Korean Job Discussion Forums

PBRstreetgang21

I have heard a great many comparisons of Korea to other places:

Irish of Asia is most popular
Polish of Asia
Italians of Asia

Those seem to be the three most popular.

Of course no comparison is ever exact or fully true but does illustrate some point. But here is mine, and I havent heard it too much:

Korea is the Southern US of Asia.

They can be the warmest, friendliest, big hearted and most helpful bunch sometimes, and other times the most rascist, self-assured, nationalistic, igonorant people Ive ever met.

They have great hearty food that just warms the soul but occasional is fairly weird (for the South Id put Chitterlings and Pigs Feet up there, salt on the Watermelon, pimento cheese, and others).

They are very conservative and fiercly proud of their traditions, with careful attention paid to lineage and anscetry. Every thing is about your parents and grandparents, and where they worked and where they lived, and what they owned, etc etc etc.

The both are serious good old boy places, where who you know is more in important that what you know. Where you went to school is more important that what your GPA was. Who your Dad was is more important that what you think. Favors count more than ideas, and well they are both friggin corrupt as all hell.

Both put on facades of decency when both have far more problems than they care too admit (for instance the south talks of Morality but has the highest crime)

Both have a lot of religious nutbars

Finally, they both a have a wonderful and rich culture that has the amazing ability of provoking extremely opposed reactions. People hate them, people love them, people feel ambivalent. No country in Asia seems to provoke the range and strength of opinion of people more than Korea, and I think in the US the same is said of the south. For people in the US who hate the South, there isnt a place on the planet more horrid for them than South Carolina. For People who have travelled Asia and have developed a distaste for Korea, no place can seem more gut wrenchingly awful in the world than Seoul. However, for people who love the South there is no place that could be more found off, or have the intesity of memory, and for people I know who love Korea, there is no place they'd rather teach English.

Of course I personally absolutely love the Southern US and I absolutely love Korea.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Korea is the most ridiculous place in Asia. But I manage to fit right in, so I guess I'm not one to talk.

Since no other countries really went from being mediaeval peasants to wealthy, modern people within two generations it's kind of hard to compare it to anywhere. You could call Korea the land of the world's most sophisticated peasants or the land with the world's least sophisticated industrialised society, depending on which angle you look from.

Fazer · Joined: 17 Jul 2005

...taint...

Fazer · Joined: 17 Jul 2005

Hiting!

Eedoryeong · Joined: 10 Dec 2007 Location: Jeju

Korea has some of the most problem-free food of Asia!
Korea has the least likely to make you obese food of Asia!

Korea has... the healthiest food of Asia? (throwing in sushi of course)

Come on, whatcha got? What what? Mercurial fish or Olympian-killing pork of China? Oil of everything south Chinese or SE Asian food? I think Korea and its kimchi and bibimbap (and sushi) make it a contender.

esetters21 · Joined: 30 Apr 2006 Location: Seoul

Nice generalization of the southern US. Are you from that area or do you mention stereotypes that you have heard about?

sojourner1 · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:14 pm Post subject:

Korea is the Switzerland of Asia. Of course there's not much comparison other than it being mountainous, having a very expensive economy, and a new very affluent expensive taste taking over. They have some very high quality manufacturing going on when it comes to electronics, appliances, and automobiles as well as the newest houses and buildings being right up there. And it is one of the most expensive places in Asia and the entire world.

PBRstreetgang21 · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:18 pm Post subject:

esetters21: I was hoping all the exceptionalists who like to point out where other people get things wrong in the generalization wouldnt kick in so early but I forgot I was on Dave's

It is a GENERALIZATION

I know not everyone in the South is like that. But dont act like the things I said are applicable to any other part of the US more than they are of the South. Of course its not true 90% of the time. THATS WHY ITS CALLED A GENERALIZATION. It would be like someone coming on here and saying "This thread is ridiculous, after all everyone knows Koreans dont bake cornbread in Iron Skillets. the comparison just doesnt wash."

If you want to critique what I said about the South-- FIRE AWAY. But please dont get your knickers in a twist and come off all smarmy about how I can't possible know what Im saying since I didnt take X, and Y into account. Tell me where Im wrong but please dont try to insult my intelligence to think that I am some guy from the West Coast who has never left my state and knows the South only through NPR and PBS. I have lived in the south and I have spent time there. So I am aware where what I said has a few uncrossed Ts and I's missing dots.

I swear to God, Americans have made a fetish out of being offended.

itaewonguy · Joined: 25 Mar 2003

wow some nice names so far..
The Italy of asia! the swiss of asia! WOW..

I hear korea is the

The Arsehole of Asia
Laughing

whatever · Joined: 11 Jun 2006 Location: Korea: More fun than jail.

esetters21 · Joined: 30 Apr 2006 Location: Seoul

PBRstreetgang21 · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:41 pm Post subject:

sorry you're right. I did fly off the handle.

Im just used to always having someone lose their mind over minor details.

Orchidelirium · Joined: 09 Oct 2007

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

TheKudzuConnection · Joined: 27 Jun 2008

Ha, I like your comparison between the Korea and the South, PBRstreetgang21. I've lived my whole life in rural Georgia and I'm glad that you included some of the paradoxical, negative aspects of Southern culture in your comparison, like the "They can be the warmest, friendliest, big hearted and most helpful bunch sometimes, and other times the most rascist, self-assured, nationalistic, igonorant people Ive ever met." part.

I'm headed for Korea in a week, and as crazy as it sounds considering I just affirmed your comparison between the South and Korea's negative cultural aspects, I took some comfort in reading your comparison.

Also, I had no idea that pimento cheese was Southern. Nor did I know that the proper name for chitlins is chitterlings. As my mom says, I'm broadenin' my HOrizins! And I haven't even set foot in Korea yet.