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wait wait......
so basically all I've gathered from this thread is that by being white and thin, and dressing decently. You have have Korean women going after you? bearing in mind your at least decently looking?
So I guess its time for me to go to a gym and buy some new clothes then. Yep, I think thats what I'll do.
From what I have seen, I have seen a lot of shallowness in Koreans, at least the esports scene isn't as bad. I've always been greeted with nothing more than kindness. but I am guessing general Korean society is a bit different. I guess I've been a little sheltered though here and have not had to experience Korean culture alone.
Though I have been called handsome a few times by other Korean men. Should I take that as a compliment or an insult I've always wondered?
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Had enough of that superficial, looks and status obessed vibe in L.A Hollywood, and Miami South Beach.
Blah. What a waste, what a drag.
You are making a lot of people here glad we don't live there. I sure am ...
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On March 22 2012 16:07 masterbreti wrote:
wait wait......
so basically all I've gathered from this thread is that by being white and thin, and dressing decently. You have have Korean women going after you? bearing in mind your at least decently looking?
So I guess its time for me to go to a gym and buy some new clothes then. Yep, I think thats what I'll do.
From what I have seen, I have seen a lot of shallowness in Koreans, at least the esports scene isn't as bad. I've always been greeted with nothing more than kindness. but I am guessing general Korean society is a bit different. I guess I've been a little sheltered though here and have not had to experience Korean culture alone.
Though I have been called handsome a few times by other Korean men. Should I take that as a compliment or an insult I've always wondered?
How could being called handsome ever be an insult?
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On March 22 2012 09:12 LuciferSC wrote:
You do not understand because for one, US was never invaded - it obviously makes a huge difference.
And number two, it's because of the intentional brutality done against Korean cultural values and pride.
And also the fact that Japanese government has been very sly about their wrong-doings, and furthering their crime (unethical deeds) by setting up their national curriculum with altered history to cover-up their wrong-doings, and never being honorable and accepting and apologizing for their wrongs.
It is that slyness that Koreans recent and look-down upon.
Actually, that's not true - the United States was invaded during the War of 1812, by British Canada and by British forces. During the war, they captured the US capital and set fire to the White House - fortunately, a hurricane may have been in the neighborhood and prevented the widespread destruction of DC. (I can't count the Civil War as an "invasion", although it is by far the more memorable war and also one of the bloodiest.) However, you're correct in a sense that the US has never suffered the brutality of an invasion such the ones the Japanese engaged in prior to and during World War II. Not yet, at least. (Who knows what will happen in the future?)
Of course, if you talk to some Native Americans (aka "Indians"), they may disagree. If you can find any, and they are willing to talk to you. (Even though some tribes have been doing better lately.)
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What is general opinion on metal scene (clothes, long hair, beard, music~)? What is their reaction?
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On March 22 2012 16:07 masterbreti wrote:
Though I have been called handsome a few times by other Korean men. Should I take that as a compliment or an insult I've always wondered?
My korean guide says this happens often and you shouldn't be disturbed by it. Unless you were looking absolutely terrible I'd consider it as a simple nice gesture, along the lines of "looks like you're doing fine", I guess.
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On March 22 2012 14:51 Minzy wrote:Show nested quote +On March 22 2012 08:58 LuciferSC wrote:On March 22 2012 02:48 ecstatica wrote:rottinegg has deep issues that need to be addressed. Like he's happy he went to specific clubs in Seoul because people there were "richer and taller" (while, mind you, he was wearing heels himself). Then he proceeds calling chinese dirty, which is especially hilarious given that Korea itself was basically founded by Shang dynasty. I'm not chinese but I can see how anyone with knowledge of history would just laugh at something like this On March 22 2012 02:48 Skilledblob wrote:
didnt the japanese government apologise multiple times and gave huge money support to Korea after the war? I am not trying to excuse what they did but that money is probably one of the biggest reasons why Korea was able to advance so quickly. This is just my impression so please correct me if I am wrong. There would obviously be no SK the way we know it without all that foreign investment. US did the bulk of it, but Japan certainly participated too, since it was in their best interest. Ecstatica - don't comment on what you don't know. Japan investing heavily in Korea? Please. And SKilledbob - no, Japanese government never did the honorable thing and formally apologize to Korea. They keep on making excuses here and there, thus the reason for the Korean government recently demanding an official, formal apologies from the Japanese government. Japanese government invested in what satisfied their self-interests, don't make it sound like Korea became what it is today because of Japan. welcome to international relations. ie. the real world. if you expect anything more then you sir are a fool. why would ANY country act if the consequences of said actions didnt align with their agenda, one could say the same thing about korea, or any other country.
