Korean Job Discussion Forums

[The Great Toad]

Korean Teachers not only hit the students they also touch them in ways that I think would give them problems in the USA. Namely I have seen female teachers pat the middle school female students breasts. Also, I have seen female teachers massagingin the neck and upper back of 6th year male and female students. I've seen female teachers playful pinch the 6th year students male students upper bodies and carress their faces and necks with both their hands while standing over them. There is more contact I have seen between male Korean teachers and middle school females but I rather leave off on the details...

Anyway, one of the female teachers who has the 6th graders occasionaly give her back massages is way hot and not married. I guess maybe I am a bit childishly jealious that she does not caress my face, give me back massages, and pinch and tickle me like she does to the cute sixth year boys she enjoys teasing. Don't get me wrong when I taught in America I gave plenty full on hugs to kidrgarten boys and girls no problem. However, I have yet to give a full on hug to any much over that age except for a few boys who insist on giving me huge teddy bear hugs- I guess they really idolize me. But, I have NOT given massages/full on hugs to the older girls- and the truth is just this week a smitten middle school girl tried to hug me.

So, what all do you think is it strange or just a different culture and very healthy... I often shake hands/ pat the shoulder/give five to students but as a general rule leave off the other things when they are older/female...

[Yu_Bum_suk]

You've been here almost two years and this is a shock to you? On the other hand, I'm still surprised by how and where my female students will touch each other.

[khyber]

I see middle school dudes (and elementary boys) play the old "gotchu gochu" game (that's what i call it) where they try and grab and twist/pinch/pull each other peeen is.

I had a teacher that slapped my ass.

I touch my kids on the shoulder all the time; pats on the back and the like. I have given kids hugs and I have recieved a few massages (even gave a couple, but it felt a bit weird).

I REALLY would totally forget comparing here and home in terms of physical relationship between students and teachers.

[The Great Toad]

err well I mean she teases them and enjoys it- and they act harrased but I think they like it too... ummm but she only likes to tease a few boys not all and I think the one she teases are the cuter boyos... not that I am the perfect judge of male cuteness. But, I would not say it is bad in a strict sense- it is just that they are 6th grade boys who are aware of things. Then agian there are some boys I think of as tckle me elmo dolls too but I am a guy so it is ok if I practice a fireman's carry on them.

[Satori]

I think it's healthy that they don't have the same sexual abuse hysteria that we do in the west. I have seen nothing going on that I would consider to be doing any harm.

[flotsam]

My theory:

The teacher is just engaging in normal Korean "skinship". And you are barking, as usual.

However,

I will be the first to say that there is definitely an outlet of denial for latent/repressed homosexuality in the way the boys fondle and caress each other here. The whole society has enculturated these budding, misguided, young gays into believing that it is normal heterosexual behavior to fondle each other's gotchus, sit on each other's laps, and tickle each other's ears.

Often all at the same time.

And often all at the same time and on the bus.

This has been labeled heterosexual skinship here because the alternative is unthinkable, unthankable and unthunkable.

If you have ever seen some of the amateur Korean porn (think glass houses before starting with the the "you watch porn?!" flames) that gets shot all over the net(uh, that wasn't meant to be punny, but can't see myself pulling out now that I've gone in this deep, ouch.) You will perhaps have noted how often it is two guys and a girl, and how never it is two girls and a guy. You may also have noticed how rarely the cameraman, and it always is the man, focuses on the woman's body or face, but how often he zooms in on his own stump. And that of the other guy which is rubbing well nigh onto his.

Yuckers. Well, yuckers for us heteros I imagine, but then again, I doubt any healthy gay guy wants to watch the kind of homodysfuntionoerotic films that these guys make.

