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michaelambling
Joined: 31 Dec 2008
Location: Paradise
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 Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:13 pm Post subject: "It's just their culture." Bull. |
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First, let's get this out of the way: yes, I'm a disgusting racist horrible white man who should be burned alive for thinking anything bad about anyone who doesn't look like me. Oh, and:
| ssamd wrote: |
| Another day, another troll from michaelambling |
| aquaponics08 wrote: |
| Yeah, you suck michaelambling! I wanna beat you up! |
Down to business. I just had lunch with a bunch of my students; many of them are from rural Korea, where there are less manners and etiquette than the city. Plus, this is in Jeollanam-do, which is the most agrarian and less civilized part of Korea (this many Koreans talking--not me).
During lunch, I asked them about Korean etiquette, and was shocked to learn that much of it is EXACTLY THE SAME as western etiquette. To the point: one is supposed to eat quietly. I asked 15 students and checked three times to make sure I understood this correctly. Yes, you're supposed to eat with your mouth closed and chew quietly. So why WHY do they eat so loudly, I asked. 15 shrugs later, I asked, "so they just aren't following the rules?" And everyone laughed and agreed.
I have asked them about other things in the past--smoking indoors (against the rules, but no one enforces the rules), spitting (disgusting and terrible, but the men still do it). Urinating and vomiting in public I'll ignore--I saw tons of that in Europe. That's alcohol culture.
Korea has tons of moral guidelines--probably more than America. Yet these guidelines are not followed. This is why many Koreans appear rude and coarse to westerners--they also appear rude and coarse to Koreans.
But my question is still unanswered--why are there so many rude and inconsiderate Koreans? |
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crossmr
Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| But my question is still unanswered--why are there so many rude and inconsiderate Koreans? |
Yeah..everyone follows all the rules in other countries too. Unless you have some kind of scientific study done on the amount of rude people per capita, you're just proving your quotes. |
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Otherside
Joined: 06 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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How long have you been in Korea Mike?
I guess you haven't been here long enough to start feeling the Jung yet?
PS. I'm not talking about Miss Jung, the cute science teacher! |
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michaelambling
Joined: 31 Dec 2008
Location: Paradise
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:27 pm Post subject: |
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| crossmr wrote: |
| Quote: |
| But my question is still unanswered--why are there so many rude and inconsiderate Koreans? |
Yeah..everyone follows all the rules in other countries too. Unless you have some kind of scientific study done on the amount of rude people per capita, you're just proving your quotes. |
You are right, anecdotal evidence proves nothing. But in the two months I have been in Korea, I have eaten with about 40 people, and every one of them chewed with their mouths open and ate loudly, with one exception.
No, not everyone in other countries follows the rules, but it is hard to find people who eat with their mouths open and chew loudly in every other country I've lived in (Korea is my 4th). Plus, I've been surrounded by people from dozens of countries, and the only people who eat loudly have been the Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese. |
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crossmr
Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| but it is hard to find people who eat with their mouths open and chew loudly in every other country I've lived |
Apparently you've never been to a food court in North America. |
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tiger fancini
Joined: 21 Mar 2006
Location: Testicles for Eyes
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:33 pm Post subject: Re: "It's just their culture." Bull. |
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| michaelambling wrote: |
I have asked them about other things in the past--smoking indoors (against the rules, but no one enforces the rules), spitting (disgusting and terrible, but the men still do it). Urinating and vomiting in public I'll ignore--I saw tons of that in Europe. That's alcohol culture.
Korea has tons of moral guidelines--probably more than America. Yet these guidelines are not followed. This is why many Koreans appear rude and coarse to westerners--they also appear rude and coarse to Koreans.
But my question is still unanswered--why are there so many rude and inconsiderate Koreans? |
What kind of answer do you want? You've identified that some of them don't follow the guidelines. This makes them appear rude to westerners and other Koreans. So? As a previous poster mentioned, this happens everywhere.
You condemn spitting in public as disgusting and terrible, but poo-pooh urinating and vomiting as merely 'alcohol culture'. I know which kind of puddles on the street I would rather avoid on my morning stroll to work.
