|
On March 19 2012 10:51 Gamegene wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 09:35 IntoTheheart wrote:On March 19 2012 09:34 rotinegg wrote:On March 19 2012 09:33 IntoTheheart wrote: Koreans, how much hate is there for mainland Chinese people or are we pretty much mellow? So.. to be completely honest... we hate mainland Chinese people :x Hm. I'm not too surprised in all honesty. Relations aren't exactly thawed since the invasion(s) I'm guessing. And there's other stuff we've done recently. no we just think they're dirty and rural. japanese is what you're thinking of.
is hong kong pretty much in the same boat or is there a difference?
|
On March 19 2012 06:29 rotinegg wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 06:26 ymir233 wrote: But on the other hand, the good thing is if you act enough of a 'foreigner' (by that I mean living outside of Korea long enough) and show off enough of an aura when you come back, people won't care what the fuck you do as long as you're not an axe murderer. Most likely either you can laugh at peoples' shirts for having unintelligible English phrases or they'll be impressed enough by your foreign-ness to hire you as an Engrish tutor. Purposely acting like a 'foreigner' is a surefire way to get your ass beat due to the predominant anti-American sentiments
You're probably doing it wrong then - _______ -;;;;
And really, it's not an 'anti-American' sentiment...please don't exaggerate too much. It's more of a 'we think that our culture is far more superior than pretty much every other nation's' thing going on.
Just act like (or rather...not act, you sort of SHOULD be like this) you don't have to conform to Korean trends b/c you've been living elsewhere and you're more comfortable with your own style. It's not that hard.
|
On March 19 2012 10:51 Gamegene wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 09:35 IntoTheheart wrote:On March 19 2012 09:34 rotinegg wrote:On March 19 2012 09:33 IntoTheheart wrote: Koreans, how much hate is there for mainland Chinese people or are we pretty much mellow? So.. to be completely honest... we hate mainland Chinese people :x Hm. I'm not too surprised in all honesty. Relations aren't exactly thawed since the invasion(s) I'm guessing. And there's other stuff we've done recently. no we just think they're dirty and rural. japanese is what you're thinking of.
Yep, even people from Taiwan and Hong Kong looked down on mainland Chinese people as being uncouth, uncultured, uneducated, backwards, dirty, and poor.
Which, for the most part of the 20th century, was true . Living under an oppressive communist regime meant the average mainland Chinese person was poor and uneducated compared to people in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and later SK.
Since the late 1980's when China's economy began it's boom, people in Taiwan and Hong Kong now have different views. Now, people from mainland China are uncouth, uncultured, uneducated, backwards, dirty, and rich.
Amazing isn't it? ^__^
|
On March 19 2012 11:10 madcow305 wrote:Yep, even people from Taiwan and Hong Kong looked down on mainland Chinese people as being uncouth, uncultured, uneducated, backwards, dirty, and poor. Which, for the most part of the 20th century, was true . Living under an oppressive communist regime meant the average mainland Chinese person was poor and uneducated compared to people in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and later SK. Since the late 1980's when China's economy began it's boom, people in Taiwan and Hong Kong now have different views. Now, people from mainland China are uncouth, uncultured, uneducated, backwards, dirty, and rich. Amazing isn't it? ^__^
Oh man, this is so true >_>
|
Actually, I have a funny story about the international (mainland Chinese people at my school).
So, my dorm has only one study room, where all the Chinese people hang out. I say hang out as opposed to study because that's what they do there. I sometimes study there with a Korean friend of mine. I've been told that I look kind of Korean, and my last name also happens to be Chang-- my family is actually from Taiwan and Chang is Zhang according to the more popular romanization/ pinyin system.
So awkwardly, I understand most of what they say down there and do some unintentional eavesdropping while I'm studying. A good bit of the time, they're insulting the other people in the room for the way they dress or look or act, though they do seem a bit soft on me, though I am arguably less stylish than 90% of the school. It took quite awhile before one asked "hey, do you speak Chinese?" I kind of smirked and nodded. The "OH SH*T" expressions were priceless.
|
There must be a huge problem with anorexia among young people in Korea.
