Korean Job Discussion Forums

beebee23 · Joined: 20 Jul 2006

Sorry, but I have to share this:

It just dawned on me that non-Koreans, especially caucasians here in Korea might not be as open and friendly to other caucasians and non-caucasian westerners. I guess since caucasians are the minority here, they want to feel accepted and apart of the culture even if that means shunning westerners, and mainly, other caucasian westerners. This is so funny when I found this out.

I thought the site of other westerners would be a welcome relief here in Korea. I guess it's a yes and no........LOL!!!

Hell, in America, sometimes some asian americans don't want to be seen around other asians for fear of being a part of that asian minority. In fact, I use to be like that when I was younger. Sometimes other asians don't want to be seen with other asians and they only want to date white women or white guys. You know, cultural assimilation.

It's very similar to other westerners being unfriendly to other westerners here in Korea. I'm dying and laughing inside! Wow, this is so funny. My caucasian friend recently tried to talk to this caucasian guy at the music store and got a pretentious look back from him. I'm sure he was thinking, oh god, another white foreigner, and jeez, thanks man....all of that time learning Korean, trying to get a Korean girlfriend, and you embarrass me in public...."

I guess when you're the minority, you just want to be fit in, be accepted, and be seen like everybody else.

LOL!!!
let the flaming begin! I really do love everyone one though...
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Share away....

kigolo1881 · Joined: 30 Jul 2006

are you laos ?

ajgeddes · Joined: 28 Apr 2004 Location: Yongsan

I think you are wrong. I think you are mistaking ignoring strangers with avoiding white people. I don't talk to strangers, I don't look at them, but I have a lot of white friends here that I hang out with. I would bet that a lot of others here are the same.

grainger · Joined: 21 Sep 2006 Location: Wonju, Korea

beebee23 · Joined: 20 Jul 2006

typo....

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

This has been talked about a bit in other threads.

I don't see any reason to be unfriendly or shun others. Some of us are a bit wary around strangers, some of us are shy, have social phobia, whatever, some of us may be rude and some of us may be snobs, but I think most of us are all right.

I have never felt any of this "Dude, you're violating my space or upsetting my Asian experience" nonsense. Does anyone actually ever feel this way whenever another foreigner merely says "hi," and maybe hopes to make a new friend in what can be a lonely place? If so, that snob is best left alone.

Sometimes ya just need a good start, a friendly intro. and between any two cool or somewhat like-minded people friendship comes easily.

(P.s. Why did you put non-korean foreigners? We're just foreigners.)

europe2seoul · Joined: 12 Sep 2005 Location: Seoul, Korea

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

Old timers are usually older. Most people, especially over 30, tend not to make new friends back home, of whatever race. It's not surprising a long-timer, married with kids, like ANYWHERE else back home doesn't want to go out drinking and clubbing with a bunch of 21 year olds and might not want new friends as they are busy. This is perfectly normal. Actually, what you are talking about as bad is actually abnormal for our society. Another example is sometimes people might just be tired after speaking English for 6 hours with people and just want some peace and quiet. I could go on and on. Anyways, from your race-centered post, it's nice to see we have a mini-Patchy here, as I think people really missed Patchy Wink

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

I don't hate white people. Some of my best friends are white.

This has been beaten to death before, but just b/c a person speaks (presumably) the same language as I, doesn't mean I'm going out of my way to talk to them. I feel no sense of kinship with strangers who happen to resemble me (well, me if I was fatter with less social graces.) If you want more white friends, join the army. Or, try being normal and not being so hung up on somebody's "race" (wow, that's an outmoded term.) I know "when in Rome" and all, but it's lame.

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

gang ah jee · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: city of paper

Does anyone else here hate the word 'caucasian'? It's a nasty piece of pseudoscience and needs to go the way of 'negroid' and 'mongoloid'.

Caucasian
1807, from Caucasus Mountains, between the Black and Caspian seas; applied to the "white" race 1795 (in Ger.) by Ger. anthropologist Johann Blumenbach, because their supposed ancestral homeland lay there; since abandoned as a historical/anthropological term. Lit. meaning "resident or native of the Caucasus" is from 1843. The mountain range name is from Gk. kaukhasis, from Scythian kroy-khasis, lit. "(the mountain) ice-shining."

Blumenbach's rationale for identifying the Caucasus as the ancestral homeland of white people was that
a) the 'highest' race was the most beautiful, but beauty degrades over distance
b) white people were the most beautiful
c) the most beautiful white people lived in the Caucasus mountains.
Therefore, white people are from Georgia. Like Joseph Stalin.

I mean, seriously. Are white people really that beautiful?

SPINOZA · Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Location: $eoul

Oh for f***'s sake I hate all this!

When I see a caucasian person, outside of Itaewon, I get all nervous now...say "hi" and that's weird, make eye contact and do a "eye-contact-and-smile" hi and you're a weirdo, or don't make any eye contact whatsoever and you're rude!

Not directed at you, Beebee, but just generally, it seems people are looking for reasons to be offended constantly. When I see a person of my own race, I usually choose the 'rude' option and pretend I haven't noticed them because it's the easiest. That said, speaking to someone and them being rude in return is totally different. Latter is disgraceful. But can we stop thinking it's an issue if a white guy or woman doesn't notice you or say anything? It's barmy.

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

seoulsucker · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 4:35 pm Post subject:

I agree with the "don't talk to strangers" thing. Just because I'm white and I'm here doesn't mean that I'm willing to befriend every western-caucasian bag of douche that I bump into.

Perhaps part of it is that I moved here from and was brought up in a fairly large city where people of all colors, creeds, and backgrounds give each other breathing room.

I've built a small network of close friends from all over that I'm very happy with, and somehow the guy at Yongsan yelling, "Mee-Gook POWER, Han-Gook POWER CHANGEEE" doesn't quite fit into my social scheme.

lastat06513 · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 5:38 pm Post subject:

I live in New Haven, so when students converge on Yale during the school year, I get to be acquainted with people from many different cultures and backgrounds. And it also helps that I live about 2 hours from NYC...

So, I am from a place with great diversity, but yet I do show some sort of courtesy.

When I saw a fellow foreigner in Korea, I would always say hi or knod my head in achknowledgement, no matter whether they return the courtesy or not. There are 2 reasons for this;

1. When I am home, if 2 people look at each other and make eye contact, saying hi or knodding means that there is not going to be a fighting or a shooting or a mugging. Believe me, many fights and shootings occur when a person doesn't "show respect" to someone who thinks they own a certain part of town.

2. When I was in the Army, if 2 soldiers make eye contact, they said hi or knodded to show comradery among soldiers (unless it was an officer, then it was an automatic raise to a salute). It also means that this might be the person who will save your arze in combat if the need arose.

So when I am overseas and I achknowledge someone on the street, it means that they are not alone, whether they want to feel like part of a group or not.

I guess even after 10 years of living abroad, I still get that naive notion that "us foreigners should stick together".....

Its ashame that Koreans all over the world try to help each other out, no matter which province they are from. They are still considered "brother/ sister Korean"
Even the Nigerians (Christian and Muslim), Sri Lankans (Sikhs and Tamils) and Indians (those from different castes) tend to come together when faced with different circumstances.
But for us English-speaking foreigners, no matter if you are from Canada, Australia or the U.S., come and still have that "all for myself" mentality, not caring about the next person.

No wonder Koreans can say all that smack on the 'net or on TV and get away with it. It's because they knew we wouldn't be united in our response.......sad and pathetic........