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chuckycheese
Joined: 12 Aug 2010
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 Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 3:21 am Post subject: Why was this man yelling at me on the bus? |
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I am sitting in the back of a half empty bus minding my own business and as the guy in front of me gets up to leave he procedes to freak out on me. He saw me and got really upset and started barking at me in Korean. I didnt understand him and all I could make out was 'foot,' 'seat,' and 'american'. My korean skills are pretty minimal.
Thinking back on it, I was sitting with one foot on the floor and the other resting on my knee.
Is this some sort of offensive posture that I dont know about? Btw I'm a dude and I was wearing pants.
He missed his stop, so he came back and started complaining at me some more. I said I was canadian and he calmed down and seemed to offer to shake my hand. I shooed him away and he got real upset again, so I got off.
This is in the middle of Seoul and I dont think he was drunk. Just some office worker going home.
Ive been here a few years and never had anything like this happen. Im kinda distrubed by it. Any thoughts? |
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jamesd
Joined: 15 Aug 2011
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 3:24 am Post subject: |
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| You should've shown him the "rocks." |
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rainism
Joined: 13 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 3:32 am Post subject: Re: Why was this man yelling at me on the bus? |
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| chuckycheese wrote: |
I am sitting in the back of a half empty bus minding my own business and as the guy in front of me gets up to leave he procedes to freak out on me. He saw me and got really upset and started barking at me in Korean. I didnt understand him and all I could make out was 'foot,' 'seat,' and 'american'. My korean skills are pretty minimal.
Thinking back on it, I was sitting with one foot on the floor and the other resting on my knee.
Is this some sort of offensive posture that I dont know about? Btw I'm a dude and I was wearing pants.
He missed his stop, so he came back and started complaining at me some more. I said I was canadian and he calmed down and seemed to offer to shake my hand. I shooed him away and he got real upset again, so I got off.
This is in the middle of Seoul and I dont think he was drunk. Just some office worker going home.
Ive been here a few years and never had anything like this happen. Im kinda distrubed by it. Any thoughts? |
I'm guessing your foot was resting on the other knee in a roughly perpendicular setup?
I had some adjosshi say something to me when I had the exact same posture/position when I first came to Korea on a subway.
I think pointing your foot/soles of your feet, as this position has one do, is highly offensive in Buddhism? (and many Koreans remain Buddhist) |
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furtakk
Joined: 02 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 3:40 am Post subject: |
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No idea.
I had something similar happen on the subway, but it was a real old guy who was absolutely wasted at 4PM. Packed line 2, lots of other Koreans watching, really uncomfortable. Just changed cars, but really put me in a sour mood for the rest of that day. |
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young_clinton
Joined: 09 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:10 am Post subject: |
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| He had some serious issues about some other things, and something set him off, maybe nothing. |
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cle2kor
Joined: 06 Oct 2011
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:34 am Post subject: |
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"He calmed down and seemed to offer to shake my hand" (after you told him you were Canadian and NOT American.)
LOL yea, nice trolling. He was angry about your dirty feet, not your nationality.
I've had Koreans THANK me for being American. What has Canada done for Korea? |
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duke of new york
Joined: 23 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:35 am Post subject: |
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| I am curious about this as well. Showing the sole of your shoe like that is an insult in some cultures, such as Arab culture. Is there any similar taboo in Korea? |
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bluelake
Joined: 01 Dec 2005
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:56 am Post subject: |
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| duke of new york wrote: |
| I am curious about this as well. Showing the sole of your shoe like that is an insult in some cultures, such as Arab culture. Is there any similar taboo in Korea? |
I'm not sure if it's still this way anywhere, but it used to be that if you sat on the floor, you did not outstretch your legs pointed at someone, as it was considered rude. There may be some old-timers out there who still might take offense to it, but I think it would be a really rare case. Still, whenever I'm sitting on the floor, I never stretch my legs out at elderly people, just in case.
