Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mcviking]

Just wanted to throw this one out there. Has all the mundane buildings, rude people, the constant staring and glaring, made you resent you new residence and its people at all? I would be lying if I didn't say that some days I am very bitter; but some days one of my kids will do something cute or awesome to bring me back to sanity. Wanted to see what others have felt. My experiences in Korea so far have been pretty bipolar.

[janafromfrance]

being here has made me not want my sister and family to come over here. Nobody ever stops to let me cross the road, people are always pushing this way and that. I feel like I am in a zoo sometimes. I miss
France, and Korea has made me not want to come back, ever

[beercanman]

As a white dude who has been to some parts of Asia, no, it has not made me racist. I never was and never will be. I despise Korean society though. So I left it. But you will find similar crap in other countries. Try China.

Korea is unreal though. I know that. Maybe there is nowhere else like it.

Another thing. I don't know about most people but I can never see a woman through "race" .. she is simply a woman in my eyes, black, Asian, white, whatever.

Men cause the wars.

[whome?]

friends and family have noticed a change in my views and e-behaviour; angry emails.

Korea has made me a much angrier and more frustrated person. The little things all combine into something not so little. And the not so little thing happens too often for it not to influence my thinking. Others may have no problems with the things I have BIG problems with.

I have a lot of black friends and they like to make white jokes all the time (I deserve the white guys can't dance jokes), but I have to say I have a concept of what they call "Angry black man mentality". Frustrations. Being treated differently. People starring. Wrongs that are excused or justified. Being treated unequally because I am white. They seem to agree with my take on it.

I'm leaving soon and only got an account to sell my stuff, but dealing with the K-defenders on this board makes me angry. The blind hatred/racism that I see from some teachers also bothers me.

As to what someone else said, I have been to just about every east asian acountry from India east, other than Indonesia and Burma. And Korean behaviour is the rudest that I've encountered in the region. I've been in major cities with more people than Seoul and nothing like Korean behaviour. The only place that approached it was the Beijing subway, where if you don't push you're not getting on. And that's what made Seoul even more infuriating, because whereas in Beijing you literally have to push, in Seoul you don't have to but they do anyway.

Anyway, racist no. Angrier and more frustrated, yes. Will I be leaving with a positive view of Korea and Koreans. No. How can you hate a pure blood people with 6000 years of history?

[Freeghen]

I'm not racist. I hate everyone the same.

But seriously, Korea has not made me racist. I don't believe the color of one's skin or bone structure has anything to do with someone's personality. I do, however, believe that culture significantly contribute's to one's actions and reactions.
Korean culture, like western cultures, has it's good points and it's bad points. Korea itself also has really selfish, arrogant people - just as there is back home.
I think people notice the bad more than the good here due to the fact that Korea is such a small country with such a huge population, so you are forced to interact with many more people than you would on a daily basis than if you were in the U.S, Canada, NZ etc. Interacting with more people = meeting more douchebags than you normally would in any given day back home.

[janafromfrance]

[ashland]

[PatrickGHBusan]

Interesting how no one mentions they can have fault in this. It is all Korea's fault.

[VanIslander]

1. Koreans are not a race.

2. Criticisms of a culture only apply to individuals to the degree that a given individual exemplifies the cultural traits or practices criticized.

3. Few if any people you meet will actually love or hate Korea to the degree that the zealots - both of the apologist and malcontent kind - on dave's do.

[Steelrails]

[redaxe]

Korea hasn't made me racist, but it has made me realize that I don't like Korean culture.

Yes, I live in Seoul.

[Old Gil]

It's made me reject the concept of cultural relativity.

You can't say 'it's cultural' about your own country, it's like saying 내가드셨어.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Shouldn't the question be: Have you chosen to respond to your experiences in Korea in a racist way?

The OP's first item 'mundane buildings' made me smile. I had to wonder if maybe the OP has a Swiss-like hangup about architecture.

[storysinger81]

[VanIslander]