Congzhi Jiang
A001
Week 2
In 2015, an overloaded ferry flipped and drowned more than 300 high school students in Korea. The public outcry quickly rose, and did not cease. As a traveler who stayed in Korea at that time, I had a chance to observe how the protest grew bigger with my own eyes. As tensions between the protesters and the government deepened, around 100 protesters were attacked with pepper spray and arrested by police. I was perplexed why the protesters had to be treated in such a violent way, because they were simply demanding transparent investigation of the disaster from the government. How the Korean government dealt with the social movement made me question social justice in the society.
The disappointment towards the Korean government quickly turns into high expectation towards the American government, as I moved to the states when the protest was still ongoing in Korea. America is believed to be founded based on three values: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of expression. However, when I actually reflect on how strikes against social injustice, such as the occupy movement at UC Davis and Ethnic Studies demonstration, happened and what protesters went through, it made me question what if freedom is just a fantasy. Equality and justice are hard to achieve in any country, which makes people worth fighting.
CGTN. (2015, April 19). Title of video [South Korean Police Clash with Protesters over Ferry Disaster]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3g5Fa4NMJ4
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