By It seems like they will publish just about anything in the Korea Times that’s critical of expats in Korea. Below is the latest from an Australian English teacher living in Seoul Haydn Sennitt. To put it simply this guy has as much loathing of expats in Korea as Jon Huer, but for different reasons. Below are some excerpts from the article with my comments:
I’ve been living in Seoul now for the past year after moving here from Australia with my Korean wife and baby and I’ve found it interesting how much Koreans are trying to be like Americans.
One fine example of this is the number of coffee shops and fast food restaurants that have sprung up. When I came here in 2006 there were fewer outlets of Starbucks, McDonald’s and Dominos. These days, they’re everywhere in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. [Korea Times]
Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Dominos are located in just about every modern country not just Korea to include a whole bunch of them in Australia. Plus this is not a sign of becoming American. Does that that Americans buy a bunch of Hyundais and Samsungs a sign that Americans are becoming Korean? Hardly.
In a country like South Korea that is “obsessed” with image, it’s not all that surprising that Koreans are doing this. What surprises me is how much they want to be like the west. It’s as if being Korean isn’t good enough, so people watch “quality” American shows like CSI and Sex and the City, and try to dress like Americans. Hence the hideous bow tie is reaping havoc all around the city with a fury I’ve not seen in a while.
Using this logic does that mean that the many nations that watch the various Korean dramas want to be Korean? Maybe Koreans watch CSI because it is a damn good show and not for deep seeded wanting to be “western”?
According to one study mentioned by TV network CNN, the top-selling prescription drugs in the United States in the year 2007 were anti-depressants, equating to sales for approximately 118 million people, which is up by 48 percent from 1995 to 2002. According to the study, 25 percent of adults in the US have had a major depressive episode, and 8 percent of American adolescents have experienced the same. That’s not a picture of joy, happiness and satisfaction.
For people that are so unhappy the US ranked 16th out of 97 nations from surveys that researchers from the University of Michigan compiled in 2007. Neither Australia or South Korea made the Top 20. The researchers did point this out about South Korea:
Comparing World Values Survey data from 1981 to 2007 with earlier data from 1946 from the World Database of Happiness, Inglehart and colleagues found that 19 of 24 countries show rising happiness and several countries—India, Ireland, Mexico, Puerto Rico and South Korea—show steeply rising trends.
Maybe someone should look into whether having a Starbucks in your country makes you happier or not because the more they pop up in Korea the happier the people seem to be getting according to these researchers.
Anyway here is the part of Sennitt’s article people are going to get the biggest laugh out of:
I’ve had the displeasure of hearing the most vile and despicable conversations at work, where North Americans talk about all the women they’ve slept with in Korea. They’re sleazebags who don’t even have the dignity to call their ex-lovers “women.” Instead, they call them “sluts” and believe that Asian women are loose and “dirty.” These guys are highly educated, friendly and come from both the city and the country. They’re black and white and some are even “gyomin.” They have an attitude of invade, rape, and pillage that makes me embarrassed to call myself a westerner, and being alone is preferable to being friends with people like that.
What is funny about this paragraph is that what he describes is how many Korean men talk about the women they have slept with in Korea and they are also “highly educated, friendly and come from both the city and the country” just like the expats he loathes.
Make sure to read the whole article because the self righteousness of the author is quite stunning.
This is not the first article written by Sennitt either. He wrote one last year that was published in the Korea Times as well. Fortunately that article is no where near as self righteous as the recent article, but it still has some misguided assumptions about Koreans:
According to the government television network, the ABC, 40 percent of elderly Australians live by themselves and are being forgotten. In our census, about 80 percent of Australians are identified as Christians, which is surprising given how many people live just for themselves and their own cherished freedom. We’re pursuing lives of extreme individuality, one that ignores the weak, the vulnerable, and the lost. It often seems like we don’t know how to form a community with one another any more. According to government figures, our financial contributions to charities and time given to non-profit organisations are in decline as we pursue pleasure for its own sake. These days it seems like individual happiness is the ultimate measure of good and evil.
Thankfully, South Korea has not quite reached the same level and is still largely a communal society. [Korea Times]
He criticizes Australians for ignoring their elderly and assumes that Koreans are more attentive. Well that assumption is not necessarily true considering that Korea has the highest rate of elderly poverty in the OECD due to many children no longer supporting their parents which leaves them in poverty due to the lack of scoial security for the elderly. All the old people you see pulling carts of cardboard or picking up newspapers on the subway are perfect examples of the poor working elderly in Korea.
