Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Who's Your Daddy?]

So yesterday I went to a baby's first year birthday party. I've been to these before without any problems and enjoyed it, but last night was awful. The music was so loud.

The couple beside us left about 15 minutes after the music started. Me and my wife left about 20 minutes into it. My ears were still ringing 2 hours later, and we only stayed through 20 minutes.

Well I wonder what moron wants the music so loud. But the other question that puzzles me is:

Why doesn't anyone say anything? Why doesn't someone say it's too loud?

I thought about the number of times at the gym I've told them it's too loud, and I seem to be the only one. Conversations with other foreigners about changing gyms because the music is too loud. Sitting on a bus when the drivers radio is blaring. Being at restaurant where the TV is on so loud the diners can't talk.

But I've never, never, in my 7 years here seen a local say anything.

[optik404]

You know, it is just possible, that locals either dont mind it or they say something when *gasp* you aren't looking.

[moosehead]

I've asked bus drivers to turn down the radio before - when I had my own mp3 as loud as it would go and STILL couldn't hear it all -

they lose their own hearing from the sounds of the engines, window noise (most bus drivers have one open) and other sounds. gradually they keep turning up the radio to drown out everything, not realizing how loud it is in the back.

many folks have nodded approval when I've done this, so just speak up. no, Koreans rarely do it on their own - but I have asked one or two to do so for me before for various reasons and it's never been a problem.

at the party - who knows - they were excited, didn't know any better. there are ways to ask you know, gently and persuasively w/o hurting someone's feelings. I'm sure they host would not want you to leave just because of this!

[HalfJapanese]

It is also possible that they may believe that foreigners have really sensitive ears. So they have the music at the right threshold loudness to where the Koreans can tolerate it, but the foreigners can't as a way to deter the presence of foreigners in a given vicinity.

Or maybe the Koreans have a mentality to avoid any type of confrontations or report any complaints as they don't want to be see as different from the rest of the people. Since pretty much everyone has this mentality, no one saids anything and the music stays loud. So instead of saying anything, they take the least path of resistance by quietly leaving, thus avoiding any awkwardness.

[Milwaukiedave]

I have a tendency to believe the noise doesn't bother most Koreans or they just don't complain because they feel it's wrong. I've asked the people in the gym to turn the music down as well. The trucks that go around and sell stuff sometimes pull up aside our apartment and I hope the window (if it's not open already) and complain.

[uklathemock]

I can't stand it when I enter the gym and the music is blasting.

[chellovek]

[fugitive chicken]

It's a respect issue. They don't want to "humiliate" the person by asking them to turn things down. Where they are uncomfortable and DO want it turned down, they don't want to be the ones to say something because it may be considered as rude and have the other person "lose face"

[nautilus]

[Arthur Dent]

It's usually futile to complain about noise here. No one can hear you complain.

[whatever]

Koreans don't like to complain? lol.

the whole face-saving culture thing is a joke. it's a courtesy they only extend to their inner circle--sometimes.

...and they have a hard-on for noise. fact!

[jdog2050]

[Kaypea]

What about people yelling/fighting at night? There's some couple in my building (maybe it's more than one couple) who fight at night occasionally, although it's mostly outdoors (like, under my window). I've noticed that nobody yells at them to shut the h up when this happens. Don't get me wrong, I kind of like that-- where I'm from, if people carried on like that at night, everybody would be yelling out their windows for them to be quiet, and the noisy people would probably keep at it anyway.

I don't know, what about you guys? When there's noisy people at night, does anybody tell them to shut up, or are they pretty much allowed to yell?

[moosehead]

[NYC_Gal]

So basically 2 great jobs here would be podiatrist (all those ridiculously high shoes) and ear/nose/throat doctor.