In the case of the bus, I have no idea... |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 5:11 am Post subject: |
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| Yes. Pointing the soles of your shoes at someone here can be considered offensive...but that's generally for older folk. Sounds like the guy was just having a bad day and decided to take it out on you. Next time ignore. |
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rainism
Joined: 13 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 5:19 am Post subject: |
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| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| Yes. Pointing the soles of your shoes at someone here can be considered offensive...but that's generally for older folk. Sounds like the guy was just having a bad day and decided to take it out on you. Next time ignore. |
hm.. yeah that "adjosshi" I mentioned was an older one. I suspect this may be correct.
in my case I simply uncrossed my legs with a slightly quizzical look (the guy was sitting kind of next to me, but not right next to me)..
after a minute or so, he got up and left..I think going to an adjoining car. Which was fine by me. I'm somewhat cautious about doing that with my feet on the subway here now, but of course had the coot just remained there and started and continued jawing at me, that probably wouldn't have had a good ending for him, because I wouldn't have just sat there and taken it. I would have thrown him into the adjoining car myself. |
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ZIFA
Joined: 23 Feb 2011
Location: Dici che il fiume..Trova la via al mare
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 5:35 am Post subject: Re: Why was this man yelling at me on the bus? |
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| chuckycheese wrote: |
| He missed his stop, so he came back and started complaining at me some more. I said I was canadian and he calmed down and seemed to offer to shake my hand. I shooed him away and he got real upset again, so I got off. |
Showing the sole of your foot to another person is regarded as rude in much of asia.
A lot of people seem to think foreigners should somehow automatically know and fall into line with all of their inticate customs. This goes for everywhere in the world, not just Korea. The same people have usually never travelled outside their own countries and experienced culture shock.
You're probably the first non-Korean he has ever spoken to. When you opened your mouth to speak, suddenly he realised you were actually human. Until that moment he had been running on xenephobic misperceptions from the korean media. |
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The Floating World
Joined: 01 Oct 2011
Location: Here
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 5:42 am Post subject: |
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yup the pointing and showing of the soles of the shoes is culturally offensive in Korea to elder people.
Doubly so on the subway and you will get big time chewed out for it from anyone over 45 or so. I also think it makes you take up too much room, get your knee across someone elses lap and this looks egotistical to koreans also.
Or maybe he just wanted to see some rocks.  Sorry, hard to resist that one.
And I too have had angry adjoishis shout at me for being american and then wanted to go drink with me and shake my hand when I tild them I was from England. Why, I have no idea and I'm not anti-american - just my actual experience. |
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davai!
Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Location: Kuwait
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 6:36 am Post subject: |
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| cle2kor wrote: |
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I've had Koreans THANK me for being American. What has Canada done for Korea? |
let's START with this: Canada's casualties totalled 1,558 including 516 who died.
http://www.kvacanada.com/canadians_in_the_korean_war.htm |
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rainism
Joined: 13 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 6:52 am Post subject: |
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| The Floating World wrote: |
yup the pointing and showing of the soles of the shoes is culturally offensive in Korea to elder people.
Doubly so on the subway and you will get big time chewed out for it from anyone over 45 or so. I also think it makes you take up too much room, get your knee across someone elses lap and this looks egotistical to koreans also.
Or maybe he just wanted to see some rocks. Sorry, hard to resist that one.
And I too have had angry adjoishis shout at me for being american and then wanted to go drink with me and shake my hand when I tild them I was from England. Why, I have no idea and I'm not anti-american - just my actual experience. |
in my case I wasn't taking up too much room, as the subway car at that time was relatively sparsely populated. Clearly I couldn't do that with people sitting next to me.
I have yet to be yelled at by any Korean. I'm quite cognizant of the cultural norms and generally speaking a polite and non aggressive person so it's unlikely to happen unless you're just dealing with an a-hole, but I'm kind of hoping to run across some a-hole soon.
haven't had an incident since some K hole chose to deliberately get in my straight walking path thinking I'd move out of the way for HIM even though it was clear he was messing with me or trying to assert some kind of stupid superiority trick. He was smart enough to pull off a last second massive swerve which meant only potentially bruising his outer shoulder instead of splattering himself fully. |
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joelove
Joined: 12 May 2011
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 7:22 am Post subject: |
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| Sounds like a disturbed person. Reminds me of the time a guy on a subway train got upset I was reading the newspaper and grabbed it from me, saying something angry about the presence of the foreign language in his country I guess. And I wasn't even saying the English out loud while reading. I just figured he was insane. |
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