Wednesday, July 02, 2008

爱国

端午节(祭)被联合国承认为韩国遗产,引起中国人大为不满。最近,韩国又声称佛祖释迦牟尼为韩国人,被中国网友斥为“无赖”。

韩国人是全世界最爱国的民族,也是全世界愤怒的民族。据说在韩国街头,几乎全部车都是“国产货”。韩国人买入口车,就会被指为不爱国。我看过金喜善主演的一部韩剧,在故事里她就鼓吹购买国货。

韩国人爱国,是拜儒家思想所赐。讽刺的是,孔老二本身也是“入口货”。

释迦牟尼当然不是韩国人。但韩国人编造了个谎言,来满足自己的“爱国虚荣心”。

那边厢,中国人也说足球高尔夫球是中国发明的。中韩民族,半斤八两。

在马来西亚,前首相 Tun Mahathir 也说第一个环绕地球的人是麦哲伦船上的一位马来水手。(麦哲伦本身死于菲律宾。)总算马来西亚人不太“爱国”,老早把他的理论忘掉了。

Dragon Boat Festival


Patriotism

Korea applied to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) for making “Dragon Boat Festival” the country’s cultural heritage. The move angered Chinese, who believed that the festival originated from the Middle Kingdom. Recently, Korea again claimed that Buddha Gautama was a Korean. Chinese dismissed it as a ‘rogue’ claim.

Koreans are the most patriotic people in the world. They are also the angriest people in the world. It is said that on Korean streets, virtually all cars are made locally. Any Korean who drives imported car will be condemned as “unpatriotic”. I have watched a Korean drama starring actress Kim Hee Sun. In the story, the character played by Kim also advocates “buy local goods”.

The patriotic – or some say nationalist – traits exhibited by Koreans are a result of Confucius’s teaching. Ironically, Confucius was himself “imported” from China.

Buddha Gautama was, of course, not a Korean. But Koreans invented a story to satisfy their national pride.

Across the Yellow Sea, Chinese also claim that they were the first to play soccer and golf. It appears that Chinese are equally patriotic (nationalist).

In Malaysia, former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir once claimed that the first person to have rounded the world was a Malay sailor onboard Magellan’s ship. (Magellan was killed in the Philippines, so “technically” he didn’t make it.) Malaysians, somehow, aren’t as patriotic as the Koreans or Chinese. We have long forgotten Mahathir’s theory.

Did Chinese invent soccer

16 comments:

  1. The Chinese have a long long history, so it won't surprise me if they were the first to whatever. =p

    Hmm... I was under the impression that Koreans originate from China way long ago, as migrants.

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  2. how do u measure "patriotism"?

    at least i wont die for my country... tats for sure :P

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  3. shingo
    Malays also migrated from Yunnan, China long times ago. But of course nationalist Malays would say they are Bumiputra - sons of the soil.

    Scientists say that all human originated from Africa, but Chinese scientists have a different theory.

    迷迭香
    Fortunately you are not a citizen of China or Korea :P

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  4. I learned from a documentary that football could have originated from China, the game being played very early in history.

    It's hard to be patriotic when there are different sets of rules.

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  5. the chinese... if only they are not that egoistic... could have beaten the british empire to the world.

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  6. happysurfer
    Chinese did 'kick ball' centuries ago, but that game was not modern soccer. And there is no evidence to suggest that modern soccer evolved from the ancient Chinese game.

    zewt
    From what I know, Chinese are not exactly egoistic as individuals. But they are proud of their nation collectively.

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  7. hehehhahahahhwowowowowhaahahhwhakakkwkak

    ok i shall stop laughing!

    msian was the first to invent GRAVITY!!! unfortunately a durian fell on his head la..so..ahem...WHAHAHAHHAHA

    i was just wondering..if msians all drove local cars...hmm....shit! car mechanics will earn alot wey!! actually that's a good thing la cos my bf fixes car!

    MSIAN!! BE PATRIOTIC! ;P

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  8. Oh yeah, M'sians were the first to play soccer ah? Wahahaha... my theory, you listen to me la. :)

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  9. huei
    Unfortunately the Malaysian genius died immediately, so nobody got to listen to his theory.

    BTW, in 1990s majority of the cars in Malaysia were Proton.

    neo
    Then Malaysians will quarrel with Chinese, and Chinese will boycott Malaysian goods ;P

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  10. Wah...too much gua...
    Korean really believe that Buddha is korean??? hohohor....

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  11. sinji
    Not too much. More stories if you are interested.

    A few years ago, when SARS struck Asia, South Korea happened to be spared. Koreans said that was because they ate kimchi. Kimchi protected them from SARS!

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  12. Korean themselves are the ones who destroy their Buddhist heritage with the poison of Christian fundamentalist ideas. Now they're saying that Gautama is a Korean? Ridiculous...

    BTW, China did invent some of the world's greatest things. The reason why they lost to the West is that they don't know how to spread the knowledge (or should I say, keen on protecting the knowledge from slipping to foreigners). Noodles were invented in China, but the popularity of it around the world was started by the Westerners.

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  13. Quoted from Wikipedia,

    "Games revolving around the kicking of a ball have been played in many countries throughout history. According to FIFA, the very earliest form of the game for which there is scientific evidence was an exercise of precisely this skilful technique dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC in China (the game of cuju)."

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  14. kyh
    I have no doubt that Chinese were the first people to 'kick ball', but the game of cuju was not modern soccer. And the is no evidence to suggest that soccer evolved from cuju.

    As for Korea, before the arrival of Christian fundamentalists, the Korean court dominated by Confucianists already banished Buddhist monks from the cities.

    If Buddhist values reamin strong in Korea until today, the Koreans would not be so "angry".

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  15. Statistics show that Korea's Christians have outnumbered the Buddhist population. What irks me most is the call for destruction of Buddhism and its heritage by the Korean fundamentalist pastors. Numerous Buddhist temples and statues have been destroyed in their hands, and monks have been ridiculed by the Christians with no respect at all. It's like a Korean version of Talibanized culture which has sought to impose one's own religious superiority over the other.

    "Love thy neighbours". I doubt these fundamentalists really follow Christ's teachings and way of life.

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  16. kyh
    I certainly know Korea's Christians deface Buddhist monuments. But Korean Buddhism actually decline centuries ago.

    Somehow Korean Buddhism has followings outside its homeland. Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn is quite famous.

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