Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ChinaChao1]

Thought this would be an interesting blog topic to read and then see what your reply comments are.

Edit: Okay, for the confused, I'm sorry. I only took a PIECE of the blog. Below, are two user comments in response to the blog. The ENTIRE blog post can be found on the below link. Thank you.

http://askakorean.blogspot.com/2007/08/ask-korean-news-open-letter-to-non.html?ext-ref=comm-sub-email

First poster argument:

Oh, this is such a "Pot calling the kettle black" situation. I am tempted to print this whole thing out and use it in my advanced class.

So, I've been living and teaching in Korea for 7+years. Here are my favorites, in no particular order, but that happen on a daily basis. (Keep in mind, I have lived in the same apartment, in the same small village, working at the same foreign language high school, in Jeollanam-do for SEVEN PLUSS YEARS.)

Yesterday: At the Nong-hyup ATM-- two college-looking young men at the ATM next to mine: "Hello" Big, smug smile on his face. "Hi" I reply back (there were others watching, otherwise I would have simply ignored the stupid snot). They grab each other, laughing hysterically, in what appeared to be a very intimate embrace, except for the laughter, of course. The other half-dozen people around the 6 ATMs smile approvingly.

At the hospital, still yesterday: While waiting to see the doctor a group of around 6 high-elementary age kids come over, stand directly in front of me, less than 5 feet away, begin pointing and giggling then break into laughter. 3 teachers, I know because I heard them called "teacher" in Korean, watched and encouraged the children to say "Hi" to the "foreigner."

After visit to the hospital: At the only decent grocery store in Yeongsan-po: Three different times local ajjummas begin picking stuff up from inside my shopping cart and inspecting it as though they want to "Know" what the "foreigner" buys/eats/??. All the while, various groups of middle school girls, middle school girls are the WORST, follow me around, literally shouting "Hellllloooooo" at my back. Then giggling... must have the giggling..... After 4 or 5 times with no answer, one group switches from "Helllllooooo" to "Heyyyy! Looooook at Meeeeeee" Nice, eh? Insert heavy sigh here.

And THAT was just YESTERDAY. So, please excuse me if YOU are ANNOYED by obnoxious questions by random passersby. Welcome to my world......

===============================================

Second poster's witty response:

To white folk in Korea who are boo-hooing about allegedly mirror treatment when they are in Korea:

These are completely different situations.

The corollary to your white experience in Korea would be a Korean tourist or student visiting the U.S. for a bit and being made fun of because of his/her heavily accented speech patterns and decidedly Korean mannerisms.

The Korean is making reference to situations where Korean-Americans have made a LIFE here in the United States and the underlying pain experienced (despite the humorous tone of this article) when so called "Americans" (white, black, or latino) marginalize us by asking these questions. We never feel part of the country, always a foreigner.

Take my situation--I was 5 years old when I arrived in Kansas with my family. I've gone to elementary school, junior high school, high school, college (majored in English Literature -- ah the irony), and law school here in America. In that time I was a cub scout, a boy scout, ran track, wrestled, played on my high school football team, drove a piece of crap 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner as my first car, went to prom and lost my virginity, traveled the country, camped in Colorado, hiked Grand Canyon, been arrested for drunken & disorderly conduct a couple of times, served in the Air Force, got into bar fights, was the best man at a wedding, had my heart broken, drank too much at football tailgates, etc., etc., etc. I've had the quintessential American experience with some kimchee and bulgogi thrown in.

While I'm quite proud of my Korean heritage, I'm also American through and through, not because of any indoctrination, but simply because I have lived as American a life as you can imagine in the great Midwest.

While you may think the questions are innocent ("North or South Korea", "Are you Chinese", "You speak English so well"), it brings home the truth that no matter what, you will always be a foreigner and always standing in the margins. "Where are you from" can more accurately be described as Kansas for me and who I am can be described by my friends, family, travels and experiences. My experience is so far removed from some of these questions that these situations become opportunities to learn something about the person asking: that they are uneducated, that they may have led insulated lives, that they've never traveled, that they may possibly be a tiny bit racist, that they see me as an FOB ("Fresh Off the Boat" - bitch I'm wearing me some Dockers!), that they can't get past the way my face looks.

So to say the experience of a white person visiting Korea is even remotely similar is just patently absurd.

Just take The Korean's article for what it is, a humorous observation piece and nothing more. No political statement is being made here, no clarion call to arms is being shouted from the rooftops.

But upon further reflection, perhaps this exchange should happen more: "Your people are from Scotland? Gosh you speak English without an accent at all! Listen buddy, I have to commend you people on that whole McDonald's thing. Freaking unbelieveably good. So what exactly is in that special sauce? Can you ask your grandma? She's home making Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets, right?"

