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Is 'ajumma' a derogatory or offensive term? |
Yes |
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No |
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[ 19 ] |
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Total Votes : 30 |
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blynch

Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Location: UCLA
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:07 am Post subject: Is 'ajumma' a derogatory or offensive term? |
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I lived in Bundang, Korea for 1 year and never thought it's a derogatory or offensive term.
My quesiton is:
Is it offensive, mainly because it's occasionally used in a sarcastic or demeaning way? |
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jeffkim1972
Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Location: Mokpo
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:49 am Post subject: |
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No, it's just a term for married woman. Even if you are 18 and married, you are now an ajumma. If you are 60 and unmarried, you are still an agashi. |
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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: Sun Sep 02, 2007 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, it is. Just ask a Korean. Poll question is absurd here.
Aju-moh-nee is the respectful term.
Seriously, ask Koreans about this.
"Ajumma!" is not a polite thing to call a woman in Korean culture. But of course many are impolite. |
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Jizzo T. Clown

Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Location: at my wit's end
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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I've used the word several times with my coworkers and have never been corrected. In fact they were impressed that I knew what it meant. |
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jessie-b

Joined: 17 Apr 2006
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 2:51 pm Post subject: |
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Maybe it wasn't offensive in the past, but it doesn't seem like many women want to be known as Ajummas. In my Korean class we have a few young women married to Koreans and there was no end of teasing from the teach about them being Ajummas. Teach said she got really angry is someone mistook her for an ajumma. Maybe its similar to being called, "ma'am" in some parts of the U.S. |
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pkang0202

Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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It depends on the context. The word ajosshi has certainly been modified here on the forum. Ajosshi means a married man, but here on Dave's, the word has taken a negative connotation.
I think if you are just referring to a married woman then Ajumma is not derogatory. It CAN be offensive if it is used to stereotype Korean married women. |
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bluelake

Joined: 01 Dec 2005
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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I agree with VanIslander. |
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zappadelta

Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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VanIslander wrote: |
Yes, it is. Just ask a Korean. Poll question is absurd here.
Aju-moh-nee is the respectful term.
Seriously, ask Koreans about this.
"Ajumma!" is not a polite thing to call a woman in Korean culture. But of course many are impolite. |
I disagree. Ajumma is a polite thing to call a woman. And, Jeff Kim, a 60 year old unmarried woman is an agashi? I don't think so. |
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ceesgetdegrees
Joined: 12 Jul 2007
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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It's harsh when you are refering to a young ladie who has put their photo up on a website for everyone to see. are you really that angry at the world that you have to make unprovoked attacks like that? |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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It used to be a term of respect but because it has become something of a negative. In modern, youth oriented, stylish Korea, it has taken on traits of a plump woman who long ago stopped following trends.
While the husband's sole role in Korean society was to contribute sperm and a paycheck, a married woman traditionally raised the children, helped them with their homework, cleaned the house, paid the bills, handled the family finances, clothed her family, cared for her husband's aged parents, and took an incredibly menial job to pay off her husband's debts. Because an ajumma has little time left in the day to keep up on current fashions, Korean society has rewarded the ajumma's efforts by turning her into a symbol of uncouth backwardness.
I find it interesting that society has not turned ajussi into a pejorative. However, among the ESL crowd, we use in a pejorative sense, referring to an older Korean male hepped up on but undeserving of privilege based solely on being born with one X and one Y chromosome.
"_________________
MM2 clearly has the gift for telling stories that both inform and move the heart. Amazing for a woman with an IQ of 80. "
Bhahahahaha. I've made the sig line of two nut bar Christians. Kind of shaking your faith, ain't I? |
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Big_Bird

Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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ceesgetdegrees wrote: |
It's harsh when you are refering to a young ladie who has put their photo up on a website for everyone to see. are you really that angry at the world that you have to make unprovoked attacks like that? |
Yes. Context. With regard to the little interaction that inspired this thread, I found the OP's use ajumma puzzling, frankly. It did look like he was trying to insult another poster. Why did he feel the need to call a young attractive poster ajumma? Perhaps he could explain this to us.
Also, my adult female students did not like being called Ajumma, even if they had been married a couple of decades. |
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eamo

Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 5:42 pm Post subject: |
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I was told to refrain from calling youngish married women ajumma. Women under 50 who still take pride in their appearance don't seem to like the term.
But I think it's more an issue of female vanity, unwillingness to grow old, rather than the word being rude. |
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blynch

Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Location: UCLA
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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Big_Bird wrote: |
ceesgetdegrees wrote: |
It's harsh when you are refering to a young ladie who has put their photo up on a website for everyone to see. are you really that angry at the world that you have to make unprovoked attacks like that? |
Yes. Context. With regard to the little interaction that inspired this thread, I found the OP's use ajumma puzzling, frankly. It did look like he was trying to insult another poster. Why did he feel the need to call a young attractive poster ajumma? Perhaps he could explain this to us.
Also, my adult female students did not like being called Ajumma, even if they had been married a couple of decades. |
Look, she could be either 'agashi' or 'ajumma', right? but I wouldn't call her "agashi' because she is not that young... probably in her early 30s something... then what do i call her... 'ajumma'. that's not an insult at all. she is pretty and seems nice! I mean it.  |
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Big_Bird

Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:12 pm Post subject: |
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blynch wrote: |
Big_Bird wrote: |
ceesgetdegrees wrote: |
It's harsh when you are refering to a young ladie who has put their photo up on a website for everyone to see. are you really that angry at the world that you have to make unprovoked attacks like that? |
Yes. Context. With regard to the little interaction that inspired this thread, I found the OP's use ajumma puzzling, frankly. It did look like he was trying to insult another poster. Why did he feel the need to call a young attractive poster ajumma? Perhaps he could explain this to us.
Also, my adult female students did not like being called Ajumma, even if they had been married a couple of decades. |
Look, she could be either 'agashi' or 'ajumma', right? but I wouldn't call her "agashi' because she is not that young... probably in her early 30s something... then what do i call her... 'ajumma'. that's not an insult at all. she is pretty and seems nice! I mean it.  |
Why call her either? The third option was not to address her by either of those terms. Actually, I thought she looked in her twenties. Secondly, in this day and age, one can no longer assume that a woman is married just because she's hit 30. |
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ella

Joined: 17 Apr 2006
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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Some (young) Koreans will address a young white woman as "ajumma" as an insult. |
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