An Icky Remark

The More Developed Harisu

Transgender Expert on Today's Hot Issue?

(Image from Wikipedia)

In "Senior Officials Struck by Foot-in-Mouth Disease" (May 18, 2007), The Chosun Ilbo reports on an odd remark by Mr. Suk Ho-ick:

The head of a state-run think tank has sparked controversy with an offensive remark about women. Korea Information Society Development Institute chief Suk Ho-ick was delivering a lecture on the Korean IT industry at a breakfast meeting with 30 business figures at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Wednesday. Talking about the importance of the female workforce as a growth potential for the 21st century, he said, "Women are more developed creatures than men since they have one more hole."

I'll avoid drawing irrelevant connections between Mr. Suk Ho-ick's name and any sort of fixation that some 'a-hole' might have with 'a hole' -- specifically, I mean such puns as "suck" or "a ho" and the "icky" acts that these wordplays would imply. Drawing attention to the unfortunate connotations of people's names should be avoided, for people don't choose their own names. Gypsy Scholar would never stoop to such juvenile humor even though people used to make fun of his first name "Horace" -- pronouncing it, for example, as "Whore-Ass."

Anyway, the more highly developed Professor Min Ga-young subjected Mr. Suk to analysis and assisted his development by tearing him another one:

Women's studies scholar Min Ga-young of Hongik University said the KISDI head's remarks demonstrated a pervasive view among men of women not as equals but as sex object.

The now more developed Suk explained himself:

Suk on Thursday said he had no intention to denigrate women and was merely emphasizing the important role of women in the future.

See, he didn't intend his remark to portray women as sex objects, merely that their future role in society has something to do with an extra hole.

I suppose that we could ask Harisu about Suk's views on advanced human development, but don't go to Gwangmyeong Mayor Lee Hyo-seon for his views on African-Americans.

For more on the remarks of Mr. Suk and Mr. Lee, including commentary, go to Marmot's Hole for the post by R. Elgin (hat-tip).