Exactly my notion - so wouldn't you feel that it's foolish to claim that one nation did something simply for another nation's sake?
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On March 22 2012 18:56 felisconcolori wrote:Show nested quote +On March 22 2012 09:12 LuciferSC wrote:
You do not understand because for one, US was never invaded - it obviously makes a huge difference.
And number two, it's because of the intentional brutality done against Korean cultural values and pride.
And also the fact that Japanese government has been very sly about their wrong-doings, and furthering their crime (unethical deeds) by setting up their national curriculum with altered history to cover-up their wrong-doings, and never being honorable and accepting and apologizing for their wrongs.
It is that slyness that Koreans recent and look-down upon. Actually, that's not true - the United States was invaded during the War of 1812, by British Canada and by British forces.
Holy revisionist history, Batman. It's not called an invasion when you declare war, advance into another country, and then get pushed back into your own.
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On March 22 2012 22:14 Flaccid wrote:Show nested quote +On March 22 2012 18:56 felisconcolori wrote:On March 22 2012 09:12 LuciferSC wrote:
You do not understand because for one, US was never invaded - it obviously makes a huge difference.
And number two, it's because of the intentional brutality done against Korean cultural values and pride.
And also the fact that Japanese government has been very sly about their wrong-doings, and furthering their crime (unethical deeds) by setting up their national curriculum with altered history to cover-up their wrong-doings, and never being honorable and accepting and apologizing for their wrongs.
It is that slyness that Koreans recent and look-down upon. Actually, that's not true - the United States was invaded during the War of 1812, by British Canada and by British forces. Holy revisionist history, Batman. It's not called an invasion when you declare war, advance into another country, and then get pushed back into your own.
Are we really going to dredge up nationalist sentiment from 200 years ago??
Also, for the record British impressement of American citizens into service in the British Navy against their will is what started the war. 
On March 22 2012 11:44 p4NDemik wrote:Show nested quote +On March 22 2012 11:08 TheToast wrote:On March 22 2012 09:12 LuciferSC wrote:On March 22 2012 03:54 TheToast wrote:
As far as Japan goes, I don't understand the Korean attitude. The chinese dislike of Japan is understandable, the PRC government has been using Japan as a scape goat to rile nationalist sentiment for decades. I realize that the US was never occupied or brutalized as much as in Korea, but we lost a hell of a lot of people in the Pacific war and American POWs were brutally mistreated. Yet I'd say 95% of Americans have never even heard of Yasukuni Shrine let alone get angry when the Japanese PM visits it. I can't help but get the feeling that the Japanese economic dominance in the region doesn't have something to do with Korean sentiment.
You do not understand because for one, US was never invaded - it obviously makes a huge difference. And number two, it's because of the intentional brutality done against Korean cultural values and pride. And also the fact that Japanese government has been very sly about their wrong-doings, and furthering their crime (unethical deeds) by setting up their national curriculum with altered history to cover-up their wrong-doings, and never being honorable and accepting and apologizing for their wrongs. It is that slyness that Koreans recent and look-down upon. Technically Alaska was invaded. Yes, no major population centers were ever occupied. But we still lost something like 100,000 very young men in the war, not to mention countless civilians in Pearl Harbor and the merchant marine fleet. And that's not counting the thousands of terribly maimed and injured. The US wasn't exactly untouched by the Pacific War. At some point you have to forgive and forget. I'm aware that Japan has played a bit of revisionist history, but so do all countries. For decades in the US, Native Americans were relegated to being generic bad guy goons in movies and on TV, there are even still people in this country today who believe Abraham Lincoln was a tyrant (despite the fact that the South started the war...). No one ever wants to accept that their ancestors were horrible people or did horrible things, so quite often history is looked at through rose colored glasses. But most of that WW2 generation is gone now, few remain in Japan or the US. In a way, asking Japan to apologize and make amends for their actions in WW2 is like asking the Mongolian government to apologize for the actions of Genghis Khan. Current Mongolians had nothing to do with the actions of their ancestors. It's not like Japan wasn't punished for what they did. At the end of the war something like over 3 million Japanese were dead, most of their large cities were completely and totally destroyed, they endured nuclear horror, and to top it all off they were forced to accept a constitution essentially written