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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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Plastic B
Joined: 15 Aug 2003
Location: Daejeon no more
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 Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 6:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Oh the inanity... |
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Plume D'ella Plumeria
Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Location: The Lost Horizon
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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It's the flowers that get to me. Seeing a vase full of vivid-hued blossoms, I have learned the hard way to give them an experimental touch with a finger before leaning into them to inhale their frangrance. Nine out of ten times, they're plastic. The horror! Plastic blooms should be outlawed.
Even worse is when I'm presented with an arrangement of flowers. It's a nice thought and always appreciated, but why, why, why do they have to defile perfectly lovely flowers with glitter, sequins and sparkles? (No offense to Tiberius here). Flowers on their own are beautiful and require no dressing up or "beautifying."
And I won't even get started on those who dye the fur on their fluffy little "powderpuffs" garish shades of pink or orange. What's THAT all about?? |
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periwinkle
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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| fidel wrote: |
periwinkle, you are the biggest snob I have come across in a while!
Congratulations |
 I went to the Art Institute of Boston. Spacial harmony, perspective, color co-ordination, etc. is ingrained in me. Korea makes me dizzy, but I enjoy the assault to my senses, at times. Was I out of line for mentioning the tackiness? It's blatantly obvious that I am stating the blatantly obvious. If I'm snobby for wanting to buy a plain soapdish instead of buying the one that has Peter Rabbit on it, so be it. I'm not a kid, and I outgrew my love of cartoon characters a long time ago. Anyway, Oprah and Martha are in my corner, so THERE! =) |
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fidel
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Location: North Shore NZ
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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"One man's hovel is another man's castle." or "One woman's functional orange couch is another's fashion tragedy."
Get the point?
No, well let me spell it out to you nice and clear.
Sure Koreans have a different sense of style, but can't you comprehend that it's precisely because they are Koreans and not Westerners. While you might like to be critical of others with your elevated sense of fashion and style, Koreans obviously see things differently, otherwise they wouldn't be wearing those crazy print dresses and perming their hair once they hit 45.
You don't think you can realistically expect the world to conform to your stylistic standards do you? |
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mack the knife
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: standing right behind you...
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 7:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Sure Koreans have a different sense of style, but can't you comprehend that it's precisely because they are Koreans and not Westerners |
Except they don't, and no it isn't. They've simply taken a hodge-podge of western styles (the French whorehouse, for instance) and tossed them together willy-nilly. No rhyme or reason. It's just plain AWFUL. Not unique. Not different. Just AWFUL. |
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fidel
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Location: North Shore NZ
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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| What I was trying to say is their views on what looks good or not is obviously different to ours otherwise they wouldn't be wearing those adjumma fashions and furnishing their houses as they do. |
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mack the knife
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: standing right behind you...
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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It's OK to say that someone (or an entire culture, in this case) has NO SENSE OF STYLE. It's not racist, ethocentric or anything else negative. It's simply OPINIONATED.
Koreans have NO innate sense of style (the best they can do is Andre Kim!!!???), and you pointed out two glaring examples (ajuma pants- a Korean creation as far as I know loosely base on California fitness pants- and homes). I've probably been in more than five hundred Korean homes, and I've been "Wowed!" by three or four, maybe. Back in the States, however, I consistently found myself coveting my neighbor's this, that, and the other thing, because of the style of their home, clothes, landscaping, etc. |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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| I've probably been in more than five hundred Korean homes, and I've been "Wowed!" by three or four, maybe. |
Have you really?? Why?
I've lived here for 4 years but I've only been inside about 20 Korean homes. |
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chance2005
Joined: 03 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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| pollyplummer wrote: |
Alright, alright... I guess I was refering to the more highly evolved version of western civilization...  And I dont mean france, if ya catch my drift...
I'm a patriot. So shoot me. I love my people. |
This pollyplummer is a real charmer. |
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periwinkle
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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| fidel wrote: |
"One man's hovel is another man's castle." or "One woman's functional orange couch is another's fashion tragedy."
Get the point?
No, well let me spell it out to you nice and clear.
Sure Koreans have a different sense of style, but can't you comprehend that it's precisely because they are Koreans and not Westerners. While you might like to be critical of others with your elevated sense of fashion and style, Koreans obviously see things differently, otherwise they wouldn't be wearing those crazy print dresses and perming their hair once they hit 45.
You don't think you can realistically expect the world to conform to your stylistic standards do you? |
Oooooh, touchy, touchy- don't get your knickers in a twist, sweetheart!
