In the 1950s, a group of young British novelists and playwrights who were disillusioned with traditional British society depicted the frustrations of lower class people in their works. It was a time when Europe suffered a postwar economic recession, high unemployment, and extreme economic polarization. These defiant, subversive writers, who were marked by “impatience with the status quo, and refusal to be coopted by a bankrupt society,” demanded radical social change and wrote protest novels and dramas. In anger, they boldly challenged the hypocrisy of conventions, and cynically derided the establishment. Later, these radical writers were called “Angry Young Men.”
These days, a modern version of Angry Young Men seems to be on the rise. Last week, I traveled to L.A. and met many angry young Americans. “We are so frustrated,” complained a young American Ph.D. candidate, “because we have to wait indefinitely after we receive a doctoral degree before we can get a job. When there is an opening at a university, more than 200 applications are filed. All of them are Ph.D.s.” In exasperation, he added, “We have invested five to six years to get a Ph.D. Now we need to stay afloat for another five before we can finally embark on a teaching career. Meanwhile, old professors never retire. This is not fair at all.”
Another young American in his late 20s said, “We begin our lives with huge amount of debt because of student loans. We have to pay it back all through our lifetime.” Indeed, most Americans seem to be busy paying back mortgages and loans, especially after they purchase a house or a car. “We want radical social change so things can turn around for us,” he continued. “That is why so many young Americans supported Sanders.” I cut in, “Sanders is out of the picture now, and you have only two options left: Clinton or Trump. Who will you vote for?” At my question, he seemed frustrated. He answered with a heavy sigh, “Now, that’s the problem. If Hilary is elected, there’ll be no significant change. Trump will bring many changes for sure, but those changes are far from what we want.”
Upon returning home, I found numerous angry young men and women in Korea as well. “There are so many Ph.D.s in my field. They all seek a teaching position, but it is extremely rare to find one,” grumbled a young Korean. “Meanwhile, there are so many incompetent old professors blocking our path. That infuriates me.”
The same thing is happening in other lines of work. For example, it is extremely difficult to get a decent job in Korea these days. When LTI Korea advertised an opening a few weeks ago, 240 applications came in. All the applicants displayed impressive, impeccable qualifications. It was heartbreaking to inform 239 applicants that they did not make it. It was only natural that they were angry and frustrated.
In Seoul, I also met a group of angry young women who confessed they did not feel safe when they had to go to the ladies room alone. They were afraid there might be some male psycho lurking in the hallway ready to stab them. “Now every time we go to the public restroom, we have to risk our lives,” an angry young woman complained. “How then could we call this land a civilized country?”
Meanwhile, students of the humanities are angry and frustrated as well because of the nationwide Prime Project that aims at drastically reducing the number of students in the humanities and increasing their number in engineering instead. Humanists are angry because the Prime Project directly contradicts the government’s policy of “Cultural Prosperity” and “Expanding the spirit of the humanities.” Besides, the government wants to raise the profile of South Korea by promoting “the spirit of Seonbi” as a cultural icon to the international community. But where did our Seonbi or scholar spirit go? We cannot export what we no longer have.
These days, Koreans are also angry at the dangerous levels of micro-dust particulates in the air. At times, people cannot open their windows for a week. It is so deadly and disastrous that Korea has been warned by an international health organization that many people might die early by 2060 due to the massive influx of micro-dust particulates into the Korean Peninsula. People are angry because our babies and children have to breathe the toxic micro-dust every day. People are also angry because the Ministry of Environment came up with the ridiculous idea of increasing the price of light oil, which they naively believe would solve the air pollution problem.
In the United Kingdom, Angry Young Men produced literary masterpieces such as John Osborne’s “Look Back in Anger” and Allan Sillitoe’s “The Loneliness of a Long-distance Runner.” Perhaps Korean writers, who know what it feels like to live in 21st century Korea, can also render and portray the anger and frustrations of Korean youngsters in their works.
By Kim Seong-kon
Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. -- Ed.
