Soft Power Revisited: "Majority Culture" vs "Minority Culture"?!
The rising importance of "soft power" in modern society is unmistakable and unavoidable. In an era when more deadly weapons and less urgent conflicts make wars among established nations less likely, the battle for supremacy between nations is increasingly shifting to ones dominated by positive image and cultural influence. While one may not feel just how fierce this quiet cultural battle is, when one finds oneself living in the supposed "cultural melting pot" of Europe and America, the issue of cultural interaction and communication becomes a matter of daily life.
Yet, occasionally, it is more interesting to see how some cultures do NOT interact, and attempt to stay insular in an otherwise extremely multicultural atmosphere. Instead of "melting in" and mixing with elements of other peoples and customs, the similarly "foreign" cultures imported to a third country may implicitly but surely, battle for influence, both in order to remain true to itself, and to attract the liking of other "foreigners." Certainly, some will be more successful than others in this persistent cultural battle, but none can completely conquer the others because no culture would abandon its own identity just to "fit in better."
Moreover, the cultural battle is not simply about the pride of a people originating from a faraway nation in being recognized by others across the world. It has much more of a commercial necessity, with many of the poorly integrated members of an immigrant society seeking to use the cultural exoticism for a sustained living, whether it be an ethnic market, souvenir shop, or a restaurant. To have one's culture understood and liked by the others, even at a highly casual way, for them becomes a serious matter of financial life and death.
So I thought as I went for a lunch with a friend to a hard-to-find Korean restaurant while skipping the most massive Chinese New Years celebration the city of London puts on this same day and roughly around the same time. The friendly little cafe on a rather unnoticeable side street two blocks away from the British Museum turned out to be one of the most relaxed and friendly ethnic places I came across in London, greatly satisfying at least the atmospheric portion of our craving for Korea.
But a lazy Sunday afternoon was also somewhat true not only for the few customers, but also for the restaurant owner. With no Korean customer, a few Japanese businessmen, and many open seats in what aptly can be described as a hole-in-the-wall, the reservation I made for lunch to make sure I have a spot was not even worth confirming for the server as she showed us to our seat in the back. It was a massive contrast to the previous weekend when I went to Chinatown for lunch, where me and my friend was hurried through our meal only to see the long queue outside every little eatery on the New Year-decorated area.
Of course, this is not at all to say that Korean culture is less attractive to foreigners than Chinese culture is. In fact, after one sees the negative images of the word "Chinese" gets after being persistently associated with a politically controversial government in Beijing, one wonders just how and why people still would feel affinity to China in the first place. Barring intervention from the government organizers and pressures from China, the Chinese New Years celebrations in London should logically become a venue for certain NGOs venting their anger regarding human rights or Tibet.
On the other hand, it could pretty much be said that Korean cultural power is expanding just as much and as fast as Chinese economic power as its cultural exports of pop music and romantic dramas have now truly started to make inroads outside of the traditional Asian market with government support. The only reason that it is "Chinese" New Year, rather than "Korean" New Year (yes, they do also celebrate it) that is being celebrated in the West, is, perhaps, ironically, the greater number of Chinese emigrants fleeing their homes due to political and economic instability.
But for now, our little piece of Korea in the heart of central London still feels like a isolated little boat inching forward in a turbulent foreign sea. Cultural acceptance requires continued exposure and massive amount of communication. Some, like the old Chinese immigrants founding the Chinatown, were forced to do so for generations as a matter of survival. Others, who can be perceived as "minorities" today, will gradually catch up, eventually wearing away the first-move advantage of an increasingly commercialized and meaningless Chinatown culture.
Yet, occasionally, it is more interesting to see how some cultures do NOT interact, and attempt to stay insular in an otherwise extremely multicultural atmosphere. Instead of "melting in" and mixing with elements of other peoples and customs, the similarly "foreign" cultures imported to a third country may implicitly but surely, battle for influence, both in order to remain true to itself, and to attract the liking of other "foreigners." Certainly, some will be more successful than others in this persistent cultural battle, but none can completely conquer the others because no culture would abandon its own identity just to "fit in better."
Moreover, the cultural battle is not simply about the pride of a people originating from a faraway nation in being recognized by others across the world. It has much more of a commercial necessity, with many of the poorly integrated members of an immigrant society seeking to use the cultural exoticism for a sustained living, whether it be an ethnic market, souvenir shop, or a restaurant. To have one's culture understood and liked by the others, even at a highly casual way, for them becomes a serious matter of financial life and death.
So I thought as I went for a lunch with a friend to a hard-to-find Korean restaurant while skipping the most massive Chinese New Years celebration the city of London puts on this same day and roughly around the same time. The friendly little cafe on a rather unnoticeable side street two blocks away from the British Museum turned out to be one of the most relaxed and friendly ethnic places I came across in London, greatly satisfying at least the atmospheric portion of our craving for Korea.
But a lazy Sunday afternoon was also somewhat true not only for the few customers, but also for the restaurant owner. With no Korean customer, a few Japanese businessmen, and many open seats in what aptly can be described as a hole-in-the-wall, the reservation I made for lunch to make sure I have a spot was not even worth confirming for the server as she showed us to our seat in the back. It was a massive contrast to the previous weekend when I went to Chinatown for lunch, where me and my friend was hurried through our meal only to see the long queue outside every little eatery on the New Year-decorated area.
Of course, this is not at all to say that Korean culture is less attractive to foreigners than Chinese culture is. In fact, after one sees the negative images of the word "Chinese" gets after being persistently associated with a politically controversial government in Beijing, one wonders just how and why people still would feel affinity to China in the first place. Barring intervention from the government organizers and pressures from China, the Chinese New Years celebrations in London should logically become a venue for certain NGOs venting their anger regarding human rights or Tibet.
On the other hand, it could pretty much be said that Korean cultural power is expanding just as much and as fast as Chinese economic power as its cultural exports of pop music and romantic dramas have now truly started to make inroads outside of the traditional Asian market with government support. The only reason that it is "Chinese" New Year, rather than "Korean" New Year (yes, they do also celebrate it) that is being celebrated in the West, is, perhaps, ironically, the greater number of Chinese emigrants fleeing their homes due to political and economic instability.
But for now, our little piece of Korea in the heart of central London still feels like a isolated little boat inching forward in a turbulent foreign sea. Cultural acceptance requires continued exposure and massive amount of communication. Some, like the old Chinese immigrants founding the Chinatown, were forced to do so for generations as a matter of survival. Others, who can be perceived as "minorities" today, will gradually catch up, eventually wearing away the first-move advantage of an increasingly commercialized and meaningless Chinatown culture.
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