The “Pence Rule” Becomes Social Law in Korea
Korea Too
I’ve been preparing a post on the #MeToo movement that has raged through South Korea over the last few weeks, but before I do, I want to cover this tangent very quickly just because of how amusing yet simultaneously tragic this development is.
So to sum it up the current situation - #MeToo is the top trending story in Korea at the moment with many high-profile politicians, company owners, and celebrities being torn down due to their past offenses. Korea is a country where the gender disparity in treatment is one of the most severe in the developed world and due to the country’s highly technological tendencies, more and more evidence in texts and emails are being revealed.
I’ll go into this more in tomorrow’s post but for today, I want to highlight one thing that has come out of this.
The Pence Rule
In 2002, current Vice President Mike Pence said in a television interview that he never dines with a woman alone without his wife. This became quite the point of amusement, especially amongst liberals, to see such a hard-edged conservative fold so quickly to potential misinterpretation. It was poked at and became a little moment of amusement during the ’16 Trump campaign.
Fast forward to now, early 2018, and the ‘Pence Rule’ has taken full effect in Korea. Male bosses and coworkers are purposefully distancing themselves from their female employees/colleagues at an alarming rate. Male employers now sometimes communicate with females with text messages and more and more are reporting being left out when it comes to company outings after work.
Afterwork socialization is a staple in the Korean office. Source
This is where the story turns tragic. A movement which was intended to empower the victims of horrible actions has instigated such a hyper-allergic response that it is damaging to women across the board. The conversation is just starting and we need to be able to discuss these issues in a comprehensive way, not just take severe actions to prevent severe consequences.
This whole journey to weed out the disgusting practices of Korean office structures is just beginning. I’ll be sure to write more on this as it develops and hopefully we can bridge the takeaways of both Korea and the US as these conversations continue.
hhlo my friends
good post,
excelente aporte, acabe destacar que Trump bajo el tono con resoecto a corea del norte y van a ir por los caminos de la diplomacia y el dialogo, asi es la politica
세상은 창조된 이후 어떤 방식으로든
평화롭진 못한 곳인가 봐요
이제 인간에겐
문명의 퇴화가 더 진화로 인식되어질 것
같아요
평안하시지요?
미투 캠페인이 확산되면서 펜스룰이 생겨나버린것 같아요.
문제는 남성들이 직장사회에서 여성을 아예배제 해버리는 일이 생겼다는거죠.
일부분일 수도있겠지만, 포털사이트에서 보다보면
회식참석도 못하게하고 심지어 지시도 카톡으로 보낸다고도 하는데
아직도 바로잡아야할 것이 많은 것 같아요.
한국사회는 이제 시작되는거니 문제점이 생겨도 잘해결되리라 생각됩니다. 시대는 점점 바뀌어나가고 있으니^^ 번역기로 봐서 제가 잘이해를 못했을지도 모르겠네요 ㅜ
한식하우스님 오늘도 편안하고 행복한하루되세요^^
I understand Mike Pence also will not ride alone in an elevator with a woman -- perfectly understandable in this me-too culture.
Hard to believe Hollywood is the moral compass for a significant portion of the world's population...
I didn't know that. That's a bit surprising given that cameras are usually present.
It is fascinating right? Hollywood, more than any other professional place, is where sexualization means full power and personal agency.
샘의 의견에 전적으로 공감합니다!!여성과 단둘이 식사하지 않는다는 것을 펜스룰로 이해하고
이것이 사회법칙이 되면 또다른 여성차별과 다름이 없지요!!!
인간의 존엄성과 동등한 입장에서 남성과 여성이 같이 자유롭게 토론하고 식사를 하는 문화혁명이 전세계적으로 확산되어야 한다고 봅니다!!!!