Whenever I have seen this stuff, it has always struck me that the woman is there as nothing more than conduit between two repressed guys who would rather she not be there, but have been indoctrinated to not be able to imagine an alternative. They probably see sharing a woman like that as a form of uber-macho skinship. And again, yuck. This theory of mine extends to the brutal and demeaning, or, at best, uncaring[please see recent threads with "Korean women least satisfied" and "Korean men most selfish" themes, courtesy of realreality, I believe] way Korean women are generally treated both before and within marriage. It makes me think of what life must have been like for the wives of Sparta. "Hey honey, I'm off to the barracks, but Ares and Hermes might be coming over for dinner--have lots of olive oil set out on the table..."

So maybe you should give your little co-teacher and her little kids some slack. And be careful what message you are sending to your little Elmos with your fireman's carry there studley.

As you said: they are aware of things.

[igotthisguitar]

Saw one ( an older male Korean teacher ) give a young boy a slap on the ass today
and a DUNG-chim. Wheeeeeew! Groovy stuff.

Seen them do the same ( i.e. ass slaps ) to little girls as well

Hey, don't look that way, it's Korean "KULT" - ure!

[Porter_Goss]

I don't touch often, but I get touched a lot, and not emotionally either. I get "Teacher is-a handsome" and "Teacher is-a kind", while getting my alien-white arm hairs stroked.

[larkymark]

Flotsam, gotta qustion ya on this:

If you have ever seen some of the amateur Korean porn (think glass houses before starting with the the "you watch porn?!" flames) that gets shot all over the net(uh, that wasn't meant to be punny, but can't see myself pulling out now that I've gone in this deep, ouch.) You will perhaps have noted how often it is two guys and a girl, and how never it is two girls and a guy. You may also have noticed how rarely the cameraman, and it always is the man, focuses on the woman's body or face, but how often he zooms in on his own stump. And that of the other guy which is rubbing well nigh onto his.

Yuckers. Well, yuckers for us heteros I imagine, but then again, I doubt any healthy gay guy wants to watch the kind of homodysfuntionoerotic films that these guys make.

Some gals like a threesome bud.

homodysfuntionoerotic ...is that a word?



Whenever I have seen this stuff, it has always struck me that the woman is there as nothing more than conduit between two repressed guys who would rather she not be there, but have been indoctrinated to not be able to imagine an alternative.

Again, your presumptions I think.




They probably see sharing a woman like that as a form of uber-macho skinship. And again, yuck. This theory of mine extends to the brutal and demeaning, or, at best, uncaring[please see recent threads with "Korean women least satisfied" and "Korean men most selfish" themes, courtesy of realreality, I believe] way Korean women are generally treated both before and within marriage. It makes me think of what life must have been like for the wives of Sparta. "Hey honey, I'm off to the barracks, but Ares and Hermes might be coming over for dinner--have lots of olive oil set out on the table..."

You're goin' overboard now. Does the thought of this stuff really piss you of that much? I suppose FFM is natural ?

[flotsam]

[xeno439]

A pat on the ass between K teacher and student is just as common and innocuous as a pat on the ass from an NBA coach to one of his players.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[flotsam]

[Hater Depot]

What really freaks me out is when female students start to give me a shoulder rub. I put a stop to that as soon as possible.

[DanielInKorea]

Flotsam, I like the way your mind works. It's refreshing to see some relatively well thought out and controlled argumentation going into posts on Dave's. What was your major in college?

Having said that, I don't think I agree with you on the whole repressed homosexuality thing. I really do think that you're missing a Korean cultural difference. I once had a Korean guy my age come up to me, hold my stomach and say "ohh...you getting fat huh?" Although shocking at the time, I realize now that what I consider normative in my culture (not touching someones stomach like that, not commenting on their weight in factual terms) is actually not at all the way Korean's think.

I have also (when staying alone in a ������ one time) had an older Korean ������ very expressly come on to me in a sexual manner, and I quickly learnt to distinguish the difference between a gay Korean and different cultural attitudes.

I have plenty of Korean guy friends my age who do what I consider strange things to me. But I recognize this now as not just homosexual repression, but a different way of thinking.

What do you think?