Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kelly]

Is anyone else sick of hearing this in their classroom, I'm am so sick and tired of 8-14 year olds talking about America being a bad country and blaming them for all thats gone wrong in this world, its starting to drive me mad!! My fiance is a GI maybe I take it the wrong way, but I swear if I hear one more comment from student or co-worker alike, I'm not going to be responsible for my actions! Ok, it wasn't all that bad, the whole Iraq war, they seemed to have forgotten about it, but then first thing I heard yesterday morning was "Kim Sun il dead, America is bad". And this morning, well a co-worker who I thought was reasonale clever, decides to tell me that it was because of the Americans that this guy died. She claims that AP had a video of him[being held hostage] since last month, I decided to check it out and yes apparently there was a video but nothing showing any reason for people to believe he had be captured. Why in the he** can't Koreans get their facts straight before they start shouting their mouths and making nasty comments about Americans and foreigners alike? Seriously am very sick of it....

titled edited for clarification by kangnamdragon

[nev]

Not just Koreans (although the large American military presence in their country may exacerbate it) but I think many nations express these views. America is big, powerful, makes a lot of noise, and is an easy target.

They still worship American regardless. They copy the music, the fashions, the sports, the lifestyles.

[LK]

When we talk about travelling and I ask my students (13-16 y.o.) which country they would like to visit first, 99% of them say "America"...

[royjones]

[royjones]

[kelly]

Same here they hate the US, the want to look American, listen to American music, but still have the narrowmindedness to blame them for everything...its sad

[LK]

royjones wrote:

[Butterfly]

At 8-14 both their English and the political awareness are not strong enough to separate government and country. It's good that they are aware to some degree of world politics, because they can only get better right?

[dull artist]

The thing is, they DO worship American pop-culture, from the crappy ass pop music that sounds like even crappier versions of the crappy bands they imitate to their t-shirts that have 'english' on them that makes no sense whatsoever. Even the mullet has found its way here. The only thing is that they'll never admit that they copy the hell out of america. It's like they're taking the worst part of america and making it their own. Fine with me.

[nev]

[kiwiboy_nz_99]

I don't think "copy" is the right word, rather they fall under the "influence" of the US. Hmmm, with such a large US military presence over the last 50 years, and the massive aid and close economic ties they have to the country, I wonder why?

[Demophobe]

[uberscheisse]

seems that my students are all smart enough to know that it's the bush government and not AMERICA or AMERICANS who are the problem.

i'm actually surprised about it. i have met older koreans who say things like "oh, i'd go to CANADA, but i'd never visit AMERICA".

their kids seem to come up with the more astute observations. now has anyone noticed how every korean kid seems obsessed with going to harvard or yale (going along with the we hate but love america idea)?

seriously, try and suggest another school and see what a blank face you get from them. unless of course they're not rich. i suggested UBC dentistry to a student of mine and he was like "harvard... harvard... harvard..." like a stepford wife or something.

[ryleeys]

The next student that says "America is bad" just for the hell of it, for bashing purposes, gets thrown out of my class.

If I were in a Korean teacher's classroom, they wouldn't allow me to say bad things about Korea and I consider my classroom a little bit of American soil. I'm not here to teach them English so that they can badmouth America while making money off the country. So if they want me to teach English, I will also teach them that America does some good along with the bad... and that Americans are a good people, same as Koreans... people are seperate from government.

[kelly]