Anyway like I said before I find the writer’s self righteousness quite stunning, especially after I read this about him:
When I did give in to temptation I had
gay sex because I was really trying to
connect with my dad.
Yes you read that right the writer of the article is a former gay man who discovered Jesus, married a Korean woman, teaches English, and continues to fantasize about having gay sex with men when he isn’t busy criticizing expats for having sex with Korean women. Confused yet? If so maybe you can try to understand the guy by reading his blog.
Anyway, what is it with people living a year in Korea and thinking they have become cultural experts on all things Korean?
3:55 pm on April 20th, 2009 1
Q: What's the difference between a bulgogi house and an Australian English teacher?
A: The bulgogi house doesn't share their feelings of deep Christian guilt if you eat their meat.
4:41 pm on April 20th, 2009 2
Well, I have no opinion of his article so I won't say anything about it.
But I do notice one thing. You guys always say Koreans have a hard time being criticized. But look at you Americans or Westerners. The article obviously have hit a raw nerve. Come on, hate mails over what he wrote?
5:54 pm on April 20th, 2009 3
If he is really that disturbed about the behaviour he is witnessing, perhaps he should spend more time praying for them and being a good example himself, instead of running them through the mud in the press. After reading what he wrote in the news, the expats will be less likely to give him the time of the day.
6:31 pm on April 20th, 2009 4
Tom,
"But I do notice one thing. You guys always say Koreans have a hard time being criticized. But look at you Americans or Westerners. The article obviously have hit a raw nerve. Come on, hate mails over what he wrote?"
I suppose you could argue that some people are overreacting, but I don't think that it's indicative of a Americans or Westerners being excessively sensitive. Let's face it, the insults and slanders this repressed Aussie hurls at Americans and Westerners are uttered every day on a smaller scale, and they're stereotypes that have apparently gained real currency in Korea. Americans and Westerners have just come to accept it and dealt with it, but now this guy brings this stuff, what really amounts to a rant appropriate to a blog post, to a news and opinion site.
Furthermore, the essay is just downright terribly written. It's logically incoherent. But what can we expect from a guy who tries to argue that he gave into the temptation to have gay sex because he wanted to "connect with his dad."
I don't want to seem like I'm attacking his homosexuality (or former homosexuality, or bisexuality, or whatever) but he clearly has issues. He seems to have some baggage over his past and is repressed. A quick perusal of his blog reveals that he makes gay references here and there, revealing that it's still something on his mind.
Well, he says he's dismayed and concerned about evil Western influence corrupting Korea. Perhaps, he wants to preserve Korea's Confucian society. This will allow him to practice filial piety….you know, connect with his father…..over and over again.
7:23 pm on April 20th, 2009 5
Practical & constructive criticism from intelligent sources is one thing.
Another thing completely is criticism from severe nutcases who bring every little gripe they have against all the non-Koreans that they hate to the English newspapers. These are self-hating foreigners who have this totally deluded sense of Korea & Korean culture as totally pure & innocent while bashing all foreigners here as degenerate losers who are hell bent on destroying Korea.
What they do is totally wrong!
Guys like this, Steve Schertzer, etc. quite obviously have some serious mental issues as well as social problems. They don't relate to others well and take it out on all of us in the English rags.
Korean people don't like things that make them look bad. I understand that completely.
We also don't like it when these douchebag mental cases try so hard to make all of us look bad in the eyes of Koreans.
People talk about "shooting the messenger because of the message". If the message holds truth and is well presented, that is one thing. IF the message is a totally deluded rant from a nutcase who seeks to unfairly tarnish us all, then that "messenger" should at least have his a$$ royally kicked!
I'm guessing after this idiot's coworkers read what he wrote about them, they might feel the need for an attitude adjustment.
1:14 am on April 21st, 2009 6
Definitively I agree with this guy. Koreans are over concerned about western culture and have a cultural inferiority complex toward west.
This attitude has some historical background since Koreans depended on western science and philosophy to develop its own centuries ago (Silhak for instance), but what aggravated more this situation was that after the war, Korea lost almost all contact it had with its own culture, thanks to our Japanese friends and their attempt to annihilate Korean culture, and had to turn to west to borrow knowledge to rebuild the country.
Koreans have a natural tendency to accept western things without hesitation, and believe that they are superior to whatever Korea has, and that’s obviously wrong.