I can't figure out if you are more surprised by the fact that the social rules and guidelines exist, or the fact that some people dare to break them. Either way, I recommend more interaction with real Koreans. |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:41 pm Post subject: Re: "It's just their culture." Bull. |
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| michaelambling wrote: |
| But my question is still unanswered--why are there so many rude and inconsiderate Koreans? |
Because the Japanese colonial era was entirely too short and generally ineffective?
| michaelambling wrote: |
| ssamd wrote: |
| Another day, another troll from michaelambling |
| aquaponics08 wrote: |
| Yeah, you suck michaelambling! I wanna beat you up! |
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Michael, I don't really regard you as a troll (may've had some doubts at first), and I certainly have no desire to see you beaten up. I have no problems or complaints about any of your threads, and indeed find them frequently amusing.
But I do occasionally wonder whence comes your seemingly limitless time and eagerness to post on this forum. Particularly as you're so new to Korea. I live in something of a glass house in this respect, as I posted like a madman myself for a good 2, 3 years here. And I still can't really figure out why. But it was after living here over a decade, and I'd gathered some stories and memories by that time, and I guess I wanted to share them.
What do you imagine you'd be doing with all this time and energy you spend on Dave's if, say, you arrived here before the internet was around? And, would you be posting up just as much of a storm if you'd wound up in some other country? Like... I dunno, Norway? Egypt? Malaysia? |
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michaelambling
Joined: 31 Dec 2008
Location: Paradise
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:48 pm Post subject: Re: "It's just their culture." Bull. |
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| JongnoGuru wrote: |
| michaelambling wrote: |
| But my question is still unanswered--why are there so many rude and inconsiderate Koreans? |
Because the Japanese colonial era was entirely too short and generally ineffective?
| michaelambling wrote: |
| ssamd wrote: |
| Another day, another troll from michaelambling |
| aquaponics08 wrote: |
| Yeah, you suck michaelambling! I wanna beat you up! |
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Michael, I don't really regard you as a troll (may've had some doubts at first), and I certainly have no desire to see you beaten up. I have no problems or complaints about any of your threads, and indeed find them frequently amusing.
But I do occasionally wonder whence comes your seemingly limitless time and eagerness to post on this forum. Particularly as you're so new to Korea. I live in something of a glass house in this respect, as I posted like a madman myself for a good 2, 3 years here. And I still can't really figure out why. But it was after living here over a decade, and I'd gathered some stories and memories by that time, and I guess I wanted to share them.
What do you imagine you'd be doing with all this time and energy you spend on Dave's if, say, you arrived here before the internet was around? And, would you be posting up just as much of a storm if you'd wound up in some other country? Like... I dunno, Norway? Egypt? Malaysia? |
Probably not. I've lived in foreign countries before and this is the first forum I've ever used in my life; I spend the weekdays in the countryside where I'm the only person who speaks English, so I have a lot of spare time since I only teach 18 hours a week. Whenever I finally get to move to Seoul, I'll probably stop posting, or at least post a lot less.
If I were here before the internet? I'd probably write a novel. |
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seoulsucker
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: The Land of the Hesitant Cutoff
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:48 pm Post subject: |
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I'll agree with some of the previous responses about North Americans in a food court.
What gets me here is when it happens at an official dinner function, with educated people wearing formal attire in a very upscale restaurant.
I think in every culture there's a time and a place for slurping and chomping. In Korea it just happens to be all the time and everywhere. |
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nosmallplans
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Location: noksapyeong
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:59 pm Post subject: Re: "It's just their culture." Bull. |
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| michaelambling wrote: |
| JongnoGuru wrote: |
| michaelambling wrote: |
| But my question is still unanswered--why are there so many rude and inconsiderate Koreans? |
Because the Japanese colonial era was entirely too short and generally ineffective?
| michaelambling wrote: |
| ssamd wrote: |
| Another day, another troll from michaelambling |
| aquaponics08 wrote: |
| Yeah, you suck michaelambling! I wanna beat you up! |
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Michael, I don't really regard you as a troll (may've had some doubts at first), and I certainly have no desire to see you beaten up. I have no problems or complaints about any of your threads, and indeed find them frequently amusing.
