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Died By Bear
Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Location: On the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
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 Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 8:43 am Post subject: |
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I can't imagine going anywhere in Korea (Seoul especially) without my driver.
If this bumping thing is so bad, why don't you guys get a bullhorn and use it to 'awaken' these sleepwalkers? |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 3:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Died By Bear wrote: |
I can't imagine going anywhere in Korea (Seoul especially) without my driver.
If this bumping thing is so bad, why don't you guys get a bullhorn and use it to 'awaken' these sleepwalkers? |
It wouldn't work; zombies are attracted to noise. |
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ATM SPIDERTAO
Joined: 05 Jul 2009
Location: seoul, south korea
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| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 5:19 am Post subject: |
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how big are you people?
i'm chinese canadian, 185 lbs and 6'2"
i used to be about 210 when i first came here back in 2008 and i never noticed an issue about getting bumped lol
the subway thing yeah, i do it too, push my way into the subways haha but randomly out on the street?
you gotta weave lol |
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transmogrifier
Joined: 02 Jan 2012
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 5:35 am Post subject: |
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On the subway, around three quarters of the bumps I receive are from grandmothers, grandfathers who either suddenly realise that the train is at their station, as if it was some sort of surprise or something, and they are out that door like a bullet, no weaving or niceties, or they are waiting to come in and see a vacant seat. Get the hell out of the way in that situation.
It's hard to get too angry with them. They'll be dead soon. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 5:40 am Post subject: |
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| atwood wrote: |
| Died By Bear wrote: |
I can't imagine going anywhere in Korea (Seoul especially) without my driver.
If this bumping thing is so bad, why don't you guys get a bullhorn and use it to 'awaken' these sleepwalkers? |
It wouldn't work; zombies are attracted to noise. |
Or get drowned out by the fruitcart blasting ads that sound like something in between a Muezzin and Hitler screaming at Nuremburg. |
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Died By Bear
Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Location: On the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 4:17 am Post subject: |
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Ever been to the International Fireworks at Youido? That's the first thing I thought of when I saw that photo. |
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katsu
Joined: 15 Mar 2007
Location: here and there
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| Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 4:18 am Post subject: Re: So, an ajoshie bumped into me the other day and... |
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| Scorpion wrote: |
So I was walking around Itaewon last Saturday afternoon and, as usual, people were bumping into me as I was going about my business. Getting bumped into is one of the things I just can’t get used to here. Being knocked into is anxiety-inducing and can change my mood in an instant. I don’t like it. I consider it a form of assault.
Anyway, I’m walking up towards the fire station to get a chicken stick at the corner. I’m keeping to the right of the sidewalk. An ajoshie is approaching from the other direction and I realize that a shoulder collision is inevitable. (I’m as far to the right with nowhere to go.) So by instinct I firm my shoulder in anticipation of the bump. It happens, as it has a hundred times before, and I carry on, cursing him under my breath but almost immediately forgetting about it. About fifteen or twenty steps on I hear some ajoshie screaming about something. I ignore it but it gets louder and more aggressive, so I turn around and see that he’s yelling at me. It seems that he got the worst of the bump and was pissed about it. I yelled back to him to watch where he’s going and turned back to keep walking. Suddenly I hear the sound of running behind me and the screetches of a woman. I turn around and ajoshie is mere feet from me doing the whole faux aggression thing while his ajumma is ‘holding him back’. I dismiss the fool and continue walking to the corner. He’s cursing and yelling up a storm. I was more interested in getting my chicken stick, and told him to watch where he’s going – that he had collided with me.
Anyway, the chicken stand wasn’t open yet so I decide to loop around and head down to Geckos via the back lane. When I get to the bottom, low and behold there’s ole ajoshie and he starts in again with the uber-aggressive behavior. (He goes into a rage and pretends to want to get at me but is again somehow restrained by the powerful arms of his 100 pound wife.) I cross the road to go into Geckos, all the while he’s yelling and following me across the road and up the steps to the restaurant. His wife and fifteen year old son (bizarely oversized K-pop glasses included) have now joined in the yelling and abuse. I am at the point where I’m about to knock this guy’s teeth out, then I remember that Geckos usually has security guards at the door. They’ll not let this gaggle into the restaurant. I was correct; they are denied entrance and sent back down the stairs. I sit down at a table, open my newspaper, and order a beer and a menu. I decide to put this into my ‘freaky encounters with random Koreans’ file. My beer arrives and I order fish and chips. I open my newspaper and start reading, then the door opens and in walks ajoshie….with two cops.