by the United States. I'm not going to try to argue that it's moral for the Japanese PM to visit Yasukuni Shrine, but at some point you have to shrug your shoulders and realize it doesn't really matter. Japan essentially has no armed forces and is to this day still (in some ways) occupied by the US military. There is war and then there are war crimes. I don't like weighing lives against each other so to say, but decades of harsh colonial rule and systematic attempts to abuse and disparage a nation of people don't really seem to compare with just under 4 years of war which by and large didn't take place on U.S. soil. Also, don't straw man by saying it's like asking Mongolians to apologizes for the crimes of Ghengis Khan. Right now children of those who lived through the Japanese occupation of Korea are still alive and it clearly is still embedded in the consciousness of the country. There is nothing wrong with it and if anyone is going to endure anything like that imo they have every right to be angry when there are no reprisals or apologies. Sure with time it tensions should be expected to ease but as Americans who by and large really haven't endured anything similar who are we to tell another nation to "be the bigger man"? [insert callous argument about how we took 9/11 and basically used it as a justification to rape and plunder nations]
Alright, the Genghis Khan example is a bit wonky I'll admit that. But I think the point is still accurate. Did Europe ever apologize for getting the US involved in WWI? Did France ever apologize to Germany for the Treaty of Versaille? Did Europe ever pay back a single cent of the millions upon millions of dollars we gave them to rebuild following WWII? (after being sucked into one of their wars AGAIN)
At some point history needs to be regarded as just that: history. Holding grudges for things that happened decades ago by another generation is rediculous.
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Russian Federation1849 Posts
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Russian Federation1849 Posts
Hey, that is a very demotivational information for someone who is learning korean.
It is not that I did not know that, but not to that extent.
A question for koreans visiting this thread.
I'd like to know more about the good side of the korean culture (excluding pop culture) i.e. literature, philosophy, classical music, drama plays. Do koreans have those? For example, I could always name a few authors who can be the reason for someone to learn an european language, but I hardly can think of any when it comes to korean. Korean language is awesome by itself, but when you know there are some amazing things awaiting for you to be able to read them, it's much better for learning purposes. Help?
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This blog has motivated me to update my wardrobe a little lol.
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Calgary26003 Posts
On March 23 2012 00:22 Snuggles wrote:
This blog has motivated me to update my wardrobe a little lol.
Seriously me too haha.
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Koreans are CRAZY FREAKS!
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On March 22 2012 22:49 TheToast wrote:Show nested quote +On March 22 2012 22:14 Flaccid wrote:On March 22 2012 18:56 felisconcolori wrote:On March 22 2012 09:12 LuciferSC wrote:
You do not understand because for one, US was never invaded - it obviously makes a huge difference.
And number two, it's because of the intentional brutality done against Korean cultural values and pride.
And also the fact that Japanese government has been very sly about their wrong-doings, and furthering their crime (unethical deeds) by setting up their national curriculum with altered history to cover-up their wrong-doings, and never being honorable and accepting and apologizing for their wrongs.
It is that slyness that Koreans recent and look-down upon. Actually, that's not true - the United States was invaded during the War of 1812, by British Canada and by British forces. Holy revisionist history, Batman. It's not called an invasion when you declare war, advance into another country, and then get pushed back into your own. Are we really going to dredge up nationalist sentiment from 200 years ago?? Also, for the record British impressement of American citizens into service in the British Navy against their will is what started the war. Show nested quote +On March 22 2012 11:44 p4NDemik wrote:On March 22 2012 11:08 TheToast wrote:On March 22 2012 09:12 LuciferSC wrote:On March 22 2012 03:54 TheToast wrote:
As far as Japan goes, I don't understand the Korean attitude. The chinese dislike of Japan is understandable, the PRC government has been using Japan as a scape goat to rile nationalist sentiment for decades. I realize that the US was never occupied or brutalized as much as in Korea, but we lost a hell of a lot of people in the Pacific war and American POWs were brutally mistreated. Yet I'd say 95% of Americans have never even heard of Yasukuni Shrine let alone get angry when the Japanese PM visits it. I can't help but get the feeling that the Japanese economic dominance in the region doesn't have something to do with Korean sentiment.
