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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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pest2
Joined: 01 Jun 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada
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 Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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| One thing Ive noticed when encountering other non-koreans here is that there's like an awkward moment at the just the point at which you would normally say hello... its like each person is sorta expecting the other not to say hi, but willing to say hi if hi'd first. Usually, (but not always because there truly are some insecure pricks for sure) if you just take the initiative and say hi, you get a hi back... I think alot of people are just expecting to be ignored or something. |
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rawiri
Joined: 01 Jun 2003
Location: Lovely day for a fire drill.
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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That "awkward silence" is actually the moment humans size each other up. It's the perfect time to take the initiative and kick the other dude in the balls, or alternatively give him the old liverpool kiss. This approach may sem a little drastic but we are only animals at the end of the day.
Last edited by rawiri on Tue May 29, 2007 10:54 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Kyrei
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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I rarely smile at or say "Hello" to people I do not know, here, in Canada, Thailand, or anywhere. I consider those people to be either idiotic or conniving. Yes, I am cynical. If someone says hello to me, I will probably reply and at the same time wonder if A) I met him/her somewhere before and (was drunk so I) forgot it; B) what he/she wants from me; and/or C) what is this guy's/girl's malfunction.
Seriously OP, do you smile and say Hi to people you do not know back at home? If you do, then fine. If not, why would you do it or epect it to be done here. I hate it when Koreans react to us differently based on our appearance (i.e. skin colour), and I know many other posters here doa s well, but to expect that we should somehow acknowledge other foreigners and treat them differently than the average Kim on the street is the same form of racism. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 8:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Kyrei wrote: |
| ... do you smile and say Hi to people you do not know back at home? |
What an odd question to ask. Are you from a big city? |
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Kyrei
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 8:29 pm Post subject: |
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| VanIslander wrote: |
| Kyrei wrote: |
| ... do you smile and say Hi to people you do not know back at home? |
What an odd question to ask. Are you from a big city? |
I don't think it is an odd question. I am from a city of 350,000+ so its not big by Seoul standards, but big~ish in Canada. I would look a fool if I wandered the streets smiling and "hello"ing people I don't know. Why would I do it here? |
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regicide
Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Location: United States
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 11:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Kyrei wrote: |
I rarely smile at or say "Hello" to people I do not know, here, in Canada, Thailand, or anywhere. I consider those people to be either idiotic or conniving. Yes, I am cynical. If someone says hello to me, I will probably reply and at the same time wonder if A) I met him/her somewhere before and (was drunk so I) forgot it; B) what he/she wants from me; and/or C) what is this guy's/girl's malfunction.
Seriously OP, do you smile and say Hi to people you do not know back at home? If you do, then fine. If not, why would you do it or epect it to be done here. I hate it when Koreans react to us differently based on our appearance (i.e. skin colour), and I know many other posters here doa s well, but to expect that we should somehow acknowledge other foreigners and treat them differently than the average Kim on the street is the same form of racism. |
That is a bunch of crap. You are not back home. How many ex-pats are there in your neighborhood? More to the point , what percentage of the population do you represent. Dont say hello fine. But the things that are going on in your mind. sociopathic |
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Kyrei
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 11:50 pm Post subject: |
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| regicide wrote: |
| Kyrei wrote: |
I rarely smile at or say "Hello" to people I do not know, here, in Canada, Thailand, or anywhere. I consider those people to be either idiotic or conniving. Yes, I am cynical. If someone says hello to me, I will probably reply and at the same time wonder if A) I met him/her somewhere before and (was drunk so I) forgot it; B) what he/she wants from me; and/or C) what is this guy's/girl's malfunction.
Seriously OP, do you smile and say Hi to people you do not know back at home? If you do, then fine. If not, why would you do it or epect it to be done here. I hate it when Koreans react to us differently based on our appearance (i.e. skin colour), and I know many other posters here doa s well, but to expect that we should somehow acknowledge other foreigners and treat them differently than the average Kim on the street is the same form of racism. |
That is a bunch of crap. You are not back home. How many ex-pats are there in your neighborhood? More to the point , what percentage of the population do you represent. Dont say hello fine. But the things that are going on in your mind. sociopathic |
Sociopathic... wow.. tough words from a guy with "~cide" in his userID... look to yourself. Anyway, think what you will, it makes no difference to me. I admit I am cynical and think generally the worst of people. Sociopathic? no. I do not kill or intentionally harm anyone so, there goes that argument. It is negative, but then again, so am I. People, and I am sure to include myself, are generally stupid, ignorant, and foolish.
