Korean Job Discussion Forums

Ilsanman · Joined: 15 Aug 2003 Location: Bucheon, Korea

I want to write what my Korean teacher at a certain 'reputable' university in Seoul has said, and ask if it is racist or not.

1. One day we were studying words. One of the words was 진화 되다 which mean 'to evolve'. The teacher then asked why white people have body hair and asians usually don't? Then she said because they are more evolved. She was laughing when she said it, so I guess it was meant as a joke.

2. She told us that human beings are like bread dough. White people were taken out of the oven too quickly, and black people were burnt. Asians were 'cooked' just right.

When I showed my disapproval of her story, she defended it by saying 'it was just a joke, and certainly not my opinion'.

There was 1 more instance, but I forgot it. If I remember I will post it.

What do you think of this? Racist or not?

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

I'd say it's racist but harmless. Who here has never enjoyed an off-colour joke when in good company?

rawiri · Joined: 01 Jun 2003 Location: Lovely day for a fire drill.

No.

Stop being a biatch.

Kyrei · Joined: 22 Jan 2003

No, but its funny in a "I just graduated kindergarten" kind of way...

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

I voted "no", but I would say there is a smidge of racism in there.
On the whole, I'd say it's just tactless drivel really.

ilovebdt

Alyallen · Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 9:59 pm Post subject:

Zulu · Joined: 28 Apr 2006

If it was over a beer and was "just a joke" fine, just shoot one back with a harmless remark about Korean universities and education compared with 'less-evolved' westerners, or maybe a light barb about how 'less-evolved Black penises' are bigger than 'Korean ones'. If she loves humor I'm sure she'll appreciate the joke and you can all have a harrmless laugh, right?

If she said it during a university lecture then yeah I'd be a bit worried and she should stick her head back in God's oven.

MissSeoul · Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Location: Somewhere in America

venus · Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Location: Near Seoul

Of course it's f*cking racist you apolgist losers.

Okay, imagine if you said something simmilar to that at a western universty, you'd be fired. Studetns would take huge offense, especially if they were in the minority. I for one if I was the only white person or amongst a minority of them in that class, would have been upset. Shge might not have meant to be racist but it was certainly tactless and childish with xenaphobic undertones.

My co-teacher at public school gave me the same crap about Asians being more evolved due to not having body hair. Knowing how Koreans generally look down on Africans as beeing less evolved, I pointed out that certain African groups such as Masai don't have body hair either.

He went bright red, actually started stuttering and dribbling a little as he mumbled... uh, er no Africans do have the body hair.

Me - no, some ethnic groups do not, just like Asians.

He looked like a computer that is crashing and changed the subject before excusing himself.

Immature tw@t. I was going to point out that Koreans kept each other as slaves up till the end of the 19th century and ask him if he considered that evolved, but he was skulking away with his tail between his legs...

Wrench · Joined: 07 Apr 2005

Well I got that your hairy you more of a monkey bit less evolved once. I wasn't to impressed with a joke it was in poor taste. The 2nd time I got that joke from a men I countered it with well hair is a direct result of testostorone so because I have lots of hair I have lots of Testostorone and you do know where Testostorone comes from? Took him a second to catch on, his friends asked him what I said but he must have felt like a d1ck and didn't say anything.

Zulu · Joined: 28 Apr 2006

pest2 · Joined: 01 Jun 2005 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Ive heard people in China say it, too... like, Asian people are more civilized and evolved, etc. Well, question was, is it racist? It involves making judgements about people based only on thier race (vs culture, which is NOT racism; ie, saying Koreans are X because thier culture is X is not racist), so it must be racism. But its pretty funny in a stupid/harmless way.

Alyallen · Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 11:15 pm Post subject:

Holy crap

I didn't realize this was in class!

I thought you were having a beer with your teacher or something....if it was said at a bar or whatever, who cares but at SCHOOL Shocked

*beep* me with a hammer Shocked

That's what I get from reading too quickly between classes.... Embarassed

SPINOZA · Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Location: $eoul

The mere fact that this is being peddled at an, ahem, university seems to suggest that this particular lecturer and this particular establishment are hardly evolved. My university is the 50th best in the world. Nuff said.

Speaking of body hair, Korean males might consider removing some of the vast forests that are their pubic hair - might be just about able to see their tiny little wheeners lurking beneath then.

Asia is getting more westernized - not the reverse.

Bibbitybop · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

I would've laughed with the teacher. It's not that offensive. The more/less evolved issue is stupid, but not offensive. Simply knowing they are wrong about that shouldn't cause you to be offended. Keep the upper edged, the evolved edge, and explain that it's wrong.

I really liked the baking analogy. There's nothing wrong with noticing obvious differences in skin color. Everyone is so PC these days, it's rediculous. When you base judgments on skin color, then yes, it can get offensive.