You do not understand because for one, US was never invaded - it obviously makes a huge difference. And number two, it's because of the intentional brutality done against Korean cultural values and pride. And also the fact that Japanese government has been very sly about their wrong-doings, and furthering their crime (unethical deeds) by setting up their national curriculum with altered history to cover-up their wrong-doings, and never being honorable and accepting and apologizing for their wrongs. It is that slyness that Koreans recent and look-down upon. Technically Alaska was invaded. Yes, no major population centers were ever occupied. But we still lost something like 100,000 very young men in the war, not to mention countless civilians in Pearl Harbor and the merchant marine fleet. And that's not counting the thousands of terribly maimed and injured. The US wasn't exactly untouched by the Pacific War. At some point you have to forgive and forget. I'm aware that Japan has played a bit of revisionist history, but so do all countries. For decades in the US, Native Americans were relegated to being generic bad guy goons in movies and on TV, there are even still people in this country today who believe Abraham Lincoln was a tyrant (despite the fact that the South started the war...). No one ever wants to accept that their ancestors were horrible people or did horrible things, so quite often history is looked at through rose colored glasses. But most of that WW2 generation is gone now, few remain in Japan or the US. In a way, asking Japan to apologize and make amends for their actions in WW2 is like asking the Mongolian government to apologize for the actions of Genghis Khan. Current Mongolians had nothing to do with the actions of their ancestors. It's not like Japan wasn't punished for what they did. At the end of the war something like over 3 million Japanese were dead, most of their large cities were completely and totally destroyed, they endured nuclear horror, and to top it all off they were forced to accept a constitution essentially written by the United States. I'm not going to try to argue that it's moral for the Japanese PM to visit Yasukuni Shrine, but at some point you have to shrug your shoulders and realize it doesn't really matter. Japan essentially has no armed forces and is to this day still (in some ways) occupied by the US military. There is war and then there are war crimes. I don't like weighing lives against each other so to say, but decades of harsh colonial rule and systematic attempts to abuse and disparage a nation of people don't really seem to compare with just under 4 years of war which by and large didn't take place on U.S. soil. Also, don't straw man by saying it's like asking Mongolians to apologizes for the crimes of Ghengis Khan. Right now children of those who lived through the Japanese occupation of Korea are still alive and it clearly is still embedded in the consciousness of the country. There is nothing wrong with it and if anyone is going to endure anything like that imo they have every right to be angry when there are no reprisals or apologies. Sure with time it tensions should be expected to ease but as Americans who by and large really haven't endured anything similar who are we to tell another nation to "be the bigger man"? [insert callous argument about how we took 9/11 and basically used it as a justification to rape and plunder nations] Alright, the Genghis Khan example is a bit wonky I'll admit that. But I think the point is still accurate. Did Europe ever apologize for getting the US involved in WWI? Did France ever apologize to Germany for the Treaty of Versaille? Did Europe ever pay back a single cent of the millions upon millions of dollars we gave them to rebuild following WWII? (after being sucked into one of their wars AGAIN) At some point history needs to be regarded as just that: history. Holding grudges for things that happened decades ago by another generation is rediculous.
Well, according to Chinese (and probably Korean, too) historians, Japan's occupation is comparable in brutality to the Holocaust. According to Japanese historians and government, none of those cruel things ever happened. (Of course, the truth is probably somewhere in between, close to the Chinese sentiment but not quite there)
You still have public condemnations of Holocaust deniers, Nazi and its insignia are still illegal in Germany and taboo in most of the world, and I don't think such memories are going away for generations to come. What's more, Nazi murderers are tried and punished whereas a lot of the Japanese war criminals went on their merry way and are now resting in the Yasukuni Shrine. We hold that grudge because the Japanese army committed inhumane and obscene acts during WWII (and before) but deny it and even go as far as to provoke our collective national pains by visiting the aforementioned Shrine and openly denying events like the Rape of Nanking. We only feel anger and pain and fury when those things happen, regardless of how long ago it happened, and whether Americans deem it ridiculous or not.
That said, the Chinese government does tend to go along with the populist nationalist sentiment sometimes in their propaganda. You'd see tons of resistance-themed TV series on Chinese TV at any given time, and most of them do not portray Japanese occupiers in even a balanced and neutral light. The news anchors still give us reminders on anniversaries of important dates like 18th Sept, and our Ministry of Foreign Affairs puts some strong words together history is denied.
However, Chinese people get along fine with Japanese people. It's only the government's ambiguity or downright denial that enrages us. We still <3 their technology, their culture, their country, their food, and yes, their pornstars. + Show Spoiler +No argument on the internet should be without mentioning porn.
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On March 22 2012 23:40 Hemula wrote:
I'd like to know more about the good side of the korean culture (excluding pop culture)
I spy my eye something beginning with contradiction
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United States1719 Posts
On March 22 2012 23:40 Hemula wrote:
Hey, that is a very demotivational information for someone who is learning korean.
