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seoulsucker
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: The Land of the Hesitant Cutoff
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 Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 6:50 pm Post subject: Re: I jumped out a bus window tonight...great fun! |
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| fruitcake wrote: |
Mentos...the fresh maker |
That actually got an audible laugh out of me...kinda rare on this site.  |
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Hanson
Joined: 20 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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Great story, SeoulShakin! Well-written, too. I had a mental image of the scene...
Only in Korea... |
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yingwenlaoshi
Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Location: ... location, location!
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:09 pm Post subject: |
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| superdave wrote: |
yet, on any other occasion, those two guys will tell you what a wonderful, tolerant, respectful country korea is ...
i was doing a workshop 2 years ago and at the training complex were two groups: a group of foreigners doing teaching workshops and a bunch of koreans doing another workshop.
so, we're sitting at a table eating dinner, talking, laughing ... when the koreans at the next table (from another workshop) told us to be quiet. one of them spoke english and said "excuse me, korea is a quiet and respectful country, so be quiet when you eat". what???? this was a very big, crowded, noisy dining hall ... and we're being noisy??
i swear to god i almost fell out of my seat. i told him that was crap. koreans are loud, rude and obnoxious. the guy was a complete hypocrite for saying that ... when, no doubt, he'd be the loudest one at his table with 3 shots of soju under his belt.
the other foreigners at my table were mostly new to korea. they were pretty stunned by the guy's comments and my rebuttal.
so, welcome to korea, doublespeak actually does work here! |
Well if that doesn't take the cake...
Not only was he being rude, but hypocritical. English is noise to them. They can yell away in Korean, and ask rude questions/make rude statements to people, and let their kids run around a restaurant, etc., but the minute there's some loud talking in English, it's rude.
You can't argue that that's what they think. My Korean friend always speaks in a hardly audible level in English when we're in restaurants or on the bus. I can't hear a fkg thing he's saying. Last Sunday, we were in a bbq restaurant and he suggested we move talbes because it was too loud (we were between two tables). The only reason he suggested this is because I was talking at what anyone would consider a normal level for such a place. I told him that where we were sitting was fine. He was just embarrassed about the English thing. He can speak loudly in Korean, but I can't speak loudly in English. Nice.
And why did this dork need to bring up Korea. "In Korea..." Jesus H! On top of it all, he's telling you that Korea is better. Why does Korea need to be brought in the mix.
I hope you told him that Koreans are always loud when you're eating out and that he was full of *beep*. Sounds like you did.
Even outside my apartment... My apartment building was built beside an already existing tennis court. When a lot of them are playing in the morning, on Sunday morningeven, they're doing the Monica Seles grunting. Like they're fkg pros or something. And they're shouting. Are they playing soccer or tennis? In Canada, they wouldn't build an apartment building where a tennis court was in your backyard.
Last edited by yingwenlaoshi on Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:12 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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yingwenlaoshi
Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Location: ... location, location!
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:10 pm Post subject: Re: I jumped out a bus window tonight...great fun! |
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| seoulsucker wrote: |
| fruitcake wrote: |
Mentos...the fresh maker |
That actually got an audible laugh out of me...kinda rare on this site. |
Yeah, that was a quick one. Perfect. |
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jaganath69
Joined: 17 Jul 2003
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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| yingwenlaoshi wrote: |
| superdave wrote: |
yet, on any other occasion, those two guys will tell you what a wonderful, tolerant, respectful country korea is ...
i was doing a workshop 2 years ago and at the training complex were two groups: a group of foreigners doing teaching workshops and a bunch of koreans doing another workshop.
so, we're sitting at a table eating dinner, talking, laughing ... when the koreans at the next table (from another workshop) told us to be quiet. one of them spoke english and said "excuse me, korea is a quiet and respectful country, so be quiet when you eat". what???? this was a very big, crowded, noisy dining hall ... and we're being noisy??
i swear to god i almost fell out of my seat. i told him that was crap. koreans are loud, rude and obnoxious. the guy was a complete hypocrite for saying that ... when, no doubt, he'd be the loudest one at his table with 3 shots of soju under his belt.
the other foreigners at my table were mostly new to korea. they were pretty stunned by the guy's comments and my rebuttal.
so, welcome to korea, doublespeak actually does work here! |
Well if that doesn't take the cake...
Not only was he being rude, but hypocritical. English is noise to them. They can yell away in Korean, and ask rude questions/make rude statements to people, and let their kids run around a restaurant, etc., but the minute there's some loud talking in English, it's rude.
You can't argue that that's what they think. My Korean friend always speaks in a hardly audible level in English when we're in restaurants or on the bus. I can't hear a fkg thing he's saying. Last Sunday, we were in a bbq restaurant and he suggested we move talbes because it was too loud (we were between two tables). The only reason he suggested this is because I was talking at what anyone would consider a normal level for such a place. I told him that where we were sitting was fine. He was just embarrassed about the English thing. He can speak loudly in Korean, but I can't speak loudly in English. Nice.