I have a question. What do guys in Korea look for aside from a pretty face. In the west it would be girls with nice boobs and asses is it the same in Korea because I imagine its not the same as being thin is valued so much.
|
Korean guys actually seem to settle pretty often. They like nice girls, even if they aren't the hottest.
But there is this weird cultural thing where they would say their girlfriend is ugly even if she's pretty cute.
Not sure where that come from.
|
Only living here for a month, I can already tell that this is all true. The clothes worn by males are pretty much ideal for America too, though. If you look in any magazine like a GQ, it's always telling males to dress like that, but obviously America doesn't, because most people are slobs. The only thing I still can't get here is the whole plastic surgery part, but maybe that's just my more suburban culture mindset.
Oh and the last picture "chilling like a bag of skittles" tops everything.
|
On March 19 2012 09:34 rotinegg wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 09:33 IntoTheheart wrote: Koreans, how much hate is there for mainland Chinese people or are we pretty much mellow? So.. to be completely honest... we hate mainland Chinese people :x Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 09:33 DLChucklesSP wrote: This is so sad, Korea must be sucha a lonely place, it's like a science-fiction dystopia, Brave New World comes to mind. There are other elements in Korean life that more than make up for it. I just decided to focus on the most superficial element in its society.
Soo....I'm Taiwanese American and people pretty much lump us together as Chinese...I'm taking Korean in college and want to go to Korea and have a generally fun time. You sayin' people will hate me for being Chinese (I don't look that Chinese...my Korean teacher says I look North Korean. Sounds bad lol!).
And btw, I sort of got the stereotype and physical appearance factor even in Korean class. For examples, my teacher has a habit of embarrassing the guys in our class. For example, when we're practicing the word for 'handsome', she goes, "Who is more handsome, (Student A) or (Student B) in our class! Woww~~ it was embarassing (there's like only 3 guys in our class lololol). Or when we're doing a presentation on Korean culture, she'd look back at us when a Korean male model is displayed and be like "Oh, ___, whyy??" and give us the sad face. Kind of like, "why aren't you as handsome as him" lol.
+ Show Spoiler +On March 19 2012 11:22 ticklishmusic wrote: Actually, I have a funny story about the international (mainland Chinese people at my school).
So, my dorm has only one study room, where all the Chinese people hang out. I say hang out as opposed to study because that's what they do there. I sometimes study there with a Korean friend of mine. I've been told that I look kind of Korean, and my last name also happens to be Chang-- my family is actually from Taiwan and Chang is Zhang according to the more popular romanization/ pinyin system.
So awkwardly, I understand most of what they say down there and do some unintentional eavesdropping while I'm studying. A good bit of the time, they're insulting the other people in the room for the way they dress or look or act, though they do seem a bit soft on me, though I am arguably less stylish than 90% of the school. It took quite awhile before one asked "hey, do you speak Chinese?" I kind of smirked and nodded. The "OH SH*T" expressions were priceless.
Haha! Similar to me! I'm Taiwanese American too but my last name is Chung, which is super popular last name in Korea. I've got the Korean asymmetrical haircut going (without the wax, that's for girls) so I guess I'd fit in better than most foreigners.
|
Nicely put together, but really unpleasant to read if you know what I mean.
vv below post makes some sense to me as well. I imagine comparable backlash to what western celebrities receive. Only the most shallow human beings really embrace it.
|
Although most of the things OP said are true in some sense, I am going to have to say the actual reality of Korea is slightly less extreme and less one-dimensional than what may be conveyed by the post. For example, for the majority of people, such adherence to these ideals are at least a bit watered down. There is also backlash and criticism against such obsession with looks/materialism/superficiality. Just as an illustration, nowadays the entire "North Face fad" the OP mentioned is criticized by most young adults in Korea as being pointless and waste of money. Of course, things like plastic surgery are not met without any resistance either. Although generally the "dark-skinned" people might be met with less admiration/hoopla than fair-skinned caucasians by some people (but this is also true for many other cultures), downright discrimination against these people is rare and, in any case, would be strongly frowned upon by the Korean public.
