Korean Job Discussion Forums

[seoul_nhl]

xenophobia \ZEN-uh-FOE-bee-uh\, noun:
Fear or hatred of strangers, people from other countries, or of anything that is strange or foreign

rac�ism (rszm) Pronunciation Key
n.
The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
Discrimination or prejudice based on race.


I read a lot of topics and blogs talking about xenophobia in Korea. But how long can people just use this as an excuse to explain how Koreans treat foreigners?

They have the internet, salelite T.V, The Olympics, The World Cup and tons of English teachers running around the pennisula. The world isn't a dark and unknown place anymore. This isn't a country that has been shut out of the world. They have had their share of invading foreigners over their long history and still have the presents of a foreign army in coalition with the Korean armistice in 1953.

SO WHEN IS XENOPHOBIA JUST PLAIN RACISM?

[flotsam]

Oy vey.

[poet13]

Umm, it's a rant.....but I'm not going to post dictionary definitions...just trust me.

[jajdude]

Labels and explanations don't help much, do they?

Whatever you call the behavior, it's unpleasant.

It's human to want psychological comfort. Dealing with things and people unfamilar can bring discomfort. It can also bring pleasure and growth. Where does hate or fear come from? If you can understand that you're way ahead of most of us. Why do we have such a need to feel secure, psychologically? I have no answer, and any answer given does not really help me.

I think it's discomfort more often than fear or hate. To fear or hate a stranger is just weird. To be uncomfortable around strangers is pretty common.

No matter how educated we are, we really have trouble with our own psychologies. We have trouble seeing others as individual, not just part of some group we don't know much about because we don't belong to it. Labels and explanations solve none of this. So, I have no idea how to answer your question.

[Satori]

To answer your question, never. Racism is discrimination against a specific race. Xenophobia is discrimination nationalities that are not your own, or a kind of generalised racism. Except that's not exactly correct becuase with Xenophobia it's about nationality not race. But quibbling over the terms is not particularly helpful or necessary. We all know the feeling of being on the recieving end of this phenomenon...

[ethanp]

Xenophobia is a healthy response to the world--turn your back for a second and some cracker is trying to genocide your culo. Aaah, Xenophobia. It's really the only logically consistent foreign policy, too. I applaud all those who have the juevos to implement such sound strategy.

Never mix up a clean concept like Xenophobia, bleached snow-white by cynicism, with something filthy like Racism.

[Satori]

I couldn't agree more!

[djsmnc]

[periwinkle]

[nautilus]

[The Soju Hoju]

I read quite a few posts about this subject and feel a few comparisons are necessary. I lived in the UK for the best part of my life and have encountered ' true ' racism. In Korea people stare at you and occasionally a soju filled ajoshi will make a few spurious comments about ' wekgookins '. This has happened to me several times and is quite comical, all countries have racists, it is normal in every country.

If you want to try racism UK style then go to the east or north London and see what happens to blacks, Indians and Pakistani people who are verbally abused and sometimes beaten senseless for nothing more than being an ethinc minority. Korea does have racists and xenophobes but I'd rather put up with a non-violent racist than a skinhead member of the BNP who wants to slice me up cuz I'm ethnic.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I don't know - it's just such a double-edged sword. On a personal level, every deliberate act of rudeness is more than balanced out by ten acts of kindness. However, I've never met any ethnicity that had such a problem in terms of seeing others as strange, scary, or so stupid they need to be told and shown every mundane thing in such depth and with so much repetition. They're so afraid of giving a foreigner control over something, yet, when it comes to something that really matters to them like the national soccer team or choosing and preparing English speech competition candidates, they'll willingly hand all authority over to a competant foreigner with a proven track record. This country is really all about xenophobia in the original sense of the word, isn't it?

[jajdude]

I don't know. I think it's just discomfort. I don't understand the reactions sometimes. I feel for what happens. I just walked into your house. I broke up the comfortable uniformity of your surroundings. Now you have a reason to react. We may have language wrangles. Spanish guys hit my hometown long ago. Damned if anyone understood them.