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If you're not white and/or unattractive, don't come to Korea
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catman
Joined: 18 Jul 2004
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 Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:09 am Post subject: |
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I think you would have to be a burn victim not to be considered handsome in Korea.
Although obese waygooks do tend to have a tougher time. |
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thisisausername
Joined: 28 May 2011
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:11 am Post subject: |
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Yes sorry I get all worried about grammar mistakes because I'm speaking into my phone.
The ad should be;
Note 2: If you have time for the editing. |
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maximmm
Joined: 01 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:20 am Post subject: Re: If you're not white and/or unattractive, don't come to K |
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| thisisausername wrote: |
If you're unattractive or non white I really think there are better places to go. Korea is not going to be easy for a fat white guy or a thin black girl. This is the most appearance obsessed country on the planet. Year after year this country leads the way with the highest percentage of plastic surgery. They're also sporting one of the highest suicide rates in the world. If Koreans find you unattractive, they have no use for you outside of factory work.
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There are better places to go - true. Then again, many of us are here because of financial reasons.
The last sentence can be easily refuted - and has already been refuted. Besides, hagwons are by far more appearance-oriented than other education institutions (public schools or universities) - so what you say may be true specifically in regards to hagwons, but much less so when it comes to other work places.
As for suicides - there are many reasons why the suicide rate here is so high here - people's obsession with their physical appearance is not one of those reasons. |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:23 am Post subject: |
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| thebearofbundang wrote: |
| I speak Korean fluently |
That's impressive. How many years did it take you to get to the fluent level? |
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thisisausername
Joined: 28 May 2011
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:31 am Post subject: Re: If you're not white and/or unattractive, don't come to K |
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As for suicides - there are many reasons why the suicide rate here is so high here - people's obsession with their physical appearance is not one of those reasons. |
Absurd.
Allow me to make some more random declarative statements.
Your *beep* is 12 inches long!
Your mother was married to the great great nephew of Abraham Lincoln.
Eating kimchi iis a greater benefit than hindrance to your overall well-being.
Vietnamese prostitutes always insist upon condoms.
Thanks for introducing me to this game. |
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thebearofbundang
Joined: 02 Sep 2012
Location: Bundang
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:39 am Post subject: |
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World Traveler
thebearofbundang wrote:
I speak Korean fluently
That's impressive. How many years did it take you to get to the fluent level?
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I've been here for nearly 8 years. Half way through my second year I dedicated myself to learning the language. I worked for my wife's family business for 3 years which helped a lot. In all in took me just under 6 years.
Also, I certainly didn't bring that up as a way to brag about my awesomeness. I was just refuting the OP's comment that most citizens will tell my wife and child they are traitors or not 'pure blood'. I was just pointing out that I can understand everything that is said when I am with them and I haven't personally experienced that yet.. |
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maximmm
Joined: 01 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:39 am Post subject: Re: If you're not white and/or unattractive, don't come to K |
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| thisisausername wrote: |
| Quote: |
As for suicides - there are many reasons why the suicide rate here is so high here - people's obsession with their physical appearance is not one of those reasons. |
Absurd.
Allow me to make some more random declarative statements.
Your *beep* is 12 inches long!
Your mother was married to the great great nephew of Abraham Lincoln.
Eating kimchi iis a greater benefit than hindrance to your overall well-being.
Vietnamese prostitutes always insist upon condoms.
Thanks for introducing me to this game. |
It actually is 12 inches long, but how did you know?!! |
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cam83
Joined: 27 Jan 2013
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 6:08 am Post subject: Re: If you're not white and/or unattractive, don't come to K |
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| thisisausername wrote: |
If you're unattractive or non white I really think there are better places to go. Korea is not going to be easy for a fat white guy or a thin black girl. This is the most appearance obsessed country on the planet. Year after year this country leads the way with the highest percentage of plastic surgery. They're also sporting one of the highest suicide rates in the world. If Koreans find you unattractive, they have no use for you outside of factory work.
Do you really want to come here knowing that you were their last choice? If they could have found someone more attractive than you or "at least white" they definitely would have. Your qualifications mean nothing. Your real job here is to look like an attractive waeg. If you're not, by KR standards, an attractive waeg, they will be sure to remind you of it in your daily life.
If you're non white, you may even be denied access to certain establishments. There was the famous case a few years ago a woman of Pakistani descent being denied access to a sauna. this business openly said that the reason they denied her access it because she was a dirty foreigner, she would contaminate the water, and also that they were worried about catching aids from her.
http://thethreewisemonkeys.com/2011/10/17/multicultural-korea-dirty-foreigners-spoil-the-sauna-water-and-spread-aids/
If you came over here and ended up getting into a relationship with a Korean person many citizens here would think of your girlfriend as a traitor to her country. They would tell you that your kids had impure blood were you ever to marry and have children.