When I was studying in Switzerland I was amazed at how easily my Korean friends were controlled by the American staffs because they learned how to manipulate the Korean inferiority complex toward west, for instance, every time they needed voluntaries to do some work at the school they turned to the Koreans and appealed to the korean sense of collectiveness, while the Americans never offered to do the jobs because of their individualism (thanks to American liberalism culture). English people also have this tendency.
It was always the same, the westerners looked at the Koreans and said you are wrong and have to do this and this, in that way and Koreans just obeyed. Some showed some hesitation but it didn’t last long.
Koreans need to learn to value its own culture.
2:43 am on April 21st, 2009 7
What an idiot!
He should pay attention to the Korean media to find out that most Koreans see him as a white, Korean woman stealing, blood diluting invader.
Wait until he has to raise his half-blooded kids in Korea.
Since he is an Aussie, he probably doesn't know about Hines Ward.
In fact, he should ask Hines Ward's mother about Koreans.
Well Tom expats complain about Korea because as you Koreans are so fond of saying, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do."
I try to follow this, except the part where I see the US as the primary enemy and the source of most of Korea's problems.
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do." At least that's the first thing a Korean will say, yet do the complete opposite when they are in a country other than Korea.
That Aussie guy will eventually learn how it really is in Korea.
6:33 am on April 21st, 2009 8
I have a feeling this guy is going to continue getting real, real close with his Dad.
7:01 am on April 21st, 2009 9
Yes, Americans are no-good slobs. Australian English teachers are no-good slobs, also.
This guy is pissed that his nonstandard Australian English rates him lower than a pot-smoking (pole-smoking?) douche from Illinois with a fake degree.
Boo-hoo. Go back to Australia.
9:42 am on April 21st, 2009 10
#7 “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” At least that’s the first thing a Korean will say, yet do the complete opposite when they are in a country other than Korea.
Correct, but more accurately I believe it's for Koreans, act like you are in Korea- therefore always right- wherever you are in the world. For non-Koreans, always suck up to Koreans and do everything the way Koreans want it.
There are many regular Korean behaviors- pushing, heavy drinking, whoring, etc.- that if foreigners were to display, Koreans would be "horrified". Therefore, when in Rome doesn't really work.
They just use that saying as the easiest way for them to say "respect all things Korean, don't criticize, do everything the way we want you, too".
10:08 am on April 21st, 2009 11
Your Swiss/American experience does not make all or most Americans the same as those you met and loathed in Switzerland.
Do you also agree with this: “They have an attitude of invade, rape, and pillage…”
11:22 am on April 21st, 2009 12
It's the custom of allowing the first born son feel like he's superior that's really devastating to Korea. Another one is that the Korean women are riding roughshod over the ever more wussy Koren men that are leading this country to even more disaster.
12:31 pm on April 21st, 2009 13
Do you also agree with this: “They have an attitude of invade, rape, and pillage…”
That’s an exaggeration. Let’s be fair, as Jesus said, cast the first stone who …
2:20 pm on April 21st, 2009 14
The young man apparently has an issue specifically with North Americans, since he chooses to single us out. Having said this, I will address the following statement: “That’s an exaggeration. Let’s be fair, as Jesus said, cast the first stone who …”
Really, is that all it is? They seem to me to be words carefully chosen to inflame strong negative emotions in Koreans and other non-North Americans against both Canadians and Americans—perhaps more so against Americans. You know, Dr. Yu, the inflammatory nature of these words against Americans in the Korean context. And he chose to do this in the national press.
By the way, why do you use this clause: “…as Jesus said, cast the first stone who …” I didn’t pass unjust judgement on the young man; his word speaks for itself: “They have an attitude of invade, rape, and pillage…” I don’t see how running his non-Christian colleagues through the mud in the national press does anything to promote the cause of Christ, do you?
3:11 pm on April 21st, 2009 15
At the risk of sounding stereotypical, I think [ex-gay?] guys who wear bright yellow shirts probably still have some ridentity issues to work out.
And with his moral outrage at the behavior of North American expats, hopefully he never visits the Philippines or Thailand and has an opportunity to observe his countrymen. He may be scarred for life.
But we have seen this before. Young people find religion and immediately have a complete world view. They are qualifies to explain and correct all of the ills they see with simple judgments.