And why did this dork need to bring up Korea. "In Korea..." Jesus H! On top of it all, he's telling you that Korea is better. Why does Korea need to be brought in the mix.
I hope you told him that Koreans are always loud when you're eating out and that he was full of *beep*. Sounds like you did.
Even outside my apartment... My apartment building was built beside an already existing tennis court. When a lot of them are playing in the morning, on Sunday morningeven, they're doing the Monica Seles grunting. Like they're fkg pros or something. And they're shouting. Are they playing soccer or tennis? In Canada, they wouldn't build an apartment building where a tennis court was in your backyard. |
All too typical here, it has happened to me in various guises over the years, maybe on ten separate occasions. It's highly indicative of the xenophobia and racism here. Moreover, this phenomenon displays the feelings of resentment and inadequacy that some Koreans feel towards western culture. Could you imagine telling a group speaking another language in your own country to shut up? There would be a bloody inquisition as a result with members of that ethnic community lamenting our inability to tolerate difference. Here, we are just expected to roll with it in the name of Korean culture. Not me, last time it happened I got very hostile and was up in the guy's face. He not only got humiliated, but lost face in front of his mate and their girlfriends. |
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yingwenlaoshi
Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Location: ... location, location!
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 8:02 pm Post subject: |
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| jaganath69 wrote: |
| yingwenlaoshi wrote: |
| superdave wrote: |
yet, on any other occasion, those two guys will tell you what a wonderful, tolerant, respectful country korea is ...
i was doing a workshop 2 years ago and at the training complex were two groups: a group of foreigners doing teaching workshops and a bunch of koreans doing another workshop.
so, we're sitting at a table eating dinner, talking, laughing ... when the koreans at the next table (from another workshop) told us to be quiet. one of them spoke english and said "excuse me, korea is a quiet and respectful country, so be quiet when you eat". what???? this was a very big, crowded, noisy dining hall ... and we're being noisy??
i swear to god i almost fell out of my seat. i told him that was crap. koreans are loud, rude and obnoxious. the guy was a complete hypocrite for saying that ... when, no doubt, he'd be the loudest one at his table with 3 shots of soju under his belt.
the other foreigners at my table were mostly new to korea. they were pretty stunned by the guy's comments and my rebuttal.
so, welcome to korea, doublespeak actually does work here! |
Well if that doesn't take the cake...
Not only was he being rude, but hypocritical. English is noise to them. They can yell away in Korean, and ask rude questions/make rude statements to people, and let their kids run around a restaurant, etc., but the minute there's some loud talking in English, it's rude.
You can't argue that that's what they think. My Korean friend always speaks in a hardly audible level in English when we're in restaurants or on the bus. I can't hear a fkg thing he's saying. Last Sunday, we were in a bbq restaurant and he suggested we move talbes because it was too loud (we were between two tables). The only reason he suggested this is because I was talking at what anyone would consider a normal level for such a place. I told him that where we were sitting was fine. He was just embarrassed about the English thing. He can speak loudly in Korean, but I can't speak loudly in English. Nice.
And why did this dork need to bring up Korea. "In Korea..." Jesus H! On top of it all, he's telling you that Korea is better. Why does Korea need to be brought in the mix.
I hope you told him that Koreans are always loud when you're eating out and that he was full of *beep*. Sounds like you did.
Even outside my apartment... My apartment building was built beside an already existing tennis court. When a lot of them are playing in the morning, on Sunday morningeven, they're doing the Monica Seles grunting. Like they're fkg pros or something. And they're shouting. Are they playing soccer or tennis? In Canada, they wouldn't build an apartment building where a tennis court was in your backyard. |
All too typical here, it has happened to me in various guises over the years, maybe on ten separate occasions. It's highly indicative of the xenophobia and racism here. Moreover, this phenomenon displays the feelings of resentment and inadequacy that some Koreans feel towards western culture. Could you imagine telling a group speaking another language in your own country to shut up? There would be a bloody inquisition as a result with members of that ethnic community lamenting our inability to tolerate difference. Here, we are just expected to roll with it in the name of Korean culture. Not me, last time it happened I got very hostile and was up in the guy's face. He not only got humiliated, but lost face in front of his mate and their girlfriends. |
What did he say? |
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jaganath69
Joined: 17 Jul 2003
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 8:07 pm Post subject: |
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| I think I posted about it here, but the short version is myself and ten friends in a noisy Chinese restaurant were told that we were being too loud. I countered that the guy only found our (relatively normal volume for a crowd of that size) conversation irritating because it wasn't in Korean. A number of other tables made noise and he didn't seem to be worried about them. |
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Fofazoju
Joined: 09 May 2006
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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I have so many stories like this as my friends can at times be loud (and she knows this and reads this site 
I think the best was this one time we were on a bus to Incheon on a Saturday night heading to a friends house. There were about 5 of us and we were chatting (not yelling) to each other and as per usual, were told by a Korean male to be quiet. We weren't being excessively loud. Im sorry, I didn't mean to speak in a public place. So naturally we ignored him.