It is not that I did not know that, but not to that extent.
A question for koreans visiting this thread.
I'd like to know more about the good side of the korean culture (excluding pop culture) i.e. literature, philosophy, classical music, drama plays. Do koreans have those? For example, I could always name a few authors who can be the reason for someone to learn an european language, but I hardly can think of any when it comes to korean. Korean language is awesome by itself, but when you know there are some amazing things awaiting for you to be able to read them, it's much better for learning purposes. Help?
Of course, this is the trashiest part of our culture; due to the length of our history, our culture is ripe with good literature, music and art. What level of Korean can you read? I would be willing to make a few recommendations based on your level. As for the very basic level, you can probably get started with 전래동화's and 전's like 허생전 홍길동전 임꺽정전 흥부전 춘향전 etc which are pretty much common knowledge stories for Koreans as they read them in elementary/middle school.
For traditional Korean music, 국악 is the broad category encompassing most of our classical music, and it divulges into different genres which I am not too familiar with. There are also songs that were sung and passed down by the general public, such as 동요's, which are songs for children. Look it up on youtube; some keywords you can try are: 국악, 풍악, 판소리.
As for art, I would recommend starting with 수묵화 and 서예, as 수묵화's are an easy transition from the western water paint style art. Both use brushes and this ink called 먹, which is this black bar you powderize(word?) and mix with water to create paint. They are drawn on 한지, which is traditional paper, and the difference is 수묵화 is a style of what you would deem traditional 'art' while 서예 is all calligraphy.
Hope this helped! I am feeling terrible right now because so many people are getting the impression that what I wrote in the OP defines all of Korean society, while in reality it's really just one facet (and the most superficial one at that) of our beautiful culture.
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On March 22 2012 22:49 TheToast wrote:
At some point history needs to be regarded as just that: history. Holding grudges for things that happened decades ago by another generation is rediculous.
I won't pretend to be well-versed in Israeli history, but if I'm not mistaken, one of the roots of the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians now can be essentially traced back to the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian deportations of the then-Israel and Judah back in the first-millennium BCE. History's most interesting, IMO, when you can still see the effects of actions taken thousands of years ago. :B
Anyways, I don't think it's healthy for relations between governments to mar the relations between people who had nothing to do with their governments' actions. Hate the people in charge, go ahead -- god, we do that enough to our own country's leaders; it seems that plenty of Americans hated Bush during his administration, and plenty hate Obama now, without even counting how many people hate them world-wide -- but if someone actually hates Japanese people just because they happen to be Japanese and omg they're the same race as the people who invaded us!!1!, that's just (obviously) being racist.
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Don't feel bad, some people have trouble understanding how multifaceted cultures are and can't make the distinction between general information and generalizations.
I found the OP extremely informative, and not in a bad way. You're explanation of Koreans "doing everything the same, but with tiny upmanships" actually explains a lot of phenomena in Korea, even outside the world of fashion.
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United States1719 Posts
On March 23 2012 01:48 babylon wrote:Show nested quote +On March 22 2012 22:49 TheToast wrote:
At some point history needs to be regarded as just that: history. Holding grudges for things that happened decades ago by another generation is rediculous. I won't pretend to be well-versed in Israeli history, but if I'm not mistaken, one of the roots of the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians now can be essentially traced back to the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian deportations of the then-Israel and Judah back in the first-millennium BCE. History's most interesting, IMO, when you can still see the effects of actions taken thousands of years ago. :B Anyways, I don't think it's healthy for relations between governments to mar the relations between people who had nothing to do with their governments' actions. Hate the people in charge, go ahead -- god, we do that enough to our own country's leaders; it seems that plenty of Americans hated Bush during his administration, and plenty hate Obama now, without even counting how many people hate them world-wide -- but if someone actually hates Japanese people just because they happen to be Japanese and omg they're the same race as the people who invaded us!!1!, that's just (obviously) being racist.
I agree with what you said, it would be foolish to hate on a Japanese individual just because he is Japanese. However, there are ill feelings towards the nation as a whole, and that won't go away for another while. Somebody earlier mentioned something about 9/11, and it's the most relevant example to Americans I can think of, I guess, except magnified by 1000 times. Imagine if Bin Laden had the Afghan government's full support, and he decided to crash planes into tall buildings all across our nation for 35 years just for shits and giggles, how would you feel about Afghanistan 60 years from now, and what would you tell your grandchildren if they asked you what sort of country Afghanistan is?
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EPT
