supposed to be "funny." there are plenty of examples to go around, but I find the double standard in my sassy girl has overwhelming presence.

however, romanticizing---or even perpetuating & hence normalizing---a stereotype or behavior is not the same as depicting it for what it is. misaeng portrays sexism and misogyny in a very real sense in that one international's hierarchical patriarchy is so overbearing & inflated on power. so, when it comes to securing their source of income, these women have no choice but to suck it up & that's nothing but that sad truth for a lot of us. to me, it's not that misaeng says, "this is what women are SUPPOSED to do, this is the RIGHT way to handle it," because this isn't how these moments are intended to be perceived. rather, misaeng makes it known that this behavior, this way of thinking, is wrong. it's discriminatory, cruel, & unjust---but what can these women do? even men who speak up for them are shot down.

all right. I just finished this...

there's no way anyone can watch this two years post-air date without encountering spoilers, so it's not like I walked in oblivious to the show's sad conclusion but that kind of ending should be illegal. (I kid. partially.) but honestly? if I don't cling onto an alternative ending I'm going to experience a lot of pain this week. my heart really hurts right now.

I put too much weight on the current 3.0 rating & expected this to be pretty bad — it's not, imo. precious kim soo hyun circa 2008 is a fun thing to see, & the short itself presents an endearing storyline. I almost wish I could watch this in movie or drama format, if only to pull out some concrete answers & character backgrounds.