As someone who has been around a little longer, I would say don't play into the simplistic idea that all of Korea's issues can be traced to evil foreigners. I have yet to observe a foreigner or know of a foreign influence that is as abusive and exploitative of vulnerable Koreans than Koreans have been to each other.
4:00 pm on April 21st, 2009 16
In Seoul,
I think I didn’t make myself clear for you.
All I wanted to say is that nobody is perfect and rudeness has nothing to do with nationality.
Regarding the biblical reference it was just a coincidence (it came to my mind while I was writing the comment).
6:03 pm on April 21st, 2009 17
Guy was an idiot. Nothing but an Aussie wanting to rant and express hate towards North Americans, specifically members of the US. If Korea is trying to "copy" American culture (which is EAST of SK not west) then what about Australia, UK, EU, and Japan? Each of those areas has established its own "hiphop" esque / modern culture. Damn near everything he said could be applied too all the other modern countries in the world.
9:04 pm on April 21st, 2009 18
?
I laughed when I read this………
Americans don't give two sh!ts about what others think about them. Actually that's a big part of the problem for many non-Americans…they criticize Americans and expect an angry reaction…but the Americans just laugh at them…and it just makes the one doing the criticizing even more angry.
Hit a raw nerve?? Hah!!! I got a raw nerve you can hit!
10:18 pm on April 21st, 2009 19
Can't blame him for being gay.
zz zhttp://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25365800-952,00.html
1:00 am on April 22nd, 2009 20
Look, basically this twat thinks that by pandering to Korean prejudices, he'll somehow score some points. On this website, you will see plenty of coverage of such useful idiots.
How often do we see Op-Ed's or essays that follow this pattern that are written by anybody with 10, 20, or 30 years in Korea? Never. There ought to be some sort of law, or at least a respected code that says you are not allowed to write about Korea until you have lived there for at least the span of a generation, say, 20 years.
Back in the 1970's, Korea Herald had a few foreigners writing pieces for them. Generally these were full of insight into the society and culture. But as I recall, most of the writers were people with several decades in Korea under their belt, fully fluent in Korean, and balanced in their approach to writing.
A lot of what this cat has to say betrays an extremely shallow knowledge of what makes Koreans tick. His amateur comment about Korea still being a largely communal society is particularly indicative of his weak grasp of the people. He needs to ask his wife about the concept of "Nam" (others) and "Uri" (us). Unless he is living in a farm village in some out-of-the-way place in Kangweon-do, I don't think he knows what he's talking about.
Korea Times needs to carefully consider the sort of foreigners to whom it lends its bully pulpit. Presumably the majority of the readership are foreigners, a lot with considerably more experience in Korea than this clown.
6:42 am on April 22nd, 2009 21
People are defensive here. A sense of guilt?
As I said before, it is wrong making general assumptions on Americans in Korea based on the behavior of few people, but the way people react here makes me wonder if most commentators here have something disturbing them after reading the article in KT.
Since I made this point, I must be the first to confess that I felt something disturbing me after reading the article, since I’m not exactly a “gentleman” when I deal with Brazilian girls here in Brazil.
I mean, I don’t rape them nor I treat them like “juicy girls” but honestly I don’t see them as my future fiancée or the mother of my future kids. We, Korean expats in Brazil use to classify women as “for marriage” (Korean women) and “for pleasure” (Brazilian women), and I know that this is wrong and I feel really ashamed about it, but that’s the cruel reality.
Man tend to behave this way when living abroad, and I think this is what this guy was trying to say, but in an exaggerated way
10:09 am on April 22nd, 2009 22
“People are defensive here. A sense of guilt?”
No guilt here, Dr. Yu. I’ve been married to a Korean for years and have never cheated on her and never plan to do so.
I am always a gentleman when I deal with Korean women.
1:40 pm on April 22nd, 2009 23
"how easily my Korean friends were controlled by the American staffs because they learned how to manipulate the Korean inferiority complex"
BobDole agrees, and thinks Koreans are like puppets, easily manipulted, because they are inferior. Now get back to work.
2:12 pm on April 22nd, 2009 24
That may be true for those who only stay a year or two, then get on with their lives back in their home country. But those of us who have decided to make this our home, to stay here for much longer periods of time, this is incorrect. I'm a male of English-Germanic descent, but personally I intend to marry a east Asian girl, most likely of Korean descent. I don't separate women into those two groups (marriage / girlfriend) based on race, but rather based on personality and values.
