WSJ Commenters 3

4:50 am June 8, 2012

Expat Hypocrisy wrote:


“South Korean media, as happens in other countries, tend to scapegoat, deride and criticize foreigners for a variety of reasons, some real but many exaggerated. English teachers, in particular, get an outsized heap of criticism from the South Korean media, owing in part to the fact that, as elsewhere, scary stories about children get lots of attention.”


In the same way that foreign bloggers “scapegoat, deride and criticize” Koreans? I have a problem with this criticism especially when it comes from expat bloggers who have no qualms about disrespecting their host country. I don’t believe anyone should be scapegoated, but work on your own house first before criticizing others.

Ah yes, the old "don't disrespect your host country" line. A favourite of apologists second only to the "it happens in your country" excuse. Which the fucktard manages to cram into his last sentence.

I love it when they try to equate complaining about poor treatment with showing disrespect to your host country. It is just so bat shit.

Why the wouldn't people complain when they are treated badly ANYWHERE? Especially when they are actually living and working in the country in question! Paying taxes. Contributing to the economy. It is happening to them where they are living and working NOT in their home country so of course it would is relevant.

When people encounter racist behaviour anywhere they should speak out. I complained about the stupidity I encountered in South Korea and on my other blog I complain about the stupidity I encounter at home in Canada, and anywhere else I encounter it. 

What a fucking moron.

Shit Foreigners say ... about Korean BS.

"I can't believe MBC would air this."

"I am surprised to see them (MBC) air this."

I know I have talked about this already but I think it bears repeating. Lately I have been reading posts and comments on various sites discussing the latest racist BS to come out of MBC and I encountered several comments like those.

I am surprised that people (foreigners) who purport to live in South Korea are surprised by the drek MBC put out. Have they lived in a fucking bubble their whole time there? Do I have to steal Bill Maher's life Inside the Bubble schtick to talk about these people?

I lived there for 10 years and racist crap like this came as NO surprise. The year before I left there was similar crap painting all expat's teaching English as evil drug using rapists who are there to corrupt Koreans and screw around. There was the CYJ English ad claiming most foreigners have aids, many are gay, they want our women.

For people to be actually surprised about this they have to have been living in a bubble. Talk about it made the rounds on expat websites. I even heard about it from Korean co-workers. You had to have your head buried in the sand pretty deep not to hear something about it.

Then you have the people who start rambling on that "Not all Korean's think that way." Of course not all of them do. But a LOT of them do. I would be willing to bet my own money that it is a majority of them.

If the whole Mad Cow bugaboo showed us anything it is that Koreans are extremely susceptible to what the media, or authority figures, tell them. Even when it flies in the face of reality.

I can remember butting heads with students, both adult and younger, over things they believed that denied reality. One episode that sticks out most in my head is how vehement many were that there are only 6 continents. It didn't matter how much proof you showed them that there are 7 continents they REFUSED to believe it. Why? A Korean teacher taught them that there were only 6. I was just a foreign teacher and therefore not as reliable. When I talked with some Korean co-workers about it they held the same belief for the same reason.

That is just the reality of life in Korea. Hopefully it will change over time but I wouldn't hold my breath while waiting.

Shit Foreigners Say ... to diminish the experience of others..

While I was looking on Dave's for any reference to the naked idiots at the baseball game I came across a thread by someone going by the handle Lenker. It was typical of the way some foreigners, especially but not always the apologists, try to diminish the experience of others.

Lenker had an amazing time in Korea. Lenker had a wonderful year. Except for the 0.01% 0f Koreans who are bad Lenker met great people. Lenker had great students. Then Lenker left off with some advice.

Overall the post wasn't that bad. Some good points were made. However, I found it made it seem like those who talk about their bad experiences are just pessimists. It seemed to diminish, or even denigrate, their experiences. Especially when he made the statement

A lot of the negative people have nothing better to do than sit at home, spouting complete crap about Korea and it's citizens.

You spent a year there and loved it. Good on you. I spent 10 years there and experienced good and bad. Just because you didn't have the same experiences doesn't mean they don't happen. It doesn't make the experiences of others "complete crap".

Hell, just based on the what Lenker said about his experiences I could say he is full of crap. Most people don't experience as much love in Korea as he seems to have. The difference between him and I is that I can accept that he might have had a 99.9% wonderful time. Statistically speaking there have to be people who don't experience much of the bullshit. My bad experiences don't mean his wonderful life couldn't have happened. Lenker can't seem to accept that others didn't have THAT great a time without accusing them of "spouting complete crap". Kind of pathetic when you think of it.

Shit Foreigners Say ... about behaviour.

The following was said by someone going by the name Koradian on waygook.org during the discussion about the idiots who stripped at a baseball game in Korea.

If Koreans came to Canada to teach Korean and act the same way some foreigners do here, I can just imagine that out image of Koreans and Korea would be tainted as well.

