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[Snowflake] Loser

September 24, 2020

Published in Segye
(South Korea) on 9 September 2020
by Hwan-Ki Kim (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Osasere Erhabor. Edited by Helaine Schweitzer.

In 1950 in Harlem, New York City, a Black couple named their son Winner. Three years later, they had another son and named him Loser. No parent would give such a bad name to their child just to be wrong. It appeared to be triggered by the kind of playfulness specific to Daegu.* How did the lives of the two sons turn out? Loser became a police officer as his parents wished, while Winner became a convict who committed over 30 crimes. This example comes from a book about "geek economics." Loser is a slang word for someone who is not treated well because of his poor appearance, lack of ability and lack of wealth, a word that should not be used carelessly because it is hurtful. For this reason, Loser’s success is greater, given that he is someone who would have been ridiculed and must have fought hard to avoid hearing that things happened because of his name.

In 2009, a female college student in Korea stirred up the nation by saying that men who were shorter than 180 centimeters (approximately 5 feet, 11 inches tall) tall are losers. Men were outraged and protested saying they had become a loser overnight. This was called the “Rebellion of the Losers.” Even after the program was abolished, various parodies emerged. Tom Cruise, 170 cm tall (approximately 5 feet, 6 inches), was known as “Tom C-Loser” and Napoleon, 168 cm tall, (approximately 5 feet, 5 inches) was known as “Loser-Leon.” The rankings were also subdivided into Gold Loser (178-179 cm or approximately 5 feet, 8 inches), Silver Loser (174-177 cm or approximately 5 feet, 7 inches to 5 feet, 8 inches), Bronze Loser (170-173 cm or approximately 5 feet, 5 inches to 5 feet, 6 inches) and Loser (170 cm or approximately 5 feet, 5 inches).

When President Donald Trump visited France in November 2018, he was informed about a scheduled visit to the cemetery of U.S. soldiers killed in World War I and said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers” and said the Marines who lost their lives were “suckers” for getting killed. These remarks are a major negative for Trump ahead of the presidential election. The words of a politician are not only a measure of personality, but also of national prestige. Chinese historian Sima Qian said, "A word must be heavier than the weight of nine cauldrons."

Trump reportedly evaded military service after he was drafted in the Vietnam War in the 1960s, securing a false medical deferment for bone spurs. Since he survived without being dragged to the battlefield, he would be a winner by his own standards. It remains to be seen whether Trump's demeaning rhetoric will make him a loser in the upcoming presidential election.

*Editor’s note: Daegu is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.

[설왕설래] 루저

1950년대 미국 뉴욕의 할렘 지역에 살던 흑인 부부가 아들 이름을 위너(Winner·승자)로 지었다. 3년 후 아들이 또 태어나자 이번엔 루저(Loser·패배자)로 작명했다. 자식 잘못되라고 나쁜 이름을 지어주는 부모는 없을 터이다. 그저 장난기가 발동해 대구를 맞춘 듯싶다. 두 아들의 삶은 어떠했을까. 루저는 부모 소원대로 경찰관이 된 반면 위너는 30여 건의 범죄를 저지른 전과자가 됐다. ‘프리코노믹스’(괴짜경제학)란 책에 나오는 사례다. 루저는 외모가 볼품없고 능력·재력도 부족해 대접받지 못하는 사람을 뜻하는 비속어다. 남에게 상처를 주기에 함부로 써선 안 될 말이다. 놀림감이 되었을 루저의 성공이 그래서 더 대단하다. ‘이름대로 됐다’는 소리를 듣지 않으려 고군분투했으리라.

2009년 국내에서 여대생 방송출연자가 “키 180㎝가 안 되는 남자들은 루저”라고 말해 전국을 들끓게 했다. “졸지에 루저가 됐다”는 남자들의 항의가 빗발쳤다. 이른바 ‘루저들의 난’이다. 프로그램이 폐지된 뒤에도 수많은 패러디가 등장했다. 키가 170㎝인 톰 크루즈는 ‘톰 크 루저’, 168㎝인 나폴레옹은 ‘루저 레옹’으로 통했다. 골드 루저(178∼179㎝), 실버 루저(174∼177㎝), 브론즈 루저(170∼173㎝), 루저(170㎝ 미만)로 등급도 세분화됐다.

도널드 트럼프 미국 대통령이 2018년 11월 프랑스를 방문했을 때 1차대전 미군 전몰자 묘지 참배 일정을 보고받고 “전장에서 죽는 건 쪼다들(suckers)이다. 내가 왜 패배자(loser)로 가득찬 묘지에 가야 하냐”며 참배를 거부했다는 언론 보도가 최근 나왔다. 대선을 앞둔 트럼프에게 대형 악재가 아닐 수 없다. 정치인의 말은 인품은 물론 국격을 가늠하는 척도다. 중국 역사가 사마천은 “말 한 마디가 가마솥 아홉 개 무게보다 더 무거워야 한다”고 했다.

트럼프는 1960년대 베트남전 징집통지서를 받고 발뒤꿈치가 아프다는 허위 진단서를 내 병역을 기피했다는 의혹을 받는다. 전쟁터에 끌려가지 않고 살아남았으니 그의 잣대로 보면 위너일 것이다. 트럼프의 낮은 언품이 이번 대선에서 그를 루저로 만들지 두고 볼 일이다.

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