Korean Job Discussion Forums

[BoholDiver]

Today I was waiting in Sindorim station and saw the start of an altercation between one ajosshi of around 55 and another of around 60 with a prosthetic leg. I watched as usual, as these fights are often comical.

It got worse, as the one man actually punched and assaulted the handicapped man. Somewhat badly. Of course one man jumped in somewhat half-arsed and didn't allow him to mount the other day and turn his face into hamburger, but really didn't stop it.

The crowd did the dirty look thing, the general disgust, but no one saw it in them to stop this. I was pondering what to do, then the train came, and finally 3 people jumped in and made the other guy walk away, after he'd knocked down the handicapped man about 4 times and punched him about a dozen times.

I felt bad after it. I should have defended the handicapped man, even if he caused it. But I don't trust the law here.

[SHANE02]

You did the right thing. walk away.

[mc_jc]

Yes- walk away and stay out of it.

If you had gotten involved, you would've been the scapegoat for the altercation and might've been arrested if the police got involved or the crowd could've turned against your good deed and you would've been beaten up.

Again, it doesn't pay to be chivalrous in Korea.

[shinramyun]

Act like an Italian, mind your own damn business.

[BoholDiver]

Lovely.

I agree that getting involved is bad for me, but it's stupid that a Korean man thinks it's okay to beat up a handicapped man. I wonder, does he kick babies and little dogs too?

[JJJ]

You did the right thing, even if it didn't feel right.

A couple years ago, I saw a guy beating the crap out of a woman at Sillim Station with about 100 people watching in a big semi-circle. No one moved. I almost did and remembered a story about a good soul who intervened and was charged. That's the way it goes here.

[hellofaniceguy]

All you..."won't get involved" are bad. When you see bad and do nothing, you are just as guilty as those doing the bad. It could well be YOU getting harmed and others standing around with your attitude watching you get hurt! Would you like others to just stand around while you get your azz whipped? You don't have to rush in and break it up, but at least let your presence known and try to stop the beating. I have spent many years here and have stepped in between countless fights especially when it involves a male whacking on a female. Cops have never ever done me bad by my interfering.

[crossmr]

I haven't seen too many attacks since I've been here, but there was a crazy guy yelling at a woman on the subway platform about 6 months or so ago at goseok terminal. At one point he actually charged at the woman and tried to hit her. This guy, maybe 20ish suddenly ran over from the platform got in between them, while at the same time trying to appear very polite to the crazy guy and told him to go away. The crazy guy would back off and the young guy would go back to waiting for his train. Apparently this crazy guy wanted to live behind the woman's booth on the platform. This happened several times and then my train came, I had seen some people on their phones so they were likely calling the police.

The best thing I saw was some 15 year old transit station kid trying to herd a drunk 50ish guy out the gate. He was trying to be polite at first then he got tired so he started doing the full on head down push trying to get this guy out.

[contacts]

If only the prosthetic leg somehow came into play - that would have been a story!

[djsmnc]

I'd be like "Beat that cripple azz man!" Sho nuff

[Steelrails]

[Adventurer]

I remember first hearing about such a phenomenon about some people who lived in a city like New York City where a woman was screaming as she was getting raped and no one came to help her. This sort of thing does tend to happen more in large cities. However, I doubt I would see someone hitting a handicapped person on a bus in Dallas without any Texans doing anything to stop what's happening. Many folks in Korea act in a way that reminds me of characters in the movie "The Time Machine" where people watched the Morlocks killing people like them. However, there are plenty of Koreans who will help people in need. We can't see we know the culture very well. I read somewhere that the concept of the public good is not as strong in Korean society. However, that was written by that Korean American writer who often writes things EFL instructors don't like. I forget his name.

I can tell you once I was in a bad mood and this fellow was scaring an ajumma and acting nuts in front of his wife/girlfriend. I think she didn't know how to calm him down and made him more aggravated. Eventually, I got tired of him bothering the ajummas. So, I gave him a look. Then, he threatend me, and I told him to go ahead and try to deck me and talked in a threatening, nothing to lose tone. I was ticked off with immigration that day, I believe. I told him to get off the subway and leave the ajumma alone. He eventually did at the urging of his girl instead of fight me.

What happened after that? The people on the subway train were all smiles and happy that he was gone and someone did something.

[abigolblackman]

@Adventuer

To clarify that New York Story.

The woman was getting raped in the middle of a park that was surrounded by 4 or 5 high rise apartment buildings. People could see the rape happening from their apartment. Everyone was waiting for someone else to do something but nobody called the police.

The man left the woman there, then came back 15 minutes later and stabbed her to death. Again, no one intervened or called the police.

I forget the psychological term for this kind of social behavior is, but personally, I just called it F***ed up.

2 years ago I was in Japan on the subway. My back was to the open doors. All of a sudden, my friend says, "OMG!" I turn around to find a small and petite (of course) Japanese woman stuck between the doors. By the time I saw, it had already been well over 10 seconds and no one made a move to help her. I immediately pushed everyone out the way and forced the doors open so not only she could get inside, but also not DIE/or get INJURED. Beyond that, the subway train will not run until the doors close completely. What is wrong with these people? After she was inside, I turned around, looked at everybody, threw my hands in the air and said, "What the f***?!?!?!?!?!" Whether they understood me or not, they got the message and all put their heads down in shame.

abigolblackman

[asylum seeker]

[Bloopity Bloop]