Dude if Koreans came to Canada and acted the way many of them do in Korea they would be "tainted". Which is why a Korean magazine put out a list of 50 things Koreans should not do when in Canada a few years ago. They needed to be told things like don't try to bribe the police and don't eat with your mouth open. The drunken fuckery of the adjosshi's alone would get them "tainted" if not hospitalised.

This kind of stupid comment reminds me of when the apologists and assorted idiots use the "When in Rome..." line.

Shit Foreigners Say ... about living in South Korea.

"You can get (insert product name here) everywhere back home. Why not here?"

"The law back home says I can do this!"

"This isn't like home."

How many times have you heard some asshat, usually fresh off the plane, drone on about what they can get back home but can't get in Korea? Or better yet go on about how they have the right to do something because they can back home. Guess what junior, you ain't in Kansas anymore!

Yes, you will encounter things, some would say many things, that are stupid but you don't go to another country expecting it to be exactly like home. (Ok, going between Canada and the US you can to a degree.) You are in another country on another continent. You should have done SOME research before going so you have at least an inkling of what to expect. (There is this great things called the inter-web or something like that which can help you.)

Shit Foreigners Say ... about Replies.

Why are they ignoring me?

They must have me on ignore.

They have me on ignore! That's not nice!

Ok, this COULD be something Koreans say too but I have heard it from more than a few foreigners. (One person did those so much it drove me crazy.) It happens when they send someone a text message, call and get no answer, or call and leave a message. If the person doesn't reply right away, let's say within 5-20 minutes, the whining starts.

What REALLY irks me about these kind of idiots is that they are hypocrites. They will take their time replying to messages, not reply at all, or even ignore an incoming call because they don't want to talk to the person. That is ok because it is them doing it, but when it happens to them (whether it really happened or they are just so paranoid they think it happened) the bitching starts.

Shit Foreigners Say ... about Foreigners.

I think I was unintentionally nasty with my last comment. Please accept my apologies for that, I tend to side with the Koreans whenever I hear foreigners complaining, I ought to have given you the benefit of doubt.

This comment was made by an asshole that goes by the name of Andrew Irwin. His name links to a blog appropriately named Munky Brains if it is his. His comment is pretty typical of how apologists do react. They blame the foreigner first and worry about the facts later.

The previous post he referred to was one in which he was replying to a blog post from a woman living in Korea who was basically raped by a guy. The gyst of what Munky Brains thought of her post can best be summed up in his own words;

I've been in Korea long enough to know the score and know plenty of girls that haven't experienced any more trouble than they'd get anywhere in the world, USA, Canada, Australia, Europe - anywhere. So that makes you the anomaly, so what ARE you doing to invite it?

It is her fault. She invited it. Wow. The guy she brought home wouldn't wear a condom so she said no. Later she wakes up to being raped and that is what this piece of shits has to say. It is bad enough to be an apologist but this guy takes it to a whole new level of stupidity.

The dangers of one nights stands and picking up strangers aside, that is an incredibly moronic attitude for someone to take. He would get along quite well with the 'tards on Herr Consoleman's site. They are ignoring the reality of what she said and focusing on how condoms don't protect you 100% ... but that is another post.

Shit Foreigners Say ... about parcels.

"Every parcel coming into Korea is searched by Customs."

Quite a few foreigners I knew in Korea believed that. Hilda would drone on about it and no amount of logic could persuade her it wasn't so.

Seriously, if Customs had to search EVERY parcel coming into Korea it would be the LARGEST government department and would have to operate 24 hours a day. 7 days a week. 8 days a week during Solnal and Chuseok.

I had booze and cigars mailed to me all the time. Sometimes I had medicine (prescription and over the counter) mailed to me. Only once was a package opened and searched. There was an official note that it had been searched by Korean Customs.You could tell it had been opened and retaped shut. Nothing was missing from it.

"Every suitcase coming into Korea is searched by Customs."

The same people who go on about mailed being searched usually believe the same thing about luggage coming into Korea. They are also wrong. It just wouldn't be logistically possible to open and search every bag. Oh, and by search they mean Customs would open and search every suitcase not just scan it.

My suitcases were searched a few times, maybe 3 times in 18+ trips. Twice they were checked in Narita and once in Newark. each time there was a tape/label on the outside saying checked by Customs as well as an official note inside.

I would always ask these people if they believed the Korean government monitored every phone call, land line and cell. Most said yes. I was always tempted to give them a roll of tinfoil for Christmas.

Shit Foreigners Say ... to deny reality.

"I have never had the happen so I don't believe it happened."

This phrase, and similar ones, are often used by apologists to discount or diminish the experience of others in South korea. They seem to have the strange idea that if something never happened to the, or if they haven't seen it, it couldn't possibly have happened. Kind of a scary way to go through life, in denial of anything you haven't seen.

I had my own encounter with a friend who used a version of this to ignore reality.