After visiting ~40 countries, my experience here is that its the most intolerant nation by far.
Why not try Thailand, Indonesia or Japan instead? |
Would you mind sharing with us your ethnicity (i.e do you pass for white or Korean). This would help clarify your perspective as to whether you are a person of colour who has experienced these things in Korea or you are basing on hearsay and observation. As a black guy from London who will be going into his 5th year in Seoul, I would like you to clarify this before I respond with further insights regarding the OP.
But based on what I have read, your desire to warn/inform non-whites of your discoveries does not appear to be coming from a good/helpful/sincere place. If this was your intention... then I am your target audience and as the recipient of such information and the way in which it has been written, I find that it does not help either Korea or us non-whites.
5 years ago, Korea was not as open to non-whites as it is now... this slowly changing as more people of colour come here, the younger generations learn about racism and are becoming more comfortable interacting with non-whites... I feel this is helped by the younger generation (30 and under) are traveling outside of Asia more frequently and with the Internet... US music, movies etc helps this cause.
By suggesting that non-whites come to live/work in Korea due to racism, is to suggest that you are not interested about in bringing about a change for the better of Korea and helping it become a more multicultural society.
In my limited time here, I have taught students who who gone eon to live abroad in multicultural societies and I have taught about race... even saying hi to the toddler in the street or helping the ajumma up the stairs with her shopping gives me a sense of pride that I am helping to change the development of Korea and it's perception of foreigners in general. I feel that your OP undermines this.
I am not sure how many people of colour will read your OP, but I await to see how many (if any at all) take what you have said as a warning or a source of help.
I also think even white people as well as non-whites, as well as fat people are helping the change to make Korea a more open place.... a white American teacher near my workplace (pretty heavy and ugly), teaches my students after school, they adore her as do their parents, she has a positive attitude and is almost always happy when we cross paths... in this respect, it can show the younger ones that even if they are fat or they're not the most attractive... they can still lead happy lives and I feel some kids need that because as you pointed out, Korean society tends to favour the attractive thin type. |
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augustine
Joined: 08 Sep 2012
Location: México
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 6:17 am Post subject: Re: If you're not white and/or unattractive, don't come to K |
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| Damn, Maximmm got the 12 inch schlong joke in before me. Don't the white guys who are on Korean TV usually speak very good Korean, meaning they've been here for a long, long time and kind of skank themselves out purposefully since the guys who would reach that level are assuredly massive, eh, I don't want to put an offensive word to it, people? I think I've briefly watched a few of them on TV randomly and that seemed like the only reason they were on TV here in the first place. Like Japophiles who couldn't make it, or something like that. The OP is a bit strong in the wording of it, but I generally agree. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 6:20 am Post subject: |
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| thebearofbundang wrote: |
| Quote: |
World Traveler
thebearofbundang wrote:
I speak Korean fluently
That's impressive. How many years did it take you to get to the fluent level?
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I've been here for nearly 8 years. Half way through my second year I dedicated myself to learning the language. I worked for my wife's family business for 3 years which helped a lot. In all in took me just under 6 years.
Also, I certainly didn't bring that up as a way to brag about my awesomeness. I was just refuting the OP's comment that most citizens will tell my wife and child they are traitors or not 'pure blood'. I was just pointing out that I can understand everything that is said when I am with them and I haven't personally experienced that yet.. |
I started studying the language during my second year as well. I put in a lot of time and effort but also had tons of chances to practice through in-laws and Korean friends. My motivation was also pretty high and to me that is the critical element. It took a few years to reach fluency (in terms of speaking with others, watching movies and Tv in Korean) and a bit longer to reach fluency in reading. The writing I would qualify as a bit below fluent simply because I do not use it as much. All in all it took a lot of work but I would do it again in a heartbeat because it really added to my life. |
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markness
Joined: 02 Jan 2013
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 6:28 am Post subject: |
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| PatrickGHBusan wrote: |
| thebearofbundang wrote: |
| Quote: |
World Traveler
thebearofbundang wrote:
I speak Korean fluently
That's impressive. How many years did it take you to get to the fluent level?
|
I've been here for nearly 8 years. Half way through my second year I dedicated myself to learning the language. I worked for my wife's family business for 3 years which helped a lot. In all in took me just under 6 years.
