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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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 Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 6:46 pm Post subject: |
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| hiamnotcool wrote: |
[
The video itself isn't really the story, it's the way every one or two months I have been here some stupidity like this is forced on me. I get tired of meeting grown, college educated, and gainfully employed Korean people that want to discuss this kind of trash with me. It never ceases to amaze me the way this stuff gets brought up with a straight face, and how I have to explain and justify my intentions for coming here. |
Re: The people who want to discuss this kind of trash with you. Why not simply say "It's faked and garbage. And I don't discuss garbage. End of story."?
Re: Explaining and justifying your intentions. You don't have to do anything of the kind. You can politely but firmly tell them "It's none of your business." And then go about yours. Who cares what strangers and causal acquaintances think? |
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maximmm
Joined: 01 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
Re: The people who want to discuss this kind of trash with you. Why not simply say "It's faked and garbage. And I don't discuss garbage. End of story."?
Re: Explaining and justifying your intentions. You don't have to do anything of the kind. You can politely but firmly tell them "It's none of your business." And then go about yours. Who cares what strangers and causal acquaintances think? |
In my case, I use it (much like fan death/wet newspaper during typhoon bits) to highlight the importance of critical thinking - if only because the news media of today is often guilty of spreading fictional and misleading information. |
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hiamnotcool
Joined: 06 Feb 2012
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| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 7:51 pm Post subject: |
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| maximmm wrote: |
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
Re: The people who want to discuss this kind of trash with you. Why not simply say "It's faked and garbage. And I don't discuss garbage. End of story."?
Re: Explaining and justifying your intentions. You don't have to do anything of the kind. You can politely but firmly tell them "It's none of your business." And then go about yours. Who cares what strangers and causal acquaintances think? |
In my case, I use it (much like fan death/wet newspaper during typhoon bits) to highlight the importance of critical thinking - if only because the news media of today is often guilty of spreading fictional and misleading information. |
You both make good points. It's not that it causes me to question myself, it just that it makes me a little let down by the situation here. I have a good opinion of Korea and Korean people in general, but when I discuss subjects like this you wouldn't know it. I like to describe Korea in a good way to people that ask me about it back home, and it isn't hard for me to shrug off videos like this when they surface because it's typically limited to the early 20's pimply faced loser that blames his lack of a romantic life on the presence of foreigners.. This is starting to get out of hand though. This video was faked, and it has spread to the West which means all the garbage that periodically surfaces here may follow me back home. In that case it is going to be hard for me to speak highly of a country that has publicized a fabricated smear against me and any of my foreign friends that have visited here. I'm going to have to discuss the shoddy journalism and the odd xenophobia that exists here in order to defend myself. I would rather not have to go on a rant when I get back to the USA and somebody hits me up with the "Oh yeah, Korea, isn't that were those two white guys made a girl eat her boogers in a bar, is that what it's really like there?? etc etc etc. Sorry, but in that case I think a lot of foreigners that return home are going to have take a few minutes to talk about some of the nonsense that goes on here. We aren't all losers back home that nobody listens to either, some of us have friends that are pretty influential about international "stuff".
As for the way this could hurt Korea. Right now there is a back and forth going on between South Korea and Japan about the serious issue of the abuse of Korean women during the Japanese occupation. In a lot of cases it has been a matter of which country has the most credibility and some Japanese politicians like to claim Korea is exaggerating or fabricating facts and accounts for sensationalism. Well, after being here for a few years I honestly don't have a lot of faith in the way Korean journalists approach the contributions and behavior of foreigners here. I am old enough to know the Japanese atrocities are fact and did happen, but as the last of the WW2 generation begins to die off, I think this type of behavior within Korea could begin to cause doubt among younger foreigners about what has actually happened here and what hasn't.
Even if the video was faked, this still applies btw. |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| I am old enough to know the Japanese atrocities are fact and did happen, but as the last of the WW2 generation begins to die off |
A little off topic... But I once saw this American/Japanese joint documentary that went around Japan looking for old soldiers to talk about their war experience. This one old guy was really reluctant talking about the 'comfort woman' issue. He was in absolute denial, then out of the blue he started crying. Said he was only 19 year old and was just doing what everyone else was doing. He said he did a lot of bad things, and said he thought he was coming back in a body-bag and just didn't care how he treated prisoners and foreign women. It was more important to be 'one of the guys' or end up beaten to death in the barracks if you didn't fall in line. Then they started talking to the guy's wife, and she said it was the first time ever he talked about his war experience.
I was thinking if I were 19, and drafted during a major war, I might have done pretty horrible things just to stay alive.
It made me tear up.
Sorry carry on. |
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