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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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 Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2005 11:23 pm Post subject: Koreans are too hospitable, apparently |
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http://www.popmatters.com/columns/smith/050302.shtml
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This incessant, sycophantic behavior occurs partly as out an outgrowth of Confucianism, arising because as a female in a decidedly segregated society I deal primarily with women who have been trained by their parents and teachers to selflessly please from the cradle to the grave. |
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Universalis
Joined: 17 Nov 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2005 11:49 pm Post subject: |
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Great article... thanks for the link.
Brian |
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Gollum
Joined: 04 Sep 2003
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 12:02 am Post subject: |
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RACIST ARTICLE!
HORRIBLE!
TERRIBLE KOREAN-HATER!
Ok, now that I've gotten that out of the way for everyone, it was pretty good. |
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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 12:04 am Post subject: |
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| I thought it was a bit racist to be honest- sounds like the people in her school are pretty overboard on this stuff, but you can't tar everyone with the same brush |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 7:38 pm Post subject: |
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| I wish I were such a perceptive person that after 6 months or so in Korea I had understood every nuance of the culture and every thought and motivation of the people around me. Alas and alack, it isn't to be. It took me years to understand 10% as much as the writer. |
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matthewwoodford
Joined: 01 Oct 2003
Location: Location, location, location.
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| Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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Funny.  |
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weatherman
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 11:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Great article. If only the locals understood what their actions mean in cross-cultural contexts. Funny stuff. |
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Universalis
Joined: 17 Nov 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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One unfortunate side effect of Koreans trying to hard to be nice is that it can create foreigners who are just far too dependent on Koreans i ntheir daily life.
Case in point... my girlfriend knows this Canadian guy who has a number of Korean friends who he constantly calls for help in his day-to-day activities. For example, if he's at the video store and has a question, he'll call a Korean friend, tell him or her what he wants, then pass the phoen to the clerk. Or when he needs to have his laundry done, he'll call a Korean friend and ask them to call the laundromat ajumma and ask her to pick up his stuff.
Now, I'm not perfect... sometimes I ask my GF to help me out, but I try to do as much as I can myself. BUt it seems like a lot of the "help" this guy needs is merely a case of him being lazy.
Koreans are very eager to help foreigners here... hardly a crime, I know... but some people can and will take advantage of their kindness. And like the writer of the original essay said, sometimes their assistance can be just too damn obtrusive.
Brian |
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Corporal
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Actually the article was pretty run-of-the-mill. Rambling, unnecessarily wordy, and the author couldn't decide what point she wanted to make. It reads like she just realized what a dictionary and a thesaurus are and got all excited about getting to use them for the first time. |
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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Corporal wrote: |
| Actually the article was pretty run-of-the-mill. Rambling, unnecessarily wordy, and the author couldn't decide what point she wanted to make. It reads like she just realized what a dictionary and a thesaurus are and got all excited about getting to use them for the first time. |
Man it's been ages since you've taken someone to task. Nice return to form! |
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chiaa
Joined: 23 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:12 pm Post subject: |
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I could not even read that pile of shit. She needs to learn how to us a ";".
You could also see clearly before she ever went to Korea that she had a biased view and that was going to block any nice things. |
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chiaa
Joined: 23 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Corporal wrote: |
| Actually the article was pretty run-of-the-mill. Rambling, unnecessarily wordy, and the author couldn't decide what point she wanted to make. It reads like she just realized what a dictionary and a thesaurus are and got all excited about getting to use them for the first time. |
"If the answer is less than enthusiastic, say, the polite, "This is different than what I'm used to but, it's OK, thanks", the typical Korean response is not to back away and let the foreigner breathe, but to keep pushing full force in the same awkward direction, until the foreigner simply has no choice but to give up and say "Thank you for the hospitality!" and mutter to herself, careful not to be overheard, "Hospitality that no longer seems hospitable at all since it was implemented with such pounding imposition and unspoken demand for thanks."
Advil please. |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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Poorly written indeed, but I think we can all recognize what she's griping about.
Some employers tend to go a bit overboard with 1st year teachers to show them, 'Korean culture'. They think that's their job and I guess it is.
If a Korean came to work at my company in Ireland I'd probably bring them out for a few pints of German lager followed by a donor kebab and a fight outside the taxi rank. Then home to watch an American movie.
Just showing them Irish culture.
Last edited by eamo on Thu Mar 10, 2005 2:33 am; edited 1 time in total |
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tommynomad
Joined: 24 Jul 2004
Location: on the move
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| Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 2:29 am Post subject: |
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| eamo wrote: |
Just showing then Irish culture. |
And would you be driving the Saab then, eamo? |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 2:32 am Post subject: |
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| tommynomad wrote: |
| eamo wrote: |
Just showing then Irish culture. |
And would you be driving the Saab then, eamo? |
Well, the one and only car ever to be made in Ireland was the DeLorean. And that lasted barely a year!!!
So yes. Unless I could get my hands on Marty McFly's DeLorean It would be a Saab. Or a safe but sensible Volvo. |
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