Also, I certainly didn't bring that up as a way to brag about my awesomeness. I was just refuting the OP's comment that most citizens will tell my wife and child they are traitors or not 'pure blood'. I was just pointing out that I can understand everything that is said when I am with them and I haven't personally experienced that yet.. |
I started studying the language during my second year as well. I put in a lot of time and effort but also had tons of chances to practice through in-laws and Korean friends. My motivation was also pretty high and to me that is the critical element. It took a few years to reach fluency (in terms of speaking with others, watching movies and Tv in Korean) and a bit longer to reach fluency in reading. The writing I would qualify as a bit below fluent simply because I do not use it as much. All in all it took a lot of work but I would do it again in a heartbeat because it really added to my life. |
Great to hear, considering this will be my fourth language that i'll be learning, this definitely keeps me motivated. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 6:38 am Post subject: |
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| markness wrote: |
| PatrickGHBusan wrote: |
| thebearofbundang wrote: |
| Quote: |
World Traveler
thebearofbundang wrote:
I speak Korean fluently
That's impressive. How many years did it take you to get to the fluent level?
|
I've been here for nearly 8 years. Half way through my second year I dedicated myself to learning the language. I worked for my wife's family business for 3 years which helped a lot. In all in took me just under 6 years.
Also, I certainly didn't bring that up as a way to brag about my awesomeness. I was just refuting the OP's comment that most citizens will tell my wife and child they are traitors or not 'pure blood'. I was just pointing out that I can understand everything that is said when I am with them and I haven't personally experienced that yet.. |
I started studying the language during my second year as well. I put in a lot of time and effort but also had tons of chances to practice through in-laws and Korean friends. My motivation was also pretty high and to me that is the critical element. It took a few years to reach fluency (in terms of speaking with others, watching movies and Tv in Korean) and a bit longer to reach fluency in reading. The writing I would qualify as a bit below fluent simply because I do not use it as much. All in all it took a lot of work but I would do it again in a heartbeat because it really added to my life. |
Great to hear, considering this will be my fourth language that i'll be learning, this definitely keeps me motivated. |
I spoke 2 before starting with Koreans and having already mastered a second language helped me a ton when I started working on Korean.
I will say it again, the key element for me in learning any language is motivation. If your motivations are casual or not clear, you will have a much harder time facing the tough spots that come with learning any language!
Good luck with your studies! |
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Rofpo
Joined: 12 Jun 2013
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 6:57 am Post subject: Re: If you're not white and/or unattractive, don't come to K |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
Think about the two most "famous" westerners on Korean tv.
How would you describe them physically?
Now think about what you've written....
| thisisausername wrote: |
| If you're unattractive or non white I really think there are better places to go. Korea is not going to be easy for a fat white guy or a thin black girl. |
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Both the guys you are holding up as an example put a sh!t load of effort into becoming fluent in Korean or Corean if you prefer. A complete and utter waste of time if you ask me but it has gotten their fat ugly arses on TV.
You still have failed to refute a sentence in the OP's opening paragraph. |
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Threequalseven
Joined: 08 May 2012
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 7:19 am Post subject: |
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| I 100% agree with the OP's main point. Caring about one's appearance is one thing, but going around judging everyone you see based solely on their looks and measuring your own sense of self-worth accordingly is really shallow. Of course, some will say "everybody judges," which is mostly true. But there's a huge difference between simply typecasting and judging the whole of a person's value on a one-dimensional scale of ugly vs. pretty. It's pretty sad that so many people are quick to defend this attitude on here. It's telling of the values of ESL teachers in Korea. |
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markness
Joined: 02 Jan 2013
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| Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:14 am Post subject: |
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| PatrickGHBusan wrote: |
| markness wrote: |
| PatrickGHBusan wrote: |
| thebearofbundang wrote: |
| Quote: |
World Traveler
thebearofbundang wrote:
I speak Korean fluently
That's impressive. How many years did it take you to get to the fluent level?
|
I've been here for nearly 8 years. Half way through my second year I dedicated myself to learning the language. I worked for my wife's family business for 3 years which helped a lot. In all in took me just under 6 years.
Also, I certainly didn't bring that up as a way to brag about my awesomeness. I was just refuting the OP's comment that most citizens will tell my wife and child they are traitors or not 'pure blood'. I was just pointing out that I can understand everything that is said when I am with them and I haven't personally experienced that yet.. |
I started studying the language during my second year as well. I put in a lot of time and effort but also had tons of chances to practice through in-laws and Korean friends. My motivation was also pretty high and to me that is the critical element. It took a few years to reach fluency (in terms of speaking with others, watching movies and Tv in Korean) and a bit longer to reach fluency in reading. The writing I would qualify as a bit below fluent simply because I do not use it as much. All in all it took a lot of work but I would do it again in a heartbeat because it really added to my life. |
Great to hear, considering this will be my fourth language that i'll be learning, this definitely keeps me motivated. |
I spoke 2 before starting with Koreans and having already mastered a second language helped me a ton when I started working on Korean.
I will say it again, the key element for me in learning any language is motivation. If your motivations are casual or not clear, you will have a much harder time facing the tough spots that come with learning any language!
Good luck with your studies! |
Sounds great, thanks a lot for the heads up, i'll have to find a way of staying motivated from the sounds of it, but that shouldn't be too tough, thanks again! |
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