Anyways, so the guy tells us again to be quiet but this time, does so with a friggan SWITCHBLADE knife!! He then stands up with his knife and essentially threatens us! My friend (who is female) gets up and tries to tell the driver he has a knife and the driver looks in rearview mirror at us and ignores it all. Much like all the Koreans on the bus who instead of telling the MAN to put his bloody (not bloody as in literal, bloody as in friggan) knife away, they tell US to be quiet!
So the man is about 8 rows ahead of us in the aisle with his knife out pointing it at us telling us to be quiet. I mean did someone have a bad day or what! And my friend is in the aisle also telling him to put the knife away. Let me reiterate that the Koreans on the bus are ignoring this whole scene as if this is a typical thing that occurs on the bus.
SO after several mins of the guy holding his sword up and my friend telling him to put it away, the man eventually is defeated and sits down muttering under his breath some swear words in Korean (I'm assuming they were swear words. I cant imagine he was reminding himself to pick up milk or something). And i know it sounds like "well surely you must have done more to provoke this nice orderly Korean man". All we were doing was talking amongst each other. If talking on a bus is wrong then I dont wanna be right!
BUT, I can guarantee that had we been speaking Korean at the same level, nothing would have been said. |
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Scotticus
Joined: 18 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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At this point, when someone turns around and stares because I'm speaking English, I just look them in the eye and say something to the affect of, "Yes, I'm speaking English, you'll be fine," and stare them down till they turn around. I've never met a Korean with balls enough to start shit with me (and I'm a small guy, so it's not like I'm intimidating). No way I'm gonna let some passive-aggressive douchebag tell me what language I can speak on the street or at a restaurant.
Meanwhile, I'll get stared at while speaking English at a normal tone (or lower, as I'm overly conscientious about how loud I am in public), but I can't turn on the TV without hearing some Korean pop star butchering our poor language in one of their "songs." |
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SHANE02
Joined: 04 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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Well the original story was funny.
I have been here quite a few years and have never been asked to be quiet. I would love that to happen, but it hasn't.
As for Koreans being loud, ajumas on their cells in the subway, my god.
I can't figure out if their deaf or they WANT people to know what their up to. |
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Keepongoing
Joined: 13 Feb 2003
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:13 pm Post subject: |
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| What about at 3AM on a weeknight when they come home-loud hihgh heel shoes on the steps and loud voices to accompany it. |
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Mix1
Joined: 08 May 2007
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Scotticus wrote: |
At this point, when someone turns around and stares because I'm speaking English, I just look them in the eye and say something to the affect of, "Yes, I'm speaking English, you'll be fine," and stare them down till they turn around. I've never met a Korean with balls enough to start *beep* with me (and I'm a small guy, so it's not like I'm intimidating). No way I'm gonna let some passive-aggressive douchebag tell me what language I can speak on the street or at a restaurant.
Meanwhile, I'll get stared at while speaking English at a normal tone (or lower, as I'm overly conscientious about how loud I am in public), but I can't turn on the TV without hearing some Korean pop star butchering our poor language in one of their "songs." |
No doubt. If English is so annoying to them, why do the pop stars and rappers feel the need to throw in English phrases every few bars? Or why are ALL the T-shirts in English? Or the companies and shop signs?
It's almost like English is a symbol of hipness or legitimacy for them in some contexts, but in other contexts (for example in real life existence) it's just "wrong."
Good for you for not backing down. You can bet that someone who has the gall to tell someone else to quiet down for speaking a different language in a public place likely has some serious control issues, and need to be taken to task. They are likely the bully boy in their little group and assume they can order anyone around just because thats what they normally do in their K-group. Well, no, they can't. I usually just look at them like they are insane and just carry on as normal. Haven't had any real static yet... |
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Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 10:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Fofazoju wrote: |
| so the guy tells us again to be quiet but this time, does so with a friggan SWITCHBLADE knife!! |
I've never been told to STFU on a bus, but several times on an inter-city bus I've turned around and asked the person behind/beside me to please not talk so loudly on the cellphone because it's disturbing people (me). What happen? "I have to go now because the foreigner on the bus is complaining." Yes, that's right, only foreigners don't want to hear every minute detail of your conversation, and none of the Koreans on the bus were grunting or rolling their eyes at you in frustration. Blame the foreigner. Oblivious bints. |
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Khunopie
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: Fucking, Austria (pronounced "Fooking")
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 10:54 pm Post subject: |
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| KOREA: *SPARKLING!* |
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SeoulShakin
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 11:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Wow. I'm amazed how quickly this thread went from telling an amusing tale about my bus ride home, to people complaining about Koreans telling them off for being loud. That wasn't the topic at all. That turned pretty quickly. |
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