Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Gorgias]

If I was Korean, I'd hate Japanese too. But who I'd really hate is the Whites, or maybe a few Blacks; it just really hit me yesterday how Soryeon and Miguk just decided to split the country between them, I cried, it's tragic. How do these Koreans not see that we are the enemy? Last year I went on the DMZ tour, the tour guide was the first Korean I've met who really criticized the Americans for what they did, she felt that most Koreans are brain washed to think America is their friend and is helping them. Economically that may be so, none the less, it's the Americans who keep N.Korea boxed up and drove them crazy. If I was Korean, and could see past the fifty years of propaganda, White people would be public enemy number one on my list.

As for racism in the classroom.... Races have their ways, actually it's more likely a matter of culture. It's okay to hate a culture, at least it isn't so overtly maligned. Everyone talks about how represive the Moslems are, just no one blames the Arabs. We all trash the robot Koreans, but no one calls them the Orientals. Racism became taboo, so we switched to a new set of sociological euphamisms. The ESL kids just don't know the tactful words to white-wash what they're saying, (that's why we're teaching them).

I think the kids are beautifully honest. "What, you don't like Black people? Hey, I don't like socially disadvantaged people who fail to better themselves and take advantage of the opportunities they have, so they get caught up in crime and rebel against my way of doing things! Wow kid, we think just the same way!"

The first time the kids went all silly about a picture of a Black guy in the text book I got all self-righteous too. These days it doesn't bother me. Don't we say kids are pure and have not been taught racist ways? I doubt it. Kids are naturally racist, but when they grow up, they get brain washed to think they aren't by learning a different set of terms and self-deceptive thought systems to latently perpetuate the same xenophobia they instinctivly posses.

[Hollywoodaction]

[Hollywoodaction]

[Lemonade]

The subject for my class is "How to give compliments." Most of the students are young adults. I go around the room and call on each student for examples. I come to one young female who says, "I really like your WHITE skin. You know in Korea white skin is not very popular anymore because it doesn't look healthy. Most people get tans. But I really like YOUR white skin."

I explain that that is exactly the type of compliment you NEVER EVER want to give.... to compliment on the color of a person's skin..... a BIG huge NO NO. Why? Because skin color equals race in the English language. I tell her that if she were to say that outloud at work or a dangerous area of American she would be in HOT water.... maybe fired from a job or physically beaten. She was in total shock and couldn't understand why she couldn't compliment someone based on skin color, "because in Korea....."

Another example: we are studying social problems in Japan. One student said their problem is how incredibly "UGLY" Japanese people are and she was refering specifically to their faces. Then I told her I had a Japanese boyfriend and he was super good looking, sexy and VERY rich. Well, he's a X b/f. She was in total shock and the guys had a good reaction I can't quite put in words here. Guess she put her foot in her mouth that time.

One of my older Korean male students thought it was okay to let the black people suffer after the Katrina disaster because they are black, poor and don't vote republican. My other younger female Korean student said, "whhhhat, they are people too!" I threw in the fact that Condi Rice was in charge of providing or allocating aid to the victims and she's black. Look what she did to her OWN people! The younger female student said, "I HATE her" while the man just laughed out loud. I begin a long discussion about the concept of an "uncle tom." Oh I love my job !

[Alyallen]

Since I am Black, I get to hear more than my fair share of comments. I try not to get too self righteous. I restrict my indignation to when comments are directed at me. I tell them that I'm their teacher and they have no right to say that or I make a comment about them and see what they say.

I don't see the point in beating them over the head about it. They see me everyday but can't remember what country I'm from. They see me and think Africa more often than not. It's not that I've given up, but I know when to pick my battles.

Actually, my Korean coteachers are quite dilligent about it though. I've heard them take kids aside and ask them if they want to be called Yellow It gets the point across....

[Privateer]

[krats1976]

[itaewonguy]

[AbbeFaria]

I had a problem today (not so much as a problem but an annoyance) where a couple of girls got together and decided that I was dirty because I have a goatee. "Teacher is very dirty!" I almost did the skin comparison just because I was getting a bit annoyed with it, but didn't go that far in the end. I settled for calling them dirty right back everytime they raised their hands to answer a question just to piss them off, and at the end of class I didn't sign their coupons, which they get to redeem for prizes every few months. That pissed them off more than the dirty comments, which was of course the point.

It actually got a bit gross when they said it looked like I crapped out of my mouth. I wasn't offended, I was just disgusted. That's just a nasty image to have. Still not shaving it though, I look good.

-S-

[SPINOZA]

[Privateer]

I agree it's important they understand racism is taboo in the west and I agree talking to elementary school kids is like talking to a brick wall. That's why I forbid them to talk like that and send them into the corridor if they do. That way at least they know it's taboo with this particular westerner.

[Merlyn]

[cruisemonkey]

Like it or not, raceism exists in all cultures all over the world - no one culture/society/country has an exclusive hold on being 'raceist'.

No individual is born 'raceist'. It is a product of learned/shared behaviour (culture), and as such can be expunged - in the individual - by education. Assuming you (the reader) are teacher, this is one of your main 'jobs'.

Biolgically, there is no such thing as 'race' - it is an artificial construct of human beings.

[joe_doufu]

[Privateer]