Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Derrek]

Ok,

I'm walking through Samsung plaza in Bundang, and I encounter one of my 2nd grade high school students. She was with a boy. She stopped and chatted with me, and the boy became immediately disinterested. I mean, he literally looked the other way. I figured he was trying to show me some kind of respect until acknowledged. So I ask him directly in Korean, "Hello, what's your name." No answer. I then asked her, "Where are you guys going?"

The boy couldn't have been more ignorant or disinterested in the fact that I was addressing him. He turned completely around and wouldn't even admit that I was present.

Was the kid:

A: Scared to death that an authority figure in his girlfriend's life was addressing him.

B: A racist ass.

C. Jealous that his girlfriend was speaking with another male.

D. Just a rude kid.


I kind of have to laugh

[Captain Corea]

C- I've seen it before.

[weatherman]

I would say a bit of both B and C. Jealous that she was talking to another male, and you popped his uri-nara bubble of her being 100% pure of foreign influences. It has happened to me a few time. I usually try to make the dude look like the asshole he is.

[the_beaver]

Just another in the long list of people who'd rather not give you the time of day.

[JacktheCat]

C. Jealous that his girlfriend was speaking with another male.

And

E. Afraid to show his girlfriend that he can't speak English as well as her.

Happens to me all the time too when I meet my students outside of school. I teach boys and girls at my highschool, so I get the cold shoulder from both students' boyfriends and girlfriends. More so from the students' boyfriends though.

[Derrek]

[bucheon bum]

[the_beaver]

[the eye]

it's more of a phenomenon that someone can be here as long as Derrek and still be perplexed by such a thing.

[matthewwoodford]

Sounds like this is a kind of behaviour here I noticed right from the get go. It's not considered rude not to introduce people to each other here. You meet someone you know and there's someone with them you don't know and you don't need to acknowledge each other at all. Even if you're sitting down to dinner together it's the same. I think part of the reason why is they're reluctant to talk until they've established your status, hence it's also not rude for strangers to ask your friend about you even when you're standing right in front of them (of course that's partly the language barrier too).

[SuperHero]

[Ya-ta Boy]

[eamo]

[schwa]

I'd guess the young guy was flustered by a friendly approach from an older male he had no association with. There would be nothing in his upbringing suggesting a proper mode of response. A foreigner to boot.

Me too, I'm surprised Derrek would be surprised.

[Ya-ta Boy]