Let me spell it out to you: I don't expect people to conform to my sense of style, and I didn't write that I expected them to. I was stating my opinion, and because I think that Koreans (generally speaking) have a tacky sense of style does not make me snobbish, or whatever else you deem me to be. Loud, gauche, disjointed- that's what I think about Korean sense of style. If my opinion is offensive to you, please excuse me. Many people look like they got dressed in the dark. I get dressed with the lights on- shoes polished, silver polished, clothes ironed and freshly laundered, and yes, everything matches. If that gives me an elevated fashion sense , whateverrrrr. |
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periwinkle
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 9:37 pm Post subject: |
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| chance2005 wrote: |
| pollyplummer wrote: |
Alright, alright... I guess I was refering to the more highly evolved version of western civilization... And I dont mean france, if ya catch my drift...
I'm a patriot. So shoot me. I love my people. |
This pollyplummer is a real charmer. |
She totally rocks. I love her. Thanks for saying some things I've been afraid to, sister. BTW- I think you look a little Calista Flockhart in that photo.  |
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poddubny
Joined: 03 Aug 2004
Location: i have NO avatar privileges!
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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| periwinkle wrote: |
| chance2005 wrote: |
| pollyplummer wrote: |
Alright, alright... I guess I was refering to the more highly evolved version of western civilization... And I dont mean france, if ya catch my drift...
I'm a patriot. So shoot me. I love my people. |
This pollyplummer is a real charmer. |
She totally rocks. I love her. Thanks for saying some things I've been afraid to, sister. BTW- I think you look a little Calista Flockhart in that photo. |
she reminds me of christine cushing. canucks'll know who i'm talking about. |
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Pyongshin Sangja
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Location: I love baby!
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 10:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Ya know, Polly, for a cute girl you come out sounding pretty shrill. |
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pollyplummer
Joined: 07 Mar 2005
Location: McMinnvillve, Oregon
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| Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 12:30 am Post subject: |
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| Pyongshin Sangja wrote: |
| Ya know, Polly, for a cute girl you come out sounding pretty shrill. |
My dear Pyongshin, I will give you a hint into the world of women.  If you ever encounter more of this kind, and if you listen carefully, you will find that all the noise, the shrillness, and the impertinence roughly translates to one thing: Subdue me. If you wrestle and you win, then you will have her, or at least you will have her admiration.
But back to the topic at hand... Periwinkle was expressing her opinion. Then someone insinuated that she is a snob, simply because she chose to express a preference/frustration. It seems that many people on this board believe that if you are not completely enamoured with Eastern culture, then you must be insensitive and narrow-minded. I would even venture to say that there is a great deal of pressure on westerners from foreigners and Koreans alike for us to somehow adopt an infatuation with the East in order to justify our reasons for being here or perhaps even to feed the ego of Asians who fish for compliments about Korea. Oh, isnt kimchi the best? Isnt our food the spiciest? Did you know that we are number one at__________." Not all Koreans are like this, but it is quite prevalent. Certainly I would not respond in a rude way. The reality is that Ajuma Neighbor Next Door probably loves your orange couch, but I'm sorry, the instincts I've been programmed with tell me that it's hideous. I wouldn't say that to a woman looking for compliments on her orange couch, but that's what's going through the mind of your average westerner. Then you've got your eastern culture zealot peers who demand that you suppress such thinking or be labeled an insensitive snob. This doesn't happen back home. If someone back home says, "I hate lawn decorations," or "I hate the color pink," we don't hear anyone indignantly returning their opinion with, "Why you narrow-minded, insensitive snob!" |
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The Lemon
Joined: 11 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 12:55 am Post subject: |
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| pollyplummer wrote: |
It seems that many people on this board believe that if you are not completely enamoured with Eastern culture, then you must be insensitive and narrow-minded. I would even venture to say that there is a great deal of pressure on westerners from foreigners and Koreans alike for us to somehow adopt an infatuation with the East in order to justify our reasons for being here or perhaps even to feed the ego of Asians who fish for compliments about Korea....
If someone back home says, "I hate lawn decorations," or "I hate the color pink," we don't hear anyone indignantly returning their opinion with, "Why you narrow-minded, insensitive snob!" |
Astute, and correct. Calling Korean tastes in furniture, fashion, architecture, auto accessories - hell, everything, "tacky" and "gaudy" might be ethnocentric of us.
But it's still true. Exhibit "A": Korean wedding halls. Pure, refined to 100% concentrate, tacky and gaudy. All in total earnestness, without a hint of irony. Even the bubble machine during the vows exchange. And the guy with the microphone and the "Congratulations Song" tape machine.
And the obsession with shiny flashy tin things (what Westerners commonly call "junk") can be seen in the souvenir trinkets they push on the tourists, thinking that's what we like. Visit Namdaemun's "Korean cultural crap" stalls and you'll have to dig through tons of objectively ugly mass-produced tin and plastic that you'd feel like a noot giving to friends back home before you get to actual, real, cool souvenirs like the laquer wooden boxes.
Last edited by The Lemon on Thu May 19, 2005 12:58 am; edited 1 time in total |
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