One really important thing to note is that, a lot of these observations would fall apart when applied to the older generation. And we must remember -- despite the impression kpop and kdramas might give -- Korea consists of more than just teens and twenty-year olds. Of course, the older generation have their own set of quirks and problems.. but that's a different story altogether. For example, older Korean men (over age of 35) tend to definitely prefer voluminous body over girly, skinny frame.
That being said, I generally agree that materialism, conformity (lack of independent thinking), and superficiality are the most problematic things about the young Korean culture.
|
On March 19 2012 11:25 Eufouria wrote: There must be a huge problem with anorexia among young people in Korea.
I have a question. What do guys in Korea look for aside from a pretty face. In the west it would be girls with nice boobs and asses is it the same in Korea because I imagine its not the same as being thin is valued so much.
slender and fine. korean girls just don't have curves, just really good camera shots or tight clothes.
i remember what some high school girls would do, they would take a soju bottle and roll it hard on their calves so they would be tight.
|
51282 Posts
Can anyone explain the fashion behind colouring your hair in East Asia? Like, I see that some Korean stars sometimes colour their hair, but every Asian I see here in Australia has black hair.
|
Probably monkey see monkey do. If you're the only Asian in Australia with colored hair you'd probably stand out a lot more and people would look at you funny. Instead of Korea, where someone with colored hair can find himself compared favorably to a Korean model or such.
|
On March 19 2012 07:27 NagAfightinG wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 05:42 rotinegg wrote:The general rule of thumb is having fair (somewhat white), even-toned skin with minimal oil is the best skin. Koreans don't like to tan as they discriminate against darker skinned folks, such as southeast Asians, Indians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis for looking "poor" (=빈티난다). This is fucking disgusting, the fact you mention this so easily, is fucking disgusting, and i hope you realise that.
I'm pretty sure having pale skin is an Asian thing and not only Korean though. I am Vietnamese with way darker skin than those Korean actors/singers and I've been told it's a bad thing. I have never been to Vietnam, but my brother and my parents often tell me it is quite rare to see the beautiful girls go outside during the day because there's a chance of tanning. You usually see them late in the afternoon and with long sleeves and umbrellas.
Apparently it has something to do with being a farmer/worker. From what I understand, having a pale white skin means you've been staying indoors all your life, been sheltered, didn't have to work outside = rich, fortunate. Having darker skin means you have been working in the mud and dirt outside in the field stuff and handling dirty animals under the scorching sun.
Really, you can obviously not agree with the sentiment (hey, it sucks for me, I have dark skin), but it's not HIS sentiment nor is it a Korean thing. I'm pretty sure everybody in Asia thinks like that. I think I saw a documentary about Indian girls paying awful amounts of money to get this product that bleaches your skin and get whiter than white skin. Apparently it has become a problem recently because it gives cancer.
|
TBH my perception of Chinese Mainland racism is we worship white people, dislike dark-skinned people, and save a special brand of hatred for Japan that we all but discard when we see the latest Sony TV. That said we are most racist towards each other, provincial and accent differences and whatnot.
Also I can totally see China turning into Korea in terms of appearances and fashion as people get richer. Already we are mostly there with people buying expensive (or fake) bags and watches and cars and stuff whether they can afford it or not. I suppose it is kind of an outcome of such obscene growth. Awesome thread!
