Lists for fun, utility and evil

By Robin Rhee

Santa Claus can undoubtedly claim he has responsibility for the longest lists. He compiles the lists of naughty and nice children and they make lists of the presents they would like to get for Christmas.

Hosts for important events, weddings, holidays, birthdays and anniversaries, start with guest lists. Those are followed by lists for food, drink, decorations and maybe party favors.

Many people make bucket lists, things they want to do or experience before they die. These may include places to visit, dream career opportunities and personal achievements.

Some lists are not very exciting but are necessary for daily life. If one is planning a trip, a list of things to pack is a necessity, for arrival at the airport without your passport or finding yourself in a foreign country without extra underwear can spell disaster.

Teachers and professors make class lists to help them learn students' names and to keep track of their grades and attendance records.

Housewives make lists for the things needed to keep the house and family running smoothly--from grocery shopping to children's schedules.

Then there are the "Honey Do" lists which wives make for their husbands. Wash the car. Take out the trash. Fix the dripping faucet in the kitchen sink, for example.

Most wanted lists, designed to track down and put behind bars the perpetrators of the most heinous crimes, can even reach across international borders. Serial murderers, rapists, kidnappers, armed robbers and others fleeing from their governments would be prime candidates for these lists.

Hit lists are compiled by gangs, mobs and dictators to rid them of individuals who pose a threat to their power.

Nations work daily to keep terrorist lists, no fly lists and terrorist watch lists up to date, both to protect their citizens and to arrest known terrorists.

Back in the day black lists were made by sororities, fraternities and other groups to blackball certain people from becoming members of their groups.

But in the 1950s when U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy charged he had a lengthy list of communists who had infiltrated the State Department, the term black list took on a more sinister meaning. The list was never seen, however.

He also accused a large number of prominent members of the movie industry as being communist sympathizers which prevented many artists from finding work. When his accusations were proven false he was censored by the Senate and died at an early age.

Now Korea is facing its own black list. It has been reported that at least 1,000 cultural figures have been targeted because they were critical of the government.

Who gave the order to compile the list? Who actually made the list? Who has it?

Is it against the law to criticize the government? Should all the protesters who marched peacefully against the government be on a black list?

So many questions and no answers yet.

It will be interesting to see what transpires in the days ahead.

The writer is a former columnist for The Korea Times and currently resides in Centerville, Ohio. Write to RRKORAM@aol.com.