Korean Job Discussion Forums

John Connor · Joined: 26 Mar 2009 Location: The year 2020

So last week at a teachers eating and drinking session, we moved to the second place after much singing, eating, dancing and just for a change, some drinking.

At the second location, I was taken outside by one of the English teachers and told that the principal wanted me to leave since he didn't want the other English teachers feeling like they had to babysit me and feel uncomfortable. In all honesty my Korean does suck.

So the dictionary qualifies racism as a hatred or intolerance of other races. I'm not sure this qualifies as racism, since according to them, it was the language barrier that caused the problem.

What does everyone else think?

Whatever it was, it was downright rude.

Maybe it had to do with some of the female teachers dancing with me earlier, which I initially resisted when they tried dragging me up there. LOL!

Senior · Joined: 31 Jan 2010

This exact same thing happened to my pal. They were on a school trip, and the teachers were getting messy as hell (so was he), and the Principal told him to go back to his room 'cos he was "too drunk". Now, i wasn't there, but this guy weighs over 200 pounds. I'm pretty sure he could hold his own with a bunch of 120 pound weaklings, like his Principal.

I wouldn't call it racist (because everyone knows it's impossible to be racist to a white guy(presuming you are a white guy)), but your Principal is definitely a massive jerk.

If it were me I would act all hurt and sad and guilt the shit out of him. You really wanted to learn about Korean culture and improve your Korean, but he stopped you. Or some such. You might be able to use it for leverage in the future.

Goon-Yang · Joined: 28 May 2009 Location: Duh

They are asses, but if they act like that...do you realy want to hang out with them all night? Babysit? I'd tell the guy to F-off and leave. Next time there is another school function tell them you won't attend because you don't want them babysitting you.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Englishee · Joined: 21 Jan 2010

insensitive? yes. racist? no. language isnt race specific. so no, its not racism.

and its not like the colour of your skin, which u have no control over. technically, you have control over your inability to speak/understand korean..lol

did u leave? did any other teachers go with u? because if no teachers did, they are, in my opinion, just as bad as your employer. unless ur an arse to them for no reason, or you're a freak...then i can understand.

frankly speaking · Joined: 23 Oct 2005

Race isn't just about color Englishee. It is about culture, language is a part of culture and because they speak different languages his boss didn't want them spending their time interpreting all night, which is what he probably meant by babysitting.

I do think that it is racist.

I don't think that it matters too much. I personally, wouldn't have stayed that long anyway. I wouldn't want people spending all night explaining things to me. If I liked a few teachers and wanted to hang with them, I would have asked them to go somewhere else without the principal.

Next time their is a teachers meeting or anything that is held in Korean, just tell the director that you cannot attend because you feel guilty having the Korean teachers babysit you.

I wouldn't do anything extra with the school, but I don't anyway so it doesn't matter. I am not in Korea to make friends or hang out with colleagues. I have my own friends. I never associate with co workers after work.

Englishee · Joined: 21 Jan 2010

ChilgokBlackHole · Joined: 21 Nov 2009

Were I asked to leave an event I was invited to on "babysitting" grounds, I would never again attend an after work event for any reason.

Kurtz · Joined: 05 Jan 2007 Location: ples bilong me

Maybe not racist but very insensitive. If the principal had a heart, he/she'd be telling you maybe don't come as everyone will be speaking Korean and you'll feel left out.

I wish I wasn't invited to these dreadful dinners. They are terrible. My co-workers are totally oblivious to the fact that I'm being ignored, and now I try and use the I have a "promise" routine to get out of future dinners.

As for round 2, sheesh, sitting around some crappy noraebang with a bunch of ajummas doing the ajumma clap to awful Korean golden oldies whilst madly flicking through the English songs section and picking out Sinatra's "My way" for me to sing, you're in luck being told to take a walk.

blackjack · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Location: anyang

maybe nobody really liked you and the principal lost rock paper scissors and got stuck asking you too leave?

kimiki · Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Location: south korea

in a way actually i think it's kind of refreshingly direct, given the off-the charts passive-aggressive communications i've experienced from most korean people i've worked with so far.

but i am sorry if your feelings were hurt, and i do think other posters have good advice about how to milk their awkward approach to the whole thing to your benefit.

i'd like to hear other people's stories about their experiences of things they would call 'racism' here. recently for me the woman who owns a small market i used to frequent made comments about me being fat and that i shouldn't buy so much food. can you freakin believe that???? i don't know exactly what she said but believe me, putting all the pieces together (the few words i did understand + overt body-language gestures + loud, bizarrely chastizing tone), i'm pretty sure i got the message quite precisely.

not ONLY that though, but she apparently has discussed this issue of my fatness (i'm a US size 10-12 depending on where i shop in the US, but with a clearly defined waist and attractive if ample proportions, thank you very much!!) with EVERY ONE OF HER WORKERS IN THE STORE because when i walked by them they made similar gestures and repeated similar kinds of phrases to me! (on different nights.... i actually went back 2x after she first did it because, well, i don't know... i was trying to ignore it or i didn't understand the full implications of it then.)

BUT, not ONLY that....! SHE ALSO MENTIONED IT to the woman who is the head teacher at my school who already kind of has it out for me for reasons i am not sure of (infuriating, as i am at least 1/2 hour early every day, thorough with all of my paperwork etc duties and very devoted to my job and i know that shows. and i am also well-liked by a majority of the students, i am fairly sure). this woman, in turn, i believe has told *everyone* at the school. i don't know this for sure but i do have a strong hunch and some clues i won't get into here as this post is long enough already.....

whew! thank the lord we have dave's as a place to vent. so i ask: do you think this was racism?

Crying or Very sad

mzeno · Joined: 12 Oct 2008

At a teacher's meeting,dinner, gathering, whatever,... the principal is King.
Defy that at your own peril!!

Old Gil · Joined: 26 Sep 2009 Location: Got out! olleh!

Not racist, but chauvinistic fo shoooo

Sadebugo1 · Joined: 11 May 2003

frankly speaking · Joined: 23 Oct 2005

kimiki, how is you being a fatty racist. You are fat if you are a size 12. You might call it voluptuous, but I call it large and in charge. If koreans think you are fat because you are fat, that isn't racist, they might be prejudice against overweight people but there are many forms of prejudice there are not many forms of racism. It is rude to point fingers at people but you can lose some weight, the OP cannot change the native language of the culture he/she was born into.