Job Discussion Forums

[Celeste]

I always referred to mine as the Garbage Troll. With her stooped back, wizened face, crooked finger and the fact that she was always coming out from the storage area under the stairs. She and I made peace after I pointed out to her which bags were actually mine and that I had learned how to sort. I also gave her a few extra bags that I had on hand when some OTHER person put out garbage with NO BAGS!!! We had a long chat about that one. I do remember that Japanese people were also terrified of her. I saw a couple of young women sneaking garbage out of their apartment on a wrong day, and one of them was scouting ahead with her back to the wall like one of Charlies Angels, while the other one was checking over her shoulder like they were selling crack or something. I just about died laughing.

[some waygug-in]

I don't know if there are garbage Nazis in Korea, but I do know that getting your garbage put out on the right day, and in the right bag, with the right contents can be a challenge here as well.

You have to buy special bags for household garbage, they have to have the correct address on them. If you use a bag with the wrong address, your garbage will not get picked up.

I also have heard of people's garbage being returned to them because they had bottles or cans in with the houshold garbage..........

I don't think it's universal though.

With regard to drinking......... I think Koreans and Japanese are very similar in their attitudes to using alcohol to relieve stress.

The thing about Koreans not leaving foreigners alone can be very annoying. I was sitting alone in the subway station eating a sandwich, when an old Korean guy comes over and demands ,"What are you do here"?

I felt like saying ,What does it look like?, but I just pointed to my sandwich and tried to ignore him. He continued with "What your name"?

I tried to tell him my name but he couldn't understand anything I said, at which point I realized that this was going nowhere, so I had to walk away.

I know in the Korean's mind he was probably trying to be friendly, but he has no idea how rude and upsetting his actions come across to a Westerner.
Even knowing this doesn't make it any easier to accept.

[Big John Stud]

This is a great thread! I never laughed so hard from a thread!
I guess everyone living in a small town in Japan has to at one time or another face the Nazi garbage people. Where I live they are two old man. Every bag in the bing was mixed with cans and bottles, but he started yelling at me. I pointed to the other bags and at mine to show him my bag was no different, but he yelled even louder. I found out later, the cans and bottles also had to be separated but put into the same type of bag. Anyway since then I haven't had any problems.
I usually just drop off my garbage at circle K much easier!

About drinking. I think both Korea and Japan got it from China. Many business deals are done over a meal and drinking.
Also as one pointed out in Japan, during the work day, everyone supresses almost every single feeling. But during those parties, everything comes out.

[homersimpson]

[Birdog3344]

As i said, i live just outside of Osaka City and the neighborood recycling program is pretty thorough.

Your assumption that the old lady is lecturing you simply because you're a foreigner and inferior, implies racism. You even give a perfectly reasonable alternative scenario; she does in fact lecture the neighbors and they tell her to "sod off." Celeste's and Big John's posts illustrate the point further. Nobody likes to be lectured, I just think its a little sophomoric to criticize (quite harshly, I might add) the person who catches you red handed and then say "no fair, they did it too!". Not to mention the extremely inappopriate use of and blatant racist implication in the the word 'Nazi' (not you specifically, homer).[/quote]

[JimDunlop2]

I split this from the original Korean fistfight thread. Seems that after 3.5 pages everyone wanted to talk about garbage nazis instead.... So here ya go...

[homersimpson]

[Birdog3344]

I suppose we are just missing eachother. I was going to chalk it up to a miscommunication and offer my sympathies for having to deal with an overzealous environmentalist (still no proof that its anything more than that), but...you claimed not to be implying racism, then you use the term 'Nazi' (again, extremely innapropriate and offensive) and then you contradict yourself by slamming Japan for its lack of environmental-friendly policies a few sentences before writing how you don't have time to deal with properly recycling your own trash.
Japan apologist? I do recognize that xenophobia is a problem in this country, I just feel that too often foreigners make blatant statements and judge all Japanese and their actions based on generalizations. Its kind of ironic and hypocritical if you think about it. Perhaps this woman is racist, perhaps she's not. But to condemn her because she's Japanese and based on this one incident and to declare her a Nazi, seems hyprocritcal at best and racist at worst.

[Henry_Cowell]

Yes, it's definitely WAY too much trouble to keep separate bags or containers in the home for different types of trash. WAY too much. CAN'T be bothered.

[homersimpson]

[Birdog3344]

OK. You're an a-hole. Let's leave it at that.

[homersimpson]

[Henry_Cowell]

P.P.S. Don't forget to send in your subscription renewal dues to the NRA, KKK, Republican Party, Fox News Boosters Club, Dirty Skies Initiative, and Leave Every Child Behind Fund.

[JimDunlop2]

Ok. This is getting ridiculous. And stupid.

Obviously no one has anything intelligent to contribute here anymore.

Thread locked.