Korean Job Discussion Forums

[OBwannabe]

This might come off sounding like I'm trying to start a flame war on Americans...truly I'm not. But I have a few coworkers who are driving me a bit mad and it has caused me to look back at coworkers of the past as well.

At my current job we have a foreign staff of 13 teachers and 5 of them are Yanks. Day in day out at least one of the American teachers will overhear a one on one conversation in the staff room and completely butt to give their two cents while cutting off the conversation, mid-sentence.
Even if one of the non-Americans is having a conversation with a Yank, generally the Yank will have no problem interupting even if the person is answering a question the American just asked them!

Annoys me to no end. Even if I'm not involved in the convo, but am close enough to overhear it.

Once I recognized that it is normally(nearly always) a Yank doing the interupting, I started to think back to American coworkers of the past. I came to realize that of the 10 or so I've worked with prior to my current job....6 out of the 10 were exactly like this. While the other 4 were great(3 of which were from the West coast...might have something to do with it.) Pissed me off back then as well.

Of course we all mindlessly interupt someone from time to time, but I'm wondering if others find this a common thread amongst Americans, or have you noticed this kind of behavior as prevalent among other nationalities as well? Funny thing is, it hasn't mattered if they are female, male, gay or straight....they all butt in just the same.
Could just be my own unique experience. Although I've been hearing grumbling from the Korean and foreign staff alike about it. Nice to know I'm not nuts.

[tophatcat]

[OBwannabe]

[Steelrails]

Having hung out with people of all the ESL nationalities here, I've seen nothing to conclude that one nation or another is more prone to interrupting.

Anyways, if you are all coworkers and having a semi-open discussion in a semi-open area, it's reasonable to assume that someone else might chime in. If you want to have a private, intimate discussion, go to a location that facilitates that. That's what your desk or a meeting room is for, not the staff area where everyone grabs coffee.

[OBwannabe]

It's actually our staff office. We all have our own desks. Not really a coffee room at all. But yeah sure, I agree that people will chime in once and a while when they overhear something of interest. Although, it seems to me, most people would wait for a pause in the action to do so.
As for speaking to someone one on one and not having that conversation partner wait for you to finish your reply, but rather interupt...I find that terribly rude.

[northway]

Don't have private conversations in public spaces.

[candy bar]

[Captain Corea]

Yeah, um, totally never noticed this.

Also, who calls Americans "Yanks"??

[mysteryadam]

[maximmm]

[le-paul]

i agree with the poster above - people are just people.

The things that Ive always noticed more about americans however
is, they seem more deluded (at least when talking to foreigners) about their own country (we actually have superheroes that save the world etc.), a lot more selfish generally than other nationalities, trying to prove themselves more (that applies to the males more than females), and very bad emailing etiquette (eg - replying when it suits them).

As for the loudness, interrupting etc, id say some of the rudest people Ive met are Brits, Irish, Americans, Canadians and Aussies, and one of the worst people I know for interrupting is british. So much so, that you have to have a talking fight with him if you want to say anything or just shut up and listen. He even answers for his wife when you ask her a question.

i think it just comes down to age, social awareness and our 'unique situation' (ie away from home = insecure).

So please understand

[jvalmer]

[wanderkind]

[cam83]

[optik404]

You should be honored that a free American would even participate in office chit chat.