Please refer to my earlier post about the discrimination that automatically "hello"ing every foreigner I meet reinforces. I do not want to be treated differently by Koreans on the street because I am white, so why should I treat whites on the street differently than Koreans when I see one? Don't you see how it is hypocritical to do otherwise? If not, then I have no more words for you. If you do, then please re-think your comments. |
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regicide
Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Location: United States
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 12:29 am Post subject: |
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| Kyrei wrote: |
| regicide wrote: |
| Kyrei wrote: |
I rarely smile at or say "Hello" to people I do not know, here, in Canada, Thailand, or anywhere. I consider those people to be either idiotic or conniving. Yes, I am cynical. If someone says hello to me, I will probably reply and at the same time wonder if A) I met him/her somewhere before and (was drunk so I) forgot it; B) what he/she wants from me; and/or C) what is this guy's/girl's malfunction.
Seriously OP, do you smile and say Hi to people you do not know back at home? If you do, then fine. If not, why would you do it or epect it to be done here. I hate it when Koreans react to us differently based on our appearance (i.e. skin colour), and I know many other posters here doa s well, but to expect that we should somehow acknowledge other foreigners and treat them differently than the average Kim on the street is the same form of racism. |
That is a bunch of crap. You are not back home. How many ex-pats are there in your neighborhood? More to the point , what percentage of the population do you represent. Dont say hello fine. But the things that are going on in your mind. sociopathic |
Sociopathic... wow.. tough words from a guy with "~cide" in his userID... look to yourself. Anyway, think what you will, it makes no difference to me. I admit I am cynical and think generally the worst of people. Sociopathic? no. I do not kill or intentionally harm anyone so, there goes that argument. It is negative, but then again, so am I. People, and I am sure to include myself, are generally stupid, ignorant, and foolish.
Please refer to my earlier post about the discrimination that automatically "hello"ing every foreigner I meet reinforces. I do not want to be treated differently by Koreans on the street because I am white, so why should I treat whites on the street differently than Koreans when I see one? Don't you see how it is hypocritical to do otherwise? If not, then I have no more words for you. If you do, then please re-think your comments. |
This is about real life, not your ivory tower world. |
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faster
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 12:45 am Post subject: |
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To those who smile and say hello when they pass a random foreigner in the street:
Do you also do so when you pass a random Korean? If so that must make leaving the house a real pain in the as.s |
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regicide
Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Location: United States
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 1:24 am Post subject: |
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| faster wrote: |
To those who smile and say hello when they pass a random foreigner in the street:
Do you also do so when you pass a random Korean? If so that must make leaving the house a real pain in the as.s |
Is there any difference to you people where you are? For example, in your neighborhood or in a different city, especially Seoul if you do not live there and you come in for the weekend.
And yes, I often say hello the my Korean neighbors near my home. |
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Kwangjuchicken
Joined: 01 Sep 2003
Location: I was abducted by aliens on my way to Korea and forced to be an EFL teacher on this crazy planet.
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 2:29 am Post subject: |
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Soon after I started my new job I got a call from my best friend who is Korean and was my student at my last school. He asked, "Are there many foreigners at you new school?" I said, "Yes, there are very many and just like at you school most are Korean."  |
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Kyrei
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 4:58 am Post subject: |
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| regicide wrote: |
| faster wrote: |
To those who smile and say hello when they pass a random foreigner in the street:
Do you also do so when you pass a random Korean? If so that must make leaving the house a real pain in the as.s |
Is there any difference to you people where you are? For example, in your neighborhood or in a different city, especially Seoul if you do not live there and you come in for the weekend.
And yes, I often say hello the my Korean neighbors near my home. |
Fool, read carefully. No one is saying they don't say Hi to people they know and recognise. I certainly do, and most others do as well. I (and others in this discussion) am talking about random encounters with people I do not know, have not previously met/encountered, and who walk up to me, smile and say "Hello", simply because I am not a Korean. I think they are nuts. If they want to strike up a conversation, fine. I may or may not be in the mood. If they are asking for help or directions or something, fine. If I can, I will offer assistance.
