I love democracy. But I've never found democracy to be, in the least bit, entertaining or hysterical until I moved to Korea. Koreans have the limited span of about three weeks to campaign for public office. It's illegal to campaign any earlier. Only three weeks to prove you are worthy, trustworthy, and intelligent enough to represent a city or district. Only three weeks to make your name known to citizens. Only THREE WEEKS! One must draw the most attention as possible. What results from this limited campaign period is what I find so entertaining. One:
Trucks covered in a candidate's poster parked along main intersections or at frequented businesses blaring chants or songs with inserted candidate's name or number. My favorite (only because the tune was recognizable) was to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It." I can only imagine what it is actually saying. One guess from Matt, "If you want lower taxes, clap your hands (*clap clap*)!" At times you can catch the candidate having a few words into the microphone but it's a rare occurrence.
Sidenote: Each candidate also has a single digit number given to make voting more simple.
Two: With the blaring trucks comes a string of dancers. Oh yes. From sunrise to sunset (or later) these loyal (for a fee of around $70 a day) citizens will sing, chant, dance, and bow their little hearts out all around town. All will wear sashes, some Mickey Mouse ears, some giant fingers, some mascot costumes and if you're lucky, some will dress as clowns.
Three: Huge tarps with a candidate's face hung from tall office and apartment buildings.
Yesterday was Election Day. A public holiday so everyone has an opportunity to vote. That meant no school! Did I mention I love democracy? But today the music has stopped, the dancers are now looking for new part-time jobs, the tarps have been taken down, and I have returned to teaching classes. 'Tis sad.
No comments:
Post a Comment