Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Real Reality]

A wave of anti-American sentiment has returned to Seoul...
"Mainly, the Korean customers will not come here if they see GIs in our bar. Many Koreans are afraid of them right now," said a Stomper's employee... "We put the sign up because GIs always fight and cause other problems, like stealing drinks and harassing women," said an employee...

"I was immediately shooed out by a waiter who said, "U.S.A. No!" Over the next weeks and months, I learned that the doormen in front of so many bars and clubs were there to keep Americans - particularly soldiers -out," said Stanton.

One club manager acknowledged that they were being unfair to U.S. soldiers, but had to resort to these measures to stay in business. "It might seem like racism. It's like saying 'no blacks,' but there's nothing else we could do. We had to stop the fights before the police closed us down. There's no trouble now," said a manager of a club.
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2004/06/07/200406070002.asp

[royjones]

so does this extrend to canadians as well? if not how would they differentiate??

[Real Reality]

royjones,
Do Canadians look like Americans?

sakamuras,
When soldiers are off duty (wearing casual clothes), how do you tell if they are soldiers or civilians?

[sakamuras]

[keithinkorea]

The American GI types are also the really loud people. I dont know whether it is using guns has made them semi-deaf.

American GI types are often really noisy. They scream and shout and you can hear every (boring) detail of their conversation from the other side of the bar-club. They also like to get really drunk and fight a lot.

Not all American servicemen here do these things. But a significant proportion of them do and they make all Americans look like arseholes.

It isn't racism, it isn't anti-Americanism. If I owned a bar and a large bunch of very aggressive, very drunk bunch of guys came in looking to cause trouble and grab girls behinds, I'd not want them in my place either.

The thing is I've met quite a few smart GI types and officers breaking curfew in Hongdae and other places and they are not excluded or 'discriminated' against because they're not behaving like arseholes.

If you look like you're going to cause trouble then you'll not be let in, Simple.

[peppermint]

Is anyone besides me noting the similarities between this little rant, and the complaints some Koreans have about eslers?

Loud- yup, we're paid for speakiing, so it's important to be heard after all.

Drunk- I've never, ever seen a GI get as drunk as I've seen civilians- Korean or otherwise.

Obnoxious behaviour-GIs certainly don't hav exclusive rights on that.

[mindmetoo]

[diver]

I can't say that I have met every single GI here, nor have I met every single English teacher here. So, I can only refer to my own experiences when making observations about the two groups.

In my experiences (which are mine alone) the English teachers I have met here have been, by far, much worse than any of the Amrican soldiers I have had the chance to meet. I did live next to an airbase for several years, and I did live in Itaewon back in 1996, so I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with both groups.

Do some GIs do bad things? Yup, they sure do...can't deny it. I can only say that in nine years here I have never SEEN it personally, but I have seen English teachers do a LOT of bad stuff...sex in public, pick fights with Koreans, act rude and obnoxious in bars, restaurants and public in general.

So, I think we should all take a good long look at ourselves before we start castigating GIs as a group.

If anyone on this board said the same thing about Koreans that the Korean bar owner did about GIs, we would be branded bashers, racists and bigots. I have been branded as such. In fact, I do feel the same way the bar owner does. It may be the first time I agree with anything a Korean says. Are all Koreans bad? Nope. Have enough of them been rude, stupid, obnoxious, racist and dishonest to me to make me not bother wasting any time trying to trust any of them ever again? Yup. Absolutely. By the way, it isn't racism. It isn't anti-Koreanism. It is reality.

I guess I am rambling at this point. I guess the bottom line is that I would just like to see one standard for everyone on this board. There appear to be several standards at this time.

For Sakamuras: Do you think now is the time to defend the actions of English teachers in Korea? Their rep is shot too. By the way, I have a couiple of friends that I would like to introduce you to...I would LOVE to see you say 'dork' to their faces. It's funny that you refer to a group of people as dorky (at least thier hair) and accuse THEM of picking fights.

[Butterfly]

I think the headline to the thread is unfair on Koreans and does not relate to the actual topic. Being anti GI is NOT being anti American. I am British and don't want to drink near British squaddies either because they are usually yobs as well. It's just not very nice drinking in the same establishment as military personnel, they are usually uneducated, they pick fights, leer at women and drink too much. I wish they would just stay on their military bases.

As far as anti American goes, I feel Korea is getting more pragmatic, and the anti Americanism is being polarized and replaced with anti Bushism. And that is fine with me.

[Corporal]

[Juggertha]

mindmetoo

[Crois]

As soon as i arrived in Nova Scotia we had to club a seal and make love to a moose.

[SarcasmKills]

[Crois]

Yeah it was good but not like home

[kangnamdragon]