This guy was just being a douche, he was ragging on American's in an attempt to look cool, especially to the anti-American crowd. Really people need to drop this nationalistic BS, and just treat people as individuals and not a group.
2:44 pm on April 22nd, 2009 25
BobDole,
Having inferiority complex and being inferior are different things.
The first case is related to security feeling problem but the second case to racism and prejudice. Why are Koreans inferior?
7:03 pm on April 22nd, 2009 26
Dr. Yu,
Don't fall for it.
BobDole is aspiring to be a troll.
While he is able to string together a few over-used sentences and worn-out phrases, he is unable to go much farther… even when being spoon-fed a response that indicates he got someone's attention.
Eventually, he will be made fun of… and then ignored… and he will go away for a while. He will come back a few more times and try again under different names before the fun is finally gone.
Actually, this all has already happened. BobDole is hardly the first name we have seen him use here.
BobDole… there is nothing wrong with saying irritating things… but try to back it up with reasons why you think so. Or if you are just yapping, at least be clever about it.
3:31 am on April 23rd, 2009 27
BobDole is happy that the Chicken licks the boots of anybody who is Korean.
3:53 am on April 23rd, 2009 28
ChickenHead
You are right, this guy is simply is not worthy the time and effort.
It’s just another useless “buddy” wandering the net longing for some attention and pity. Let’s keep watching him to see how deep his ignorance can reach.
4:33 am on April 23rd, 2009 29
Ask Hines Ward's mother about Koreans? I grew up in Forest Park (south of Atlanta) and went to same Korean-American Church as Hines Ward's mother. What is there to ask? Sure they experienced some racism in Korea, but they've also had a lot more experiences of racism in America (especially in the south).
4:37 am on April 23rd, 2009 30
Really? I live in America and I would disagree with that assessment.
7:57 am on April 23rd, 2009 31
You are a lucky guy. I still have to find my koreaqn woman
9:42 pm on May 9th, 2009 32
Sorry, but North Americans definitely do not hold a monoply on sleazy and repugnant men in Asia or anywhere else. There is also a healthy sample of these sorts all over Asia from British, Anglo-Saxon countries, including those with clueless and self-righteous indignation as the OP.
3:13 pm on July 15th, 2011 33
Just look at the hate against Koreans and Gay people and even Australians….
And all because he wrote some stuff that is very much tame, compared to what the White expats write about Koreans everywhere…. Maybe this will show you how Koreans feel about you guys for a change, and put yourselves in our shoes.
Whining hypocrites!
3:57 pm on August 15th, 2011 34
Bunch of stereotyping rubbish…The error on either side is failing to respect another’s culture. This has nothing to do with Korea coping USA..In a manner of coarse. As did Japan when we occupied them. When your rebuilding your entire country from ground up your going to mimic your liberator like an idol. (sad thing is we long longer deserve such a thing)…But all in all this is really about us getting to a next stage of evolution here on earth a a global community. Its the establishment of a global culture. Every country around the world in one way or another follows American Trends (even enemies; Which I prefer to call people who think differently).
But I also know plenty of movements in Japan and Korea that prefer to copy somewhere else like say France…For go sakes even China has all the places you named now… This article is just bitterness in its worst.
4:04 pm on August 15th, 2011 35
your going to experience racism in any homogenous country lol o.0 Its not technically the racism were used to either. Its more so based off habits, culture, behavior, thinking etc…Not just because a color…Which of coarse is a double standard because they will judge a book by its cover…Again homogenous country… You have to go there with an empty cup and do your best to fit in “Their” ways…they could care less about yours… As much of Asia is the same.
It was tolerate long ago because the US was something to awe at in many ways….However we wore out that welcome by exploiting etc.
They are they same way with their own damn people.. get over it… Show you wish to fit in and its 60-80% better. Many people that know wtf they are getting into have the time of their lives.
When in rome has to be taken to an extreme…
4:09 pm on August 15th, 2011 36
how is this even a news? Some random LBH posts his opinion on internet and it automatically becomes a news? lol To me, LBH’s opinion is no opinion at all.
8:59 pm on August 15th, 2011 37
Orbit,
It is not hard news because of the actions of Korea…
…it is entertainment news because the writer is an idiot.
Attention to this condemns an ugly Australian rather than highlights weaknesses of Korea.
If you go around being sensitive all time and looking for offense, you will find it… even if it is in your own head.
BTW, the joke at #1 is still funny! If you don’t get it, read the last paragraph of the post.