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They have their nuances, like everyone else, but they are most important allies that should be respected. Had a dozen flights on Asiana and KAL, all in Economy, and they really are the gold standard for service and solid food and beverage. Was given a hotel room for a long layover that had the best tub I have ever used. Their A game is better than Thailand, but not their B game.
Sigh. Look, I was just out to eat with my wife and daughter and the teenage boy at the table next to us was rude to my four year old daughter and made a nasty comment to her and when I told him to stop, he said that he "doesn't like foreigners." Am I happy? No. Have I had this happen before? Yes. Am I going to start a thread about how terrible the Chinese are? No, because he was one idiot kid out of thousands of benign people who I passed by drama-free today...
Most people I know who have lived in Korea were fine with it. Some loved it, some had less than great experiences there, but I can't recall anyone who *hated* it.
Any more so than the OP? Same style of reasoning of coming to a hyperbolic conclusion based on scant evidence or anecdotes.
Social relations and culture cannot be understood like a hard science. The interpersonal experiences, stupidly called "anecdotes", and discussions about them are the best evidence and you don't need a year or more of experience to "understand the reasons" behind the culture. With interpersonal relations you can often detect something that is, "not quite right" about a girl or guy your dating who has high levels of narcissism after a couple of hours with them. No one dismisses human judgement as having short circuited the scientific process of understanding other people. Every society has suffered trauma of war, economic hardship - many recently. Some emerge with healthy ways of relating with each other and with foreign guests, others are like Korea which has dealt with insecurities about their natural beauty with plastic surgery and a social system that ironically emphasizes human beauty. It is how a poorly socialized teenager would deal with insecurities about their appearance. Psychological health is understood by careful thought, experience and wisdom.
Social relations and culture cannot be understood like a hard science. The interpersonal experiences, stupidly called "anecdotes", and discussions about them are the best evidence and you don't need a year or more of experience to "understand the reasons" behind the culture. With interpersonal relations you can often detect something that is, "not quite right" about a girl or guy your dating who has high levels of narcissism after a couple of hours with them. No one dismisses human judgement as having short circuited the scientific process of understanding other people. Every society has suffered trauma of war, economic hardship - many recently. Some emerge with healthy ways of relating with each other and with foreign guests, others are like Korea which has dealt with insecurities about their natural beauty with plastic surgery and a social system that ironically emphasizes human beauty. It is how a poorly socialized teenager would deal with insecurities about their appearance. Psychological health is understood by careful thought, experience and wisdom.
Aren't you glad they don't do cosmetic surgery in America?
Social relations and culture cannot be understood like a hard science. The interpersonal experiences, stupidly called "anecdotes", and discussions about them are the best evidence and you don't need a year or more of experience to "understand the reasons" behind the culture. With interpersonal relations you can often detect something that is, "not quite right" about a girl or guy your dating who has high levels of narcissism after a couple of hours with them. No one dismisses human judgement as having short circuited the scientific process of understanding other people. Every society has suffered trauma of war, economic hardship - many recently. Some emerge with healthy ways of relating with each other and with foreign guests, others are like Korea which has dealt with insecurities about their natural beauty with plastic surgery and a social system that ironically emphasizes human beauty. It is how a poorly socialized teenager would deal with insecurities about their appearance. Psychological health is understood by careful thought, experience and wisdom.
So my psychological assessment was correct then. Threads like this come from foreigners who go to Korea and not get the red carpet treatment. This change in treatment causes anger and offense resulting from a bruised ego. No need for evidence. This is based on personal experiences with people like this. Additionally, based on a bunch of imagined slights that could have been the result of a cultural or language barrier, comes the delusional belief that the entire psyche of the Korean people has been apprehended. Such penetrating and brilliant insight. Based on the post that started this thread and the other replies, many people would sense major entitlement and fragility issues in your posts.
Last edited by CharlesRamon; 12-20-2020 at 03:47 PM..
We lived in the same townhouse complex in Fullerton, CA, 92833 for thirty years. When we moved there in 1985 the owners / renters were maybe 3% Korean. By 2015, when we left, Koreans were about 50-60%.
I hate to rain on the parade, but matrcies makes a somewhat valid point. Like someone parking under our window and in front of our garage, slamming the car door twice, and engaging in a long and loud conversation where we can hear every single word, in person or on the cellphone, and that with our double-pane windows closed; not in English, by the way. All that in 2:00 AM, in the middle of the night. It wasn't a random event, happened almost weekly, usually on Fridays.
Leaving Fullerton and moving to Paradise was one of the happiest days of my entire life.
I lived in two different European countries and several states in the US in similar high-density housing, but the only place where I had major trouble sleeping was Fullerton in the last 10-15 years while living there.
We lived in the same townhouse complex in Fullerton, CA, 92833 for thirty years. When we moved there in 1985 the owners / renters were maybe 3% Korean. By 2015, when we left, Koreans were about 50-60%.
I hate to rain on the parade, but matrcies makes a somewhat valid point. Like someone parking under our window and in front of our garage, slamming the car door twice, and engaging in a long and loud conversation where we can hear every single word, in person or on the cellphone, and that with our double-pane windows closed; not in English, by the way. All that in 2:00 AM, in the middle of the night. It wasn't a random event, happened almost weekly, usually on Fridays.
Leaving Fullerton and moving to Paradise was one of the happiest days of my entire life.
I lived in two different European countries and several states in the US in similar high-density housing, but the only place where I had major trouble sleeping was Fullerton in the last 10-15 years while living there.
I've lived near large groups of white people, Mexicans, African Americans, and Japanese and Chinese people, in America and abroad, and had bad experiences with all of them. But, that doesn't mean those people are generally speaking unpleasant to live around.
others are like Korea which has dealt with insecurities about their natural beauty with plastic surgery and a social system that ironically emphasizes human beauty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DAXhound
Aren't you glad they don't do cosmetic surgery in America?
It's not even close to the same level. Some of my South Korean friends place an inordinate emphasis on physical appearance, more so than I've seen from even the most vain of Americans. There is no equivalent to the Korean eye surgery thing, here in the U.S. Show me any street in America where you can walk two blocks and pass up to a dozen cosmetics stores, like you can in Myeongdong in Seoul.
That said, my experiences with visiting Korea were 180 degrees opposite from that of the OP. The service I received at hotels and shops was mostly excellent, and never less than good. I received nothing but courtesy from the people there, and in fact I made two friends that I'm still in touch with, three years later. I haven't lived the life of the OP, so I cannot dispute his own experiences. But I loved Korea, and the Koreans that I interacted with, and I would gladly go there again.
It's not even close to the same level. Some of my South Korean friends place an inordinate emphasis on physical appearance, more so than I've seen from even the most vain of Americans. There is no equivalent to the Korean eye surgery thing, here in the U.S. Show me any street in America where you can walk two blocks and pass up to a dozen cosmetics stores, like you can in Myeongdong in Seoul.
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Korea also has one of the highest suicide rates on the planet. I have read it has improved in recent years, but they were at the top of the list for a while. Talking with an old Korean friend one time I asked him if he would ever move back there and he said no way. He said it was too much stress living in Korea, he said when he was a kid in school it was not uncommon for teachers would smack the students in the head. This was a long time ago, I am sure (at least hope) things have changed.
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Understanding culture
