Korean Job Discussion Forums

Yeolchae · Joined: 24 Aug 2006

http://yeolchae.wordpress.com/2006/10/02/cashing-in-on-anti-americanism/

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

Yeah I saw him there the other night. I stopped to take a look, and had a little chat with him. He said a lot of his customers have been American soldiers, which isn't a surprise to me. My friend in the military constantly lies about it and says he's an English teacher.

I tried to explain to him that Migook means America not American, and saying "I am not a migook" is just absolutely nonsensical. Nice fella, but I think that bit was lost on him.

Pyongshin Sangja · Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Location: I love baby!

Ok, smart guy. Ever been referred to as Migook before?

Bet you have.

And how is it Anti-American?

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

flotsam · Joined: 28 Mar 2006

uberscheisse · Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Location: japan is better than korea.

i saw that dumbass selling those shirts.

the dude's girlfriend had this embarrassed smirk on her face like "eeenh... i don't have the guts to tell brent here that he's being a fucking tool..."

and i've said this 100 times...

of the people i've met in korea, americans have been by and large the most personable, well-educated, worldly and down-for-fun-and-adventure folk out of EVERYONE.

canadians have been mediocre, rude and uninspiring for the most part. i don't know where to meet aussies or kiwis to assess that but i kinda think that if a korean heard their accents they'd think they were from space, not the US, and wouldn't think to brand them as migookin.

i'd really rather be a nice american than a closed-minded canadian. not saying t-shirt fruit is a canadian, but i'd be willing to put 10,000 on it.

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

T-Shirt Offers Protection Against Mistaken Nationality
Kenny hatched the idea of starting up his own business only two months ago. "When I started out, it was just to help make money for a trip my girlfriend and I were taking to South America and Australia," he recalls. He found an untapped niche market: non-American Caucasians in Korea, with their fears of being thrown in the same pot with U.S. citizens. Kenny's idea paid off. The going price of W15,000 is a little steep for a T-shirt, but that hasn't stopped droves of European tourists and Canadian and Australian English instructors -- fed up with the "everything white is an American" attitude -- from snapping up every last one of the shirts. He has already recouped his investment, and from here on out, it�s pure profit for the entrepreneur. His Korean girlfriend says, "We've seen for ourselves just how many non-American Caucasians there really are in Korea."
Chosun Ilbo (October 2, 2006)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200610/200610020026.html

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

I saw that shirt, and maybe one or two other similar ones in a bar near Yonsei Univ that I think is owned by a young Canadian guy. I don't know if he was selling them too, but they were hanging on the wall.

What was that one posted about a year or 2 ago by "Korean Newfie" that apparently he had made for himself... (? ) Written in Korean, could be translated something like, "Yes, I am a foreigner. There's no need to be afraid..." or something silly like that.

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

I think some Canadians have this precious notion that Koreas care if a white guy is American or not. They think, "oh, if he just realized I'm from the friendly syrup-loving country, he wouldn't be angry at me." They don't realize Koreans call white people Americans like the way people call copy machines Xerox machines. They don't care if it's not made by Xerox, the important thing is it's a Xerox. And they don't care if whitey is from America.

adverge · Joined: 16 May 2006

I saw this shirt being worn by someone.

They are from New Zealand.

Pligganease · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Location: The deep south...

I've seen the t-shirts. Most non-American foreigners that I've met don't have a problem with the old "미국사람 ?"

It does kinda prove that some Canadians solely define their existence by the fact that they aren't American, though.

uberscheisse · Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Location: japan is better than korea.

SuperHero · Joined: 10 Dec 2003 Location: Superhero Hideout

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Isn't it like a Korean wearing a tshirt in the USA saying something like "I'm not Chinese!" Is this an anti-chinese statement? Or a statement about local bias. I wouldn't hold any ill will towards a Korean in a less than cosmopolitan town trying to make such a statement. Why cast it as anti-Americanism? C'mon. Think for a half second.