Or this from a white person to a black person in the US: "Shaquille O'Neal? So where in Africa is that from? Are you of the famous O'Neal tribe of Zimbabwe or what? I learned a little Swahili, can I try it on you? Have you ever killed a lion?"

White folks, just look at it from that perspective and see how off-color your questions and comments are. And let us just have our little piece of the internet to laugh a bit about it. The whole "I'm white and I'm oppressed" bit doesn't go over very well. Sheesh.

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

The Korean is a racist moron, though he pretends not to be and hides it under the claim of it all being in humour.

Saying a white person who has lived in KOREA FOR 7 YEARS being made fun of is the same as a KOREAN TOURIST in the USA being made fun of is just so damned represetative of his smug ingorance. He says 'Us Korean Americans have made lives for ourselves here, so it;s different bllah blah blah.

And what you think a white perosn living in Korea for 7 years doesn't consider themselves (even though Koreans may not) to have made a life there?

Why does he think that Koreans when they go to America, can fit in and be welcome and made part of the society (and even have their snobby, cultural Korean Amercian only cliques at the same time,) yet Americans going to live in Korea for whatever ammount of time must be seen as tourists?

Guy is a w........r and I will never visit his stupid site again.

[Old Gil]

You should use quotes or something this was really confusing.

[redaxe]

Korean and Korean-American are two different things.

[/thread]

[fermentation]

Yeah that was really confusing. By the way, it's only racist if a white person is doing it to a non-white person.

[ChinaChao1]

Yeah. I think you may have missed that point DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP. What I interpreted from that blog (sorry, not article) was that he was making a point that a Korean-AMERICAN born and raised in the U.S. is treated poorly (by American standards) compared to White people who go to Korea because for these white people, they chose to live outside of the U.S. in a country (Korea) where Whites are a minority, making them labeled "foreignor". Where as for Korean-Americans, they are American citizens and born in the U.S., but are treated as though they are NOT truly American because of their Asian demeanor or what not. Over all, I think that Whites in Korea CAN (if they chose) go home where no one second guesses, "Oh, you're from Ireland? My God, your English is amazing!" Where as for Korean-Americans, America is their home, but there is this constant tedious questioning of, "So, where are you from? Virginia? I mean... ethnically? Wow, you have no accent!!!" But anyways, overall, I think black people still have it worse than Asians.

[Old Gil]

Korean Americans can vote, own businesses, have full citizenship, etc. Yes you'll get dumb questions but you have full legal rights.

[steroidmaximus]

lived here ten years married to a Korean, with two kids going through the education system with plans to live several years more. I've worked at some of the most prestigious schools in Korea, contributing to the development of the country in a positive manner. I've studied Korean at a major university in Korea. In that time I've joined several groups including the parents' group of my kids kindergarten and a hiking club, driven a piece of crap 1996 Daewoo Cielo as my first car, deflowered a couple of virgins, traveled the country, camped in Soraksan, hiked Odaesan and Halla San, never been arrested for anything, was the best man at a wedding, had my heart broken, drank too much soju, makoli at times etc., etc., etc. I've had the quintessential Korean experience with some Subway and Outback thrown in.

While I'm quite proud of my Canadian heritage, I'm also invested through and through in Korea, not because of any indoctrination, but simply because I have lived as Korean a life as you can imagine in the great Gangwondo.

While you may think the questions are innocent ("American person!", "You speak Korean so well", "You like Kimchi?" What you think Korean girl?" "You know Dokdo?" "You like spicy food?" "You use chopstick??"), it brings home the truth that no matter what, I will always be a foreigner and always standing in the margins. My experience is so far removed from some of these questions that these situations become opportunities to learn something about the person asking: that they are uneducated, that they may have led insulated lives, that they've never traveled, that they may possibly be a tiny bit racist, that they see me as an FOB ("Fresh Off the Boat" - bitch I'm wearing me a Hanbok!), that they can't get past the way my face looks.

So to say the experience of an Asian person living in the West is even remotely similar is just patently absurd. They have rights and freedoms I can only dream of. Me, I'll always be an English teacher and thought of as one. Suck it.

[beercanman]

^

Haha. One of greatest responses ever.

[Joe666]

So I guess I will state the obvious. There is a world of difference between the Korean society and western countries. Korea- purely homogenous and wants it that way. Most if not all western countries- multicultural. This statement alone speaks volumes.

I have recently come to the conclusion that white people living in Korea may be hypocritical in ranting about the racism in Korea. I am no better. I have ranted and raved plenty of times. I guess there is plenty of racism to go around in every country. There is just something about the "staunchness" of racism in Korea that makes it stand out in almost every social situation a westerner finds themselves in.

[calicoe]

[curiousaboutkorea]

[fermentation]

[Old Gil]

[fermentation]