But I do occasionally wonder whence comes your seemingly limitless time and eagerness to post on this forum. Particularly as you're so new to Korea. I live in something of a glass house in this respect, as I posted like a madman myself for a good 2, 3 years here. And I still can't really figure out why. But it was after living here over a decade, and I'd gathered some stories and memories by that time, and I guess I wanted to share them.
What do you imagine you'd be doing with all this time and energy you spend on Dave's if, say, you arrived here before the internet was around? And, would you be posting up just as much of a storm if you'd wound up in some other country? Like... I dunno, Norway? Egypt? Malaysia? |
Probably not. I've lived in foreign countries before and this is the first forum I've ever used in my life; I spend the weekdays in the countryside where I'm the only person who speaks English, so I have a lot of spare time since I only teach 18 hours a week. Whenever I finally get to move to Seoul, I'll probably stop posting, or at least post a lot less.
If I were here before the internet? I'd probably write a novel. |
Jesus Christ. If you QQ this much living in Mokpo you'll be flooding the Hangang with your 눈물 when you get to Seoul. |
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Robot_Teacher
Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Location: Robotting Around the World
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:10 pm Post subject: |
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While I'd been reading this forum since last July, I didn't feel like posting until shortly after I got to the land of kimchee on calm mornings.
What is it about Korea that makes us post up a storm on this damned website that doesn't work half the time?
Isolation and lonelyness of being a stranger in a strange land all alone. Wait, is that stranger from a strange land?
I had internet while staying in Europe, but didn't post on any sites about my experiences. I did have migook people around me and had friends. And yes I had unpleasant experiences such as being denied entry into discotheque clubs. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:19 pm Post subject: |
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Most Canadians would agree that it's considered polite to greet people you know when you see them, but a Korean would probably be surprised to see a Canadian teacher walk down the main corridor of the school without a single student turning around to greet him. Most Canadians would agree that it's rude to give someone the middle finger, but a visitor might be surprised to see how often drivers do it to each other. Every culture has its habits and norms that might be very irritating to someone who grew up with other ones.
That said, if Korea wants to consider itself part of the advanced world it might be a good time to stop spitting and eating with mouths wide open. |
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ardis
Joined: 20 Apr 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:31 pm Post subject: |
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| michaelambling wrote: |
You are right, anecdotal evidence proves nothing. But in the two months I have been in Korea, I have eaten with about 40 people, and every one of them chewed with their mouths open and ate loudly, with one exception.
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Seriously? 39/40? This is no exaggeration at all? I have been interested in this chewing with the mouth open topic for a while, since people bring it up very often, and started to observe my co-workers in the last month. I usually eat with my co-teachers and they don't slurp, chew loudly or with their mouth opens, or gobble with unappetizing sound effects. I have seen people who certainly DO eat rudely, but they are definitely in the minority, not in like...the 99% percentile, which you are implying. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:37 pm Post subject: |
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| ardis wrote: |
| michaelambling wrote: |
You are right, anecdotal evidence proves nothing. But in the two months I have been in Korea, I have eaten with about 40 people, and every one of them chewed with their mouths open and ate loudly, with one exception.
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Seriously? 39/40? This is no exaggeration at all? I have been interested in this chewing with the mouth open topic for a while, since people bring it up very often, and started to observe my co-workers in the last month. I usually eat with my co-teachers and they don't slurp, chew loudly or with their mouth opens, or gobble with unappetizing sound effects. I have seen people who certainly DO eat rudely, but they are definitely in the minority, not in like...the 99% percentile, which you are implying. |
Well you live in an exceptional environment, then. Some Koreans eat a lot more atrociously than others, but all the ones I know who chew with their mouths completely closed all the time have lived overseas for a while. To 45/45 co-workers I could add 550/550 students.
Do you hang out in the same circles as Homer? |
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gazz
Joined: 13 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:40 pm Post subject: |
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Maybe their eating for their lives. With you at the table do they have time to close their mouths? 
Stop whining you big girl's blouse!
Its Friday, the weather is getting nicer, its going to be an action packed weekend of soccer - Bliss 
PS any footy fan's - the clocks in the UK changed last weekend.
3pm UK time is now 11PM K time (+ 8 instead of (+9) |
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