Yup, two friggin’ police officers because ajoshie bumped into a foreigner and got the worst of it. The policemen ask me to step outside, which I do. They translate what ajoshie is ranting on about. I explain that I couldn’t go any further to the right, and that he collided with me. The banshee of a wife, and 'I'm a gangsta' K-pop boy, start yelling and making up false details. The cops look at this gaggle then at me (clean cut, sober, polite, presentable and calm) and realize that ajoshie is being an idiot. Then ajoshie changes tact, stating that he lived overseas and that when foreigners bump into each other they apologize. (So now he’s using Korean cops to enforce Western cultural standards that he himself doesn’t adhere to. Ironically, at the same time K-pop boy is starting to yell, “Here is the Korea. Here is not your country.” The police tell him to shut up.) So I say to ajoshie fine, if he apologizes for bumping into me, I’ll apologize for him getting the worst of it. He refuses. He insists that I alone apologize. I say that it ain’t gonna happen. Then he says something else to the cop. The cop says that if I don’t apologize I have to go with them to the police station. In utter disbelief, I ask why. They say ajoshie wants to lay charges. WTF? So I think to myself, this is Saturday evening, the one night of the week I get to Itaewon so I can escape the Korea experience. And here I am facing the prospect of sitting in a Korean police station for three hours while ajoshie drags an ‘apology’ from me. Not willing to waste my Saturday night I decide fine, I’ll apologize. I say ‘mian hamnida’ and start to walk back into Geckos. Ajoshie says something and the cop says, “Just a moment….He says your apology is not sincere.” Of course, it’s not. But anxious to get back to my beer, and away from this fool, I do a bow and say it again. The police, knowing this was utter bullshit, then turn (to ajoshie’s disgust) and bow to me. The cops were actually pretty cool about it all, knowing ajoshie was just a fool.
But be warned, Koreans bumping into you can get you arrested.  |
OMG, this is ridiculous! You should really get this published! |
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rabidcake
Joined: 10 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 7:14 am Post subject: Re: So, an ajoshie bumped into me the other day and... |
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| byrddogs wrote: |
| Mix1 wrote: |
| Scorpion wrote: |
Ironically, at the same time K-pop boy is starting to yell, “Here is the Korea. Here is not your country.” |
Ah, this famous line. Deep down, this is what many of them believe anyway, they just don't say it until they get angry. To many of them, on a fundamental level, you are in the wrong just for being in their country. Yes, you can visit, but you aren't really supposed to be staying and trying to mix in.
This is also why a lot of long-termers turn out bitter and weird. Despite wanting to stay here, they can't seem to shake the nagging fact that in the end, foreigners on the whole are simply not welcome here. |
It's an especially nice touch when posters here use that, yet worded a little differently, as well. |
This is not true. Korea is home to anyone who sees Korea as home and Koreans will respect that, but only if that's what you truly believe.
Korea is for anyone who wants to respect and be a part of Korea. I'm sure if OP said in fluent Korean that he loves this country and finds it his home, the young man would be at a loss of words. |
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rabidcake
Joined: 10 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 7:19 am Post subject: |
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I perhaps might be the only one who shares this opinion, so I share it regardless of the disagreement it may cause.
Everywhere in the world has people that do nasty and unfair things, including Korea. It seems you just ran into one bad apple that day. You can fight and struggle for pleasure, but in the end you have to accept that some people get around life like that.
That type of attitude will eventually hurt them as they will run into someone that doesn't have much to lose.
