And I Didn’t Know What To Think…

There was something from Sammy’s taekwondo belt testing yesterday that struck me, and I didn’t know what to think about it. And still don’t.

No, nothing about the testing or Sammy’s performance. It was another student. The taekwondo uniform standard for flag patches on the uniform traditionally is the Korean flag below the left shoulder (on the sleeve), and the US flag on the right. This other student had only one patch–the Mexican flag.

Now that me explain: this is one of the best students, a leader in the school, and one of my favorites. I like his family. This isn’t any kind of immigration controversy discussion. I don’t have an issue with people having pride and respect for their heritage.

What I didn’t understand, though, is the apparent disrespect not only for the Korean roots and tradition of taekwondo, but of the country the student is currently in. I just didn’t–and don’t–get it. I’m still not sure what to think.

There was something from Sammy’s taekwondo belt testing yesterday that struck me, and I didn’t know what to think about it. And still don’t. No, nothing about the testing or Sammy’s performance. It was another student. The taekwondo uniform standard for flag patches on the uniform traditionally is the Korean flag below the left shoulder…

3 Comments

  1. i don't think the mexican flag is a real issue tho not having the korean flag on the other sleeve is disrespect in my opinion.