As some foreign guy walks past me and smiles, nods, and says "Hello" for no other reason than because I am a non-Korean I wonder about how often he gets upset about Koreans acting differently towards him, making the distinction that he is a foreigner and therefore should be treated differently, and then I wonder why he is doing the same thing to me.
Get it now? There is no ivory tower involved. If I had the time or interest to do so, I might search through all of your posts and see if there are instances where you have complained about being treated differently based on your non-Koreanness and then wonder why you are so upset about the fact that I do not make such distinctions. |
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regicide
Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Location: United States
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 6:44 am Post subject: |
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| Kyrei wrote: |
| regicide wrote: |
| faster wrote: |
To those who smile and say hello when they pass a random foreigner in the street:
Do you also do so when you pass a random Korean? If so that must make leaving the house a real pain in the as.s |
Is there any difference to you people where you are? For example, in your neighborhood or in a different city, especially Seoul if you do not live there and you come in for the weekend.
And yes, I often say hello the my Korean neighbors near my home. |
Fool, read carefully. No one is saying they don't say Hi to people they know and recognise. I certainly do, and most others do as well. I (and others in this discussion) am talking about random encounters with people I do not know, have not previously met/encountered, and who walk up to me, smile and say "Hello", simply because I am not a Korean. I think they are nuts. If they want to strike up a conversation, fine. I may or may not be in the mood. If they are asking for help or directions or something, fine. If I can, I will offer assistance.
As some foreign guy walks past me and smiles, nods, and says "Hello" for no other reason than because I am a non-Korean I wonder about how often he gets upset about Koreans acting differently towards him, making the distinction that he is a foreigner and therefore should be treated differently, and then I wonder why he is doing the same thing to me.
Get it now? There is no ivory tower involved. If I had the time or interest to do so, I might search through all of your posts and see if there are instances where you have complained about being treated differently based on your non-Koreanness and then wonder why you are so upset about the fact that I do not make such distinctions. |
What are you wondering about man? And how can you read that person in a milli - second and make the assumption you are making?
I realize I was overstating the situation before , and the correct analysis is that you are simply anti-social.
In the 12 years I have been in Korea and Taiwan, I have only seen a few people like you. Most people are without your hangup, and simply say hi in most cases, or if we see each other often and or live in the same neighborhood, become friends.
You think that if someone says hello to a stranger in a situation like this they are without friends, don't you?
It isnt like that, as a person with the social skills that you obviously dont have, is a people person, and has too many friends, as I do now.
And I will continue to be friendly to my neighbors, my ever building network of locals and ex-pats, and even more so to the person with the disallusioned eyes that tell me he might be the next suicide case , or less dramatic , I just might just make someone' day.
By the way: Regicide means the killing of a King by his own people. A palace coup so to speak. I don't have man Kings to kill around me, so dont worry.
And, an old friend of mine just lost a good friend to suicide. I have known them both for around 7 years here in Korea and in Taiwan. I went to Nantau Island in Hong Kong with the guy who killed himself on a visa run from Taiwan in 2000. My friend who is alive may also fall to alcohol but at least he can keep a job. The guy who killed himself came here from Taiwan in a last ditch effort to survive. Although he was invited to my place , with it's land line phone, internet and cable TV, he decided to spend Chusok 2006 "on the beach" in Busan with his last 100 dollars. He did survive until just a month ago or so , but his last call to me stated to me that " I (me)was mad that he didnt join me here at my house that Chusok" His was piss and vinegar but in the end he wacked himself. |
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faster
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 4:30 pm Post subject: |
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| regicide wrote: |
| faster wrote: |
To those who smile and say hello when they pass a random foreigner in the street:
Do you also do so when you pass a random Korean? If so that must make leaving the house a real pain in the as.s |
Is there any difference to you people where you are? For example, in your neighborhood or in a different city, especially Seoul if you do not live there and you come in for the weekend.
And yes, I often say hello the my Korean neighbors near my home. |
So do I, but that's someone you have a connection to, someone in your life in a sense, not a random person.
Also, if someone says hi to me, I'll probably return it unless my mind is elsewhere. But it's still pretty ridiculous to think that all us honkies should be constantly acknowledging each other. |
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Kyrei
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Regicide, clearly the death of your friend has hurt you deeper than you realise or are willing to admit. I will not prolong this discussion any further. I am sorry for your loss and I hope you get past the grief quickly and without further incident. |
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