If this were America or Mexico or many other countries, people get violent fast. Thankfully this Korean guy wasn't throwing objects at your or anything. And fortunately people are legally not allowed to carry guns. |
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Mix1
Joined: 08 May 2007
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| Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 7:04 pm Post subject: Re: So, an ajoshie bumped into me the other day and... |
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| rabidcake wrote: |
| byrddogs wrote: |
| Mix1 wrote: |
| Scorpion wrote: |
Ironically, at the same time K-pop boy is starting to yell, “Here is the Korea. Here is not your country.” |
Ah, this famous line. Deep down, this is what many of them believe anyway, they just don't say it until they get angry. To many of them, on a fundamental level, you are in the wrong just for being in their country. Yes, you can visit, but you aren't really supposed to be staying and trying to mix in.
This is also why a lot of long-termers turn out bitter and weird. Despite wanting to stay here, they can't seem to shake the nagging fact that in the end, foreigners on the whole are simply not welcome here. |
It's an especially nice touch when posters here use that, yet worded a little differently, as well. |
This is not true. |
What exactly is "not true" about it? I agree that Koreans can be very welcoming and generous and generally non-threatening, and will let people live here (especially temporarily), but the idea that foreigners generally don't belong here is hammered into most of them. Can't deny that part.
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| Korea is home to anyone who sees Korea as home and Koreans will respect that, but only if that's what you truly believe. |
Sounds a bit like Tinkerbell stuff to me. What we believe isn't all that relevant, as we are talking about attitudes of the locals. It's all well and good until there's a problem between you and one of the locals, then watch how fast they turn and the conversation turns to "FOREIGNER"! Yes, technically speaking, ANY place can be your home if you end up living there, but that says nothing of the local attitudes toward you.
| Quote: |
Korea is for anyone who wants to respect and be a part of Korea. |
Is it? I've actually never heard that from anyone. I wonder how common that sentiment is among the actual Koreans themselves.
And what does "respect" mean exactly? Not littering or spitting all over the place and SLAMMING INTO PEOPLE? Oh wait...
But I do agree in part. It's actually pretty good here, and a foreigner can live here comfortably in most cases. But as far as living here long term, I think the general sentiment is that we don't quite belong here and that affects the attitudes of the locals as far as how to treat us and where we fit in in terms of their hierarchy, which tends to be towards the bottom rung unfortunately.
I have seen some foreigners (Koreaboos maybe?) that are totally fluent, completely mix with Korean society, and that's great. But what happens when they see him with a Korean girl? Same basic reaction: "Grrrr.... why is she with the foreigner?"  And what happens when he tries to marry someone from an upscale family? Or, What happens when he wants to advance to the upper echelons of his company? Will it happen? Likely not. That prejudice will rear its head sooner or later. It's almost programmed into them. |
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rabidcake
Joined: 10 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 3:19 am Post subject: Re: So, an ajoshie bumped into me the other day and... |
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| Mix1 wrote: |
| rabidcake wrote: |
| byrddogs wrote: |
| Mix1 wrote: |
| Scorpion wrote: |
Ironically, at the same time K-pop boy is starting to yell, “Here is the Korea. Here is not your country.” |
Ah, this famous line. Deep down, this is what many of them believe anyway, they just don't say it until they get angry. To many of them, on a fundamental level, you are in the wrong just for being in their country. Yes, you can visit, but you aren't really supposed to be staying and trying to mix in.
This is also why a lot of long-termers turn out bitter and weird. Despite wanting to stay here, they can't seem to shake the nagging fact that in the end, foreigners on the whole are simply not welcome here. |
It's an especially nice touch when posters here use that, yet worded a little differently, as well. |
This is not true. |
What exactly is "not true" about it? I agree that Koreans can be very welcoming and generous and generally non-threatening, and will let people live here (especially temporarily), but the idea that foreigners generally don't belong here is hammered into most of them. Can't deny that part.
| Quote: |
| Korea is home to anyone who sees Korea as home and Koreans will respect that, but only if that's what you truly believe. |
Sounds a bit like Tinkerbell stuff to me. What we believe isn't all that relevant, as we are talking about attitudes of the locals. It's all well and good until there's a problem between you and one of the locals, then watch how fast they turn and the conversation turns to "FOREIGNER"! Yes, technically speaking, ANY place can be your home if you end up living there, but that says nothing of the local attitudes toward you.
| Quote: |
Korea is for anyone who wants to respect and be a part of Korea. |
Is it? I've actually never heard that from anyone. I wonder how common that sentiment is among the actual Koreans themselves.
