John Smith

Supporting someone does not mean you agree with them. I also think laughing at them is probably not the right thing to do given the article and comments center on bullying.

My thoughts about the recent bullying controversies are the same now as they were when I commented on the article "Dear.M starring Park Hye Soo removed from KBS broadcast schedule amidst controversy." that was published about a week ago. Please check the comment section of that article for my full comments which I think apply for this situation as well. If I had to pick some quotes for the non-researchers, it would be:

"I would like to think we live in a world where you are innocent until proven guilty, or at the very least innocent until you are forced to accept you are not. The world we live in is very complicated, so it is not always a matter of innocence or guilt, but making choices you can live with or cannot live without."

"Setting aside the article, I think the goal should be for everyone age 5 to 105 to be able to discuss important issues and ideas to become better people.
In reference to comments about the article, equality, justice, and fairness seem to be used interchangeably when they are three different things. All have their place."

"I think most of us hope we have gone though our lives without traumatizing someone. I think the uncomfortable truth is that virtually everyone has been bullied at some point, and has bullied themselves as well. If the tendency of victims are to stay quiet or not make a big deal out of it, how are we to know the repercussions of our actions? I am not saying we are all bullies. I would define a bully as someone who regularly bullies others. For most of us, if we bully others, we recognize our actions (or get called out for it) and apologize, or the other person just brushes the event aside and moves on. So we should all watch our actions, and ask more questions of ourselves and others."

I also think what might get lost in all of this is that humans are not perfect. Not only in their actions, but also in their judgement. Some innocent people will be found guilty, some guilty people will either be found innocent or never be known, and punishments will probably never fit the crime. There will also be people who refuse to accept and those that will never stop defending.
I do hope all of these situations resolve themselves in a way that is helpful for all of those involved, and in a way that the public can accept even if they might not support it.

I think most of us hope we have gone though our lives without traumatizing someone. I think the uncomfortable truth is that virtually everyone has been bullied at some point, and has bullied themselves as well. If the tendency of victims are to stay quiet or not make a big deal out of it, how are we to know the repercussions of our actions? I am not saying we are all bullies. I would define a bully as someone who regularly bullies others. For most of us, if we bully others, we recognize our actions (or get called out for it) and apologize, or the other person just brushes the event aside and moves on. So we should all watch our actions, and ask more questions of ourselves and others.

From reading news articles and official statements, it is obvious that this is not some simple misunderstanding where things can be hashed out and move on. There are at least two sides, so obviously there will be consequences for everyone and a price to pay. I do not know what that price will be, nor even guess since there are too many unknowns. We are on the outside looking in on this situation so I think the best things we can do is to be patient, objective, and thoughtful.

I also think it is okay for a fan to support, but not to attack.

You put it in such a more thoughtful way. Dramas draw inspiration from life, so to see some topics come up in a drama that have relevance in real life is a given. As for dramas being proof or evidence? No way.

I think that one of the most disappointing things is that with at least two completely different stories (at least from the articles and statements I have seen), there is no way for this to be some sort of misunderstanding that everyone can resolve and move on from.

Setting aside the article, I think the goal should be for everyone age 5 to 105 to be able to discuss important issues and ideas to become better people.
In reference to comments about the article, equality, justice, and fairness seem to be used interchangeably when they are three different things. All have their place.

I do think that as time goes by, most commenters are choosing the wait and see approach about the situation. I think the more relevant questions now as MDL commenters and Asian drama viewers should be when will the drama be aired, should it be aired, how should it be aired, should I watch it, and what do I think of others who watch it if I choose not to.

The answer is no.

Should you really be using Korean dramas as a point of reference or even worse some sort of evidence to use in real life?

Of course it is unfair. The only fair thing about life is that it is unfair to everyone and even then, it is unfair in its unfairness. If that makes any sense.

