Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SteveSteve]

Does anyone really like to be called a 'foreigner' or a 'foreign teacher.'? I don't know, but sometimes that word gets to me because there's usually some negative connotation attached to it. Do you ever get that feeling? I like to think that we're all from the same Earth and that there are no foreigners, only people from different corners of the world. I don't mind using 'Westerner' to talk about the native English-speakers in Korea or referring to their nationalities, such as Canadian, American, English, etc.

I guess switching to another word doesn't really change reality for better or worse, and I'm usually not so thin-skinned or politically correct. But does anyone else cringe when they here that word?

[kprrok]

Nope. I don't give a rats arse what people call me. Hell, I even call all foreigners "whitey" even if they're not white!

[nathanrutledge]

Eh. You do know that in Korean, the word foreigner has no negative connotation behind it and that it is just a descriptor, right? You won't be able to change a Koreans mind on using that word because they don't have the same frame of reference.

[edwardcatflap]

Don't mind that. What bugs me a little is the categorisation of food.

e.g. in a food court

Chinese food
Japanese food
Korean food
Western food

So does category four mean food from any other country in the world except those three? If you ask a Korean they usually can't answer properly but I get the impression 'Western food' means hot dogs, steaks, burgers pizza and pasta and that's about it.

In 'The West' we would not dream of having a category 'Far Eastern food' and lumping rice, noodles, Kimchi and sushi etc...together so why do they do it here? Ignorance, disregard or lack of interest in other cultures etc..?.

[SteveSteve]

[schwa]

"Foreigner" has never bothered me. I use it & accept it as nonpejorative. Ditto "westerner," but that word makes me wonder west of where?

Too many people nowadays are hypersensitive to any hint of insinuation. Every word out of our (or others') mouths doesnt need psychoanalyzing.

[Seoulio]

[Junior]

[AsiaESLbound]

I guess it's one of those words like, "developing country," that can carry a negative connotation of the locals being primitives, but that silly idea couldn't be any farther from the truth. Actually, "developing country," means a country is working extra hard to upgrade infrastructure and increasing opportunities, but still rough around the edges. "Foreigner," could carry some negative connotation like "neo-colonizing ethnic pollution," or just, "alien," as it technically means. We do have what is known as an, "alien resident card." I always think of these strange beings with ET heads when I hear, "alien," or look at that card. Alien can also carry negative connotation as it's often used by Americans to mean, "illegal aliens mostly from Mexico," but it's really just a nuetral immigration term. Foreigner is what we talk so, "foreign teacher," is the most accurate description.


How would, "alien English teacher," sound? weird. lol

How about, "expatriate English teacher?" That sounds like someone who no longer has patriotic feelings for their own country so they left to go teach another countries kids.

Sometimes, "native English teacher," is used as a more respectful neutral term to mean English is your native language that you come to teach.

[Globutron]

I like that Koreans go abroad to England or whatever, and continue to call them/me foreigners.

[balzor]

[PatrickGHBusan]

[Steve_Rogers2008]

[tiger fancini]

[Mr. BlackCat]

While I don't quite agree with the OP, in English the word 'foreigner' has a slight negative connotation so I understand where he's coming from. Also, in most Western countries, especially North America, after you've lived there for a few years it would be down right rude to call someone 'foreigner'. In Korea you could have grandchildren on your lap and you'd still be just as 'foreigner' as the kid on the bus from Incheon. Having said that, I don't care if I'm called foreigner here but I wouldn't use the term in my home country.

Regarding food: I don't know if I've ever even seen an 'Asian' restaurant even in small towns, although I do understand that lots of Asian dishes get categorized as either Chinese or Japanese. True, most Chinese food served in Western cities would be unrecognizable to a native, but it is almost always made by Chinese people. It's not like Mr. Smith is in the kitchen. They've adjusted their food to meet the American market and it's done incredibly well. 'Chinatown', with its base in New York, has even become it's own internationally recognized category. Most of the Westerners I know back home can deferentiate between Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese more than they can between the various Mediterranean dishes. Food was never bounded by political lines, so the term Asian food with the idea of spicy meat and steam vegetables with noodles or rice is just as accurate a description as Mediterranean meaning meat on a stick, hummus and pita bread. When we say "Asian" we mean East Asian and have other terms to refer to other regions. For Koreans, "Western" includes everything west of China, yet really only applies to fast food and pasta. Really, there is not a world of difference between the basic ingerdients to a Thai meal and a Korean meal, but there is between Greek, Mexican, French, American, etc.