Korean Job Discussion Forums

kimchi_pizza · Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 1:09 am Post subject:

Alright, time to bump a thread and vent~~~

I've had two AMERICAN friends within the last several days tell me "cheer up" and "be happy". WTH?

I've had a fantastic weekend/Buddha's birthday/Memorial Day break. Went on a mind-clearing, rejuvinating road trip, a little adventure with wonderful memories that I shared and the replies have been, "You need to cheer up!", "Enjoy life more...."

Do I need be a giggling idiot in order to appear like I'm content and happy? I can't help but laugh....

I swear, how does telling someone to 'be happy' and 'cheer up' actually help that person to be happy? IT DOESNT'!!!! I thought this was a purely Korean thing, but it's not. IT'S SPREAD and gone international. It's an epidemic! Someone needs to contact CDC and let them know. Absolutely nothing more irritating...

Or else I'll have to go back to drastic measures that will TRULLY make me
happy....a punch in the nose!

Ok, *deep breaths~~ drink of beer~~* vent over~ now I'm happy.

thatkidpercy · Joined: 05 Sep 2010

http://www.heroes-baseball.com/main/main.asp

Can you spot the out of place "cheer up!" ?

pegasus64128 · Joined: 20 Aug 2011

Julius · Joined: 27 Jul 2006

Its a form of condescension, a gentle put down.

Koreans are fond of subtly doing all they possibly can to irritate you, then when they succeed, they let you know they've won by telling you to "cheer up'.

People everywhere get a secret thrill by making others feel bad, but here it is an art form.

methdxman · Joined: 14 Sep 2010

Cheer up guys, soon, maybe one day, you'll be able to find employment back home, which will be based on skill/potential rather than something you had nothing to do with (birth).

Dodge7 · Joined: 21 Oct 2011

drydell · Joined: 01 Oct 2009

Hmm.. I found that a lot of Americans are uncomfortable with self deprication.. Is that what's making them tell you to "cheer up"?

Chimie · Joined: 05 Oct 2011

Since when is Cheer Up a negative phrase? I use it all the time and it's used all the time back in America in a completely positive way... to mean... "Cheer Up".

Now it also can be used sarcastically, but that doesn't rid it of it's original meaning....

plhanlon85 · Joined: 27 May 2011

cheer up

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

Underwaterbob · Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Location: In Cognito

Just another mindless, badly translated idiom. It's like when you're sick and a Korean tells you to ah peu ji ma. What? Don't be sick? That's kind of beyond my control. Meaningless niceties: common in every language.

joelove · Joined: 12 May 2011

It's kind of a useless expression, isn't it? If someone is feeling down or in a bad mood, telling them to cheer up is not helping. I guess it could be OK if you said something like, well, cheer up, at least it's Friday. That would maybe make sense.

K1020 · Joined: 20 Jun 2010

As for Korean usage, I've had co-teachers use it with me as an English "fighting!" (a sort of -I'm with you, chin up, go get-em, sentiment)
Either way, I would take it at face value, it's a way for someone to tell you they wish you were happier with out getting too personal. (Either because it's inappropriate or they don't really wanna get into it with you.); come to think of it "fighting" may not be a bad sentimental translation.