I do not think that it is being halted because of "what she did when she was a kid." Nor is it simply a matter of innocent until proven guilty. Legal courts might work that way, but the court of public opinion does not. It is much more complicated than that.
Someone in charge got a call from someone in charge and they got in touch with someone in charge and whomever had the power decided this was the best way to save themselves for now knowing they might have to reverse course at a moment's notice. Then once the order trickles down, everyone else has to find their place to save themselves. That is what I think happens in situations like this. Saving themselves, saving money, saving face, and somewhere way down the line, they might care about what actually did or did not happen.

I would like to think we live in a world where you are innocent until proven guilty, or at the very least innocent until you are forced to accept you are not. The world we live in is very complicated, so it is not always a matter of innocence or guilt, but making choices you can live with or cannot live without.

A person should be innocent until it is proven they did something wrong. At the same time, anyone who makes statements against someone should be innocent until it is proven they did something wrong. People on the outside looking in should cling to these ideas and exercise patience. That would be a great world to live in. Unfortunately, my education at the school of life tells me that the court of public opinion does not wait for such things as facts, evidence, truth, or justice. It simply becomes a matter of picking sides and dropping hammers down on the other side. When hammers start dropping, everyone gets crushed.

On some level, not only do we like to talk about it, we seem to need to talk about it. As if we can seek some sort of shared justice from our own experience through empathy with someone else. As if venting our own frustrations to and on someone else can make us feel better. And maybe it might, but at what cost? All of this is also not even touching on the social or economic influences that are brought to bear in situations like this. The world can be messy and people can be messy. By messy on a good day, mean confused and by messy on a bad day, I mean catastrophic. I think that is why this situation will become one where a truth has to be accepted rather than known.

I hope everything works out for all involved in a way that is positive for all involved. Extra points if it works out in a way that the general public can accept as well. That is what I think about the situation. Should the drama be cancelled? No, but I would be the first to admit that is also a more complicated situation than just a yes or no.

I can see the resemblance. The irony to me is that the photo in the article looks more like a younger Jun Ji Hyun than it looks like the current photo on the profile page of Kim Do Yeon.

You are welcome. Sunday starts the week, and I try to do at least one good deed a week. Being able to share some of my knowledge with you, and it being appreciated means I have already taken care of that for the week. It does not mean I will stop doing good deeds, but if it does not happen, I will not lose sleep over it.

It is actually RUDÉ with the acute accent. I am not trying to be cute. It is how I would pronounce it. Like rue the day. I am also not trying to rue anyone's day.

Sarcasm is easier to hear (tone of voice) than to read.

We did not have an "agree to disagree" discussion. You stated an opinion, I shared some facts, then you modified your opinion to allow for some exceptions to it. I guess you agreed to disagree with yourself.
My opinion is that a childish character should be one that either matures or does not constantly go overboard with it. I have not dropped a drama because of it, but it might be a reason for me to do so.

If you have watched Korean dramas, especially ones that have romance, comedy, or both, you cannot avoid childish characters. It is almost a given that at least one of the main, second, or close support characters will have a childish personality. The degree of childishness will vary, but it is often used to show growth or to provide friction in the drama.

As far as casting rookie actresses. She has been on television and the big screen and won an award as well. Is she really a rookie? She also has a main role in a drama airing currently (Beyond Evil).

Edited for spelling.

In my opinion, Kim Seul Gi is just as pretty as she is talented.

I just wanted to get across (in a hopefully humorous way) that it is silly to ask that question as is. It is easier to make a recommendation if you know more about the person asking the question.

I suppose you could try to wait until it is finished airing by watching other completed dramas, but you are a third of the way in and emotionally invested. The heart wants what the heart wants, so I won't blame you if you say you will wait, but wake up at 3 in the morning and binge a few more episodes.

I know nothing about you, but thanks for allowing me to make the choice for you. After looking for a coin to toss (okay, so I used it to buy a soda earlier), calling a psychic (still on hold--you thought they would have expected my call), and reading tea leaves (actually coffee, and apparently I am illiterate in coffee grounds), I find myself leaving you with the immortal words of the famous prognosticator Magic 8-Ball. "Ask again later."

Do they fast forward years and show a wedding? No. Do they admit they love each other and want to make it work? Yes. They both looked happy in the final scene.