Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jdog2050]

[mindmetoo]

My Korean American friend had a theory about this today. She mused it was an urban legend started by the power companies years ago to try and get people to turn their fans off during the cool of the night. This way it could reduce the power load. Funny how fan death has not transmuted into "aircon death", given there's a bloody fan humming away in the air conditioning unit.

[Bagpipes11]

I think that fan death can be attributed to a few things. The first is that I would say that people have probably died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Since there was no other way to explain the death...Fan Death was created.

Secondly, and correct me if I am wrong...don't all Korean made fans have timers?? Fans at home don't have timers (well some do, but a lot of them don't). So maybe this myth was created by fan companies to entice the locals into buying Korean made fans.

Koreans also believe that Korean beef is the best...go figure.

[maximreality]

[monkinwonderland]

The first day I arrived, my boss dropped me off at my flat. On the way out, he showed the a/c and gave the strict warning to shut it off when I go to bed, or I will die. I remember my wife and I looked at each other saying, "did he just say that?"

Other amazing Korean theories I've heard:

I had food poisioning, but a nurse told me it was more likely that I enjoyed hot soup on a cold day.

I was told that El Nino is responsible for AIDS and Ebola

Kimchi cures SARS, which is why Koreans are immune to it.

When I kept getting sick in the winter (from kids with colds thinking it hilarious to cough and sneeze on me), I was told that it wasn't because of germs. More likely, it was because my body is used to American snow and not Korean snow.

[jdog2050]

[Rapacious Mr. Batstove]

Just bought a new fan yesterday. In the manual there are those cute picture of the things not to do with your fan. Sure enough there is a picture of an angry fan blowing air on a sleeping(dead) character and a large X and presumably a warning.

I get a lot of mosquito's where I live so I close the windows at night, I had the air-con on really low and the fan also on low. I survived, perhaps the two canceled each other out? Or maybe I'm just immortal.

[mindmetoo]

I keep trying to think of the North American equivalent of Fan Death. Something widely held. Believed by intelligent people, even members of the medical community, but lacks biological plausibility.

Best I can come up with is power lines (and sadly a growing number of parents who think vaccinations are behind a range of illnesses). Despite excellent research showing power lines are safe, people to this day still believe they are dangerous and refuse to buy homes near them.

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/emf.html

[yingwenlaoshi]

Rubbing the cut off cuccumber end on the end of the longer part. I always thought that was stupid. Can't remember what that was supposed to do. Keep it from tasting sour?

[bangbayed]

Thought this would clear things up. Here's a KBS news report debunking fan death so you can convince all your Korean friends who still believe in this silly myth.

You gotta watch it for the scientific experiment alone!

http://news.kbs.co.kr/article/science/200707/20070730/1399775.html

[ruffie]

As a famous American Korean War era general once said,"The only match for Japanese treachery is Korean gullibility."

[yingwenlaoshi]

I just go back home and my air conditioner was on.

[Yesterday]

[Omkara]

[amo_jh]

maaaaybe.. if the fan was blowing toward their faces, CO2 might get blown back into their nose lol.. and cause CO2 poisoning