One of the reasons I stopped hanging out with BumSuk is because he was a sleazy asshole. Once he bragged to me about him and a friend (MJ) picking up a high school girl who was passed out drunk in a park. They took her, unconscious, back to MJ's hotel room to fuck. He seemed proud of the fact that they raped a girl. I don't hang around people like that.

A while later I was meeting a friend, another ex-pat. I had stopped hanging out with BumSuk and did NOT want him or MJ around. If they were going to be around I wasn't. So, she asked me what my problem was with them and I told her. Her reply was;

"Well, they never told me about that so I don't believe it happened."

What the fucking kimchi?!?!?

Shit Foreigners Say ... about Korean culture.

"No. That is a Korean tradition. You don't know what you are talking about."

This was said to a Korean by a foreigner in my presence. That is, we were all sitting around talking. BumSuk was telling us what was and wasn't traditional Korean behaviour or culture in a bath house. This twat tried telling a Korean what was and wasn't Korean. Talk about arrogant.

It never fails to astound and confound me was when you get ex-pats who just got to Korea try to tell you what Korea is like. Usually the stupidest comments would come from people who just got off the plane or had only been there a year or so. Because the mere fact they are in Korea means they are now experts and even if you have been there longer they know better than you. Then you have the way apologists do something similar.

"It isn't rude. It is Korean culture."

Apologists LOVE to use this line to excuse bad behaviour by Koreans. I think the first time I heard it used was by someone explaining away why Koreans point at foreigners and why it wasn't rude. Now, one of the first things I was told before coming to Korea was not to point at people. You gesture using your whole hand because pointing is rude in Korea. You don't want to offend people.

After the apologist said that I decided to ask some of my students, I taught kids and adults my first year, if it was rude or cultural. They were unanimous, pointing is rude. It is not "cultural" to point at people. When I told the apologist this they said "Oh no it is cultural. They were wrong." What a fucktard.

People like that need a smack upside the head to reboot their brain.

Shit Foreigners Say ... about what they do in Korea.

"What do you you do?"

"I'm a writer." or "I'm a musician."

No, you are fucking ESL teacher who does something else on the side.

I can't count how many ex-pats have given a stupid answer like that when asked by a Korean, or other foreigner, what they do in Korea. I am not talking about people lying about their job when hitting on a woman I am talking about people who are either embarrassed to say they are an ESL teacher or who have deluded themselves into thinking they are something more, or sometimes less, in Korea. If you were hired as an ESL teacher and/or your VISA is for doing that then guess what? You are an ESL teacher.

If you don't want to be an ESL teacher quit your job and try getting an entertainer VISA to be a musician. Or get the proper VISA and go work for a newspaper if you want to be a writer. God knows you can't be worse than some of the assholes who write for the Korea Times. IF you have an F VISA quit your job and get one doing whatever.

I remember one ex-pat whining on and on at a bar about how teaching was interfering with his music. I had enough and said;

"Quit your ESL job and get work as a musician or shut the fuck up. You are here on an E-2 VISA to teach ESL. That is your job. Not playing in a band. Not making an album. Quit your whining."

Then you have the ones that don't want to say they are a teacher. I remember one ass on YouTube who went on about not wanting to be called a teacher. He is an English coach. He actually wanted his students, and people leaving him YT messages, to call him coach.

I don't know why some people are so embarrassed to call themselves a teacher. You are in Korea, or where ever, teaching English. Whether your skills are being underutilized, misused, over utilized, or ignored you are here so people can learn English.You teach and they learn. You are a teacher. If the thought of telling people that embarrasses you get another line of work and piss off.

More Shit Foreigners Say

You hear some batshit crazy stuff coming out from ex-pats in Korea at times especially the apologists. David Thiessen is a prime example of this. One article he had published in The Korea Times, Worst in the Nation, actually claimed that racism did not exist in South Korea.

He goes on in his diatribe to claim there is no such thing as racism because we are one race. Religion finds it way in as he further claims that what we call racism is really sin. Then he went on to blame the genome. Pretty fucked up stuff.

Hate to break it to you Davey but there is Racism and you can find it everywhere. The only difference is the degree to which it appears and how it is dealt with. In Korea it is pretty overt.

He has also claimed, in another article/post, that foreigners are always responsible for the bad things that happen to them in Korea. What can I say, he is quite the fucktard but good for some batshit crazy quotes. :)

Shit Foreigners Say

A reader emailed me and asked me if foreigners ever said stupid things. My reply was "Hell yeah!"

Often you will hear some ex-pat go on about how being stared at, pointed at, and talked about makes them feel like they are "a rock star". They call it being treated like a celebrity, rock star, movie star, or some similarly stupid comparison.

It is just a way of ignoring the fact that you are an oddity in South Korea. You are the exhibit in the zoo, where people come to point and stare. In some cases, especially with the South Korean media, you are an object of derision.

Rock star my ass. Get the rose coloured glasses off and face reality.