|
On March 19 2012 11:45 PetitCrabe wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 07:27 NagAfightinG wrote:On March 19 2012 05:42 rotinegg wrote:The general rule of thumb is having fair (somewhat white), even-toned skin with minimal oil is the best skin. Koreans don't like to tan as they discriminate against darker skinned folks, such as southeast Asians, Indians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis for looking "poor" (=빈티난다). This is fucking disgusting, the fact you mention this so easily, is fucking disgusting, and i hope you realise that. I'm pretty sure having pale skin is an Asian thing and not only Korean though. I am Vietnamese with way darker skin than those Korean actors/singers and I've been told it's a bad thing. I have never been to Vietnam, but my brother and my parents often tell me it is quite rare to see the beautiful girls go outside during the day because there's a chance of tanning. You usually see them late in the afternoon and with long sleeves and umbrellas. Apparently it has something to do with being a farmer/worker. From what I understand, having a pale white skin means you've been staying indoors all your life, been sheltered, didn't have to work outside = rich, fortunate. Having darker skin means you have been working in the mud and dirt outside in the field stuff and handling dirty animals under the scorching sun.Really, you can obviously not agree with the sentiment (hey, it sucks for me, I have dark skin), but it's not HIS sentiment nor is it a Korean thing. I'm pretty sure everybody in Asia thinks like that. I think I saw a documentary about Indian girls paying awful amounts of money to get this product that bleaches your skin and get whiter than white skin. Apparently it has become a problem recently because it gives cancer.
You are correct, this bolded part is why East Asians prefer pale, white skin to dark skin.
It's hilarious that in asian white skin is prefered, while in the west dark skin is prefered.
AND, the reason is the exact same! In the west, having a tan means you don't have to slave away in a cubicle all day, and have time to go to the beach and tan.
|
Interesting look into the superficial side of a culture. Thank you for your knowledge and insights. I like learning about all sorts of things like this from around the world whether I understand it, agree with it, or not.
|
On March 19 2012 11:45 PetitCrabe wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 07:27 NagAfightinG wrote:On March 19 2012 05:42 rotinegg wrote:The general rule of thumb is having fair (somewhat white), even-toned skin with minimal oil is the best skin. Koreans don't like to tan as they discriminate against darker skinned folks, such as southeast Asians, Indians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis for looking "poor" (=빈티난다). This is fucking disgusting, the fact you mention this so easily, is fucking disgusting, and i hope you realise that. I'm pretty sure having pale skin is an Asian thing and not only Korean though. I am Vietnamese with way darker skin than those Korean actors/singers and I've been told it's a bad thing. I have never been to Vietnam, but my brother and my parents often tell me it is quite rare to see the beautiful girls go outside during the day because there's a chance of tanning. You usually see them late in the afternoon and with long sleeves and umbrellas. Apparently it has something to do with being a farmer/worker. From what I understand, having a pale white skin means you've been staying indoors all your life, been sheltered, didn't have to work outside = rich, fortunate. Having darker skin means you have been working in the mud and dirt outside in the field stuff and handling dirty animals under the scorching sun. Really, you can obviously not agree with the sentiment (hey, it sucks for me, I have dark skin), but it's not HIS sentiment nor is it a Korean thing. I'm pretty sure everybody in Asia thinks like that. I think I saw a documentary about Indian girls paying awful amounts of money to get this product that bleaches your skin and get whiter than white skin. Apparently it has become a problem recently because it gives cancer. That was how it was in England up until less than 100 years ago. Nowadays people go as far as risking cancer through sunbeds in order to try and tan, I guess because Latin people are probably generally considered the most beautiful group of people among westerners.
|
On March 19 2012 11:49 Mobius_1 wrote: TBH my perception of Chinese Mainland racism is we worship white people, dislike dark-skinned people, and save a special brand of hatred for Japan that we all but discard when we see the latest Sony TV. That said we are most racist towards each other, provincial and accent differences and whatnot.
Also I can totally see China turning into Korea in terms of appearances and fashion as people get richer. Already we are mostly there with people buying expensive (or fake) bags and watches and cars and stuff whether they can afford it or not. I suppose it is kind of an outcome of such obscene growth. Awesome thread!
There are definitely similarities. But as a Asian American who visited both China and Korea (having lived in the latter for more than a decade), I have to say materialism in Korea is pretty bad but it's on a completely different level in China.
That being said, the obsession with looks and superficial things are, at the moment at least, much worse in Korea. Of course, if you go to a place like Shanghai, even this might might not hold true.
|
|
|
|