And what does "respect" mean exactly? Not littering or spitting all over the place and SLAMMING INTO PEOPLE? Oh wait...
But I do agree in part. It's actually pretty good here, and a foreigner can live here comfortably in most cases. But as far as living here long term, I think the general sentiment is that we don't quite belong here and that affects the attitudes of the locals as far as how to treat us and where we fit in in terms of their hierarchy, which tends to be towards the bottom rung unfortunately.
I have seen some foreigners (Koreaboos maybe?) that are totally fluent, completely mix with Korean society, and that's great. But what happens when they see him with a Korean girl? Same basic reaction: "Grrrr.... why is she with the foreigner?" And what happens when he tries to marry someone from an upscale family? Or, What happens when he wants to advance to the upper echelons of his company? Will it happen? Likely not. That prejudice will rear its head sooner or later. It's almost programmed into them. |
I disagree but that's just what I believe.
Of course you have to realize you will never be 100% local, but that doesn't mean you can't be accepted by a large community and have your own network and connections. You won't be accepted by everyone, but that's true for any place you live. I have seen many successful mixed couples, I have seen men marry higher scale families, and I have seen foreigners advance up pretty high in their companies and play big parts in management positions. It might be harder but it's definitely possible.
You can of course believe what you will and I respect everyone's opinion. If that type of ideology and effort you put into daily life makes you succeed then so be it. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 3:28 pm Post subject: Re: So, an ajoshie bumped into me the other day and... |
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| Mix1 wrote: |
I have seen some foreigners (Koreaboos maybe?) that are totally fluent, completely mix with Korean society, and that's great. But what happens when they see him with a Korean girl? Same basic reaction: "Grrrr.... why is she with the foreigner?" And what happens when he tries to marry someone from an upscale family? Or, What happens when he wants to advance to the upper echelons of his company? Will it happen? Likely not. That prejudice will rear its head sooner or later. It's almost programmed into them. |
Welcome to the reality of being pretty much every immigrant ever.
You can either buck up and deal with it like every other immigrant around the world has, or you can whine and moan. |
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Mix1
Joined: 08 May 2007
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| Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 4:52 pm Post subject: Re: So, an ajoshie bumped into me the other day and... |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| Mix1 wrote: |
I have seen some foreigners (Koreaboos maybe?) that are totally fluent, completely mix with Korean society, and that's great. But what happens when they see him with a Korean girl? Same basic reaction: "Grrrr.... why is she with the foreigner?" And what happens when he tries to marry someone from an upscale family? Or, What happens when he wants to advance to the upper echelons of his company? Will it happen? Likely not. That prejudice will rear its head sooner or later. It's almost programmed into them. |
Welcome to the reality of being pretty much every immigrant ever.
You can either buck up and deal with it like every other immigrant around the world has, or you can whine and moan. |
Right. Welcome to the world of SR: where every place is exactly the same and anything slightly negative about Korea equals a "whine and moan".
"...every immigrant ever."  Yes, all their experiences in every country are exactly the same. A Swedish immigrant in Canada will have exactly the same experience as a Nigerian immigrant in Korea. Yup, no doubt. Buck up, you whining immigrants! And don't dare share your point of view on the matter! Here comes SR to show you the way! |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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| I've never had any problem at having been seen with a Korean woman. When I dated Korean women before getting married Koreans seemed fine (even happy) with it, and when I got married to a Korean woman everyone around me was nothing but supportive. I'm not saying discrimination doesn't exist, it does, especially regarding the "corporate climbing" angle, but I feel like the whole "opposition to a foreign man with a Korean woman" idea in particular is heavily overblown, and while a wealthy, prideful family might not be happy at the notion of their daughter marrying a foreigner, they'd also be unhappy at the notion of their daughter marrying a common Korean fellow as well. |
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