follow up to 'black rampage' and the Korean/western divide

Well it's been almost a week since 'black rampage' hit the social media sites. Well that goof will get deported and thats that. Except that it's not. Since the video I've been following blogs and websites that I'd normally steer clear of. Actually I've found both the Koreans and westerners here amazing.... in the same way a 10 car pileup is amazing. First off, many of the western sites keep talking about this western/Korean divide getting worse and worse. This amazed me. I had no idea there was such a satrong divide. Seriously. I mean, I know a few Koreans have ideas that are out of our 19th century, especially to do with race, and a few westerners hide up in the western bar scene acting like a bunch of colonialists from 1900. Actually what I love is how much BOTH groups act like they belong in a colonial era film about British India. But I had no idea it was a common thread of discussion among so many expats.

Now I have met Koreans who have been racist, condescending and rather insulting. However, they are a minority. In fact, in many cases their own friends will tell them to shut up (especially once they realise that their rude friend is being understood by a few of the westerners). More often than not, when I start up a conversation with Koreans it ends with phone numbers being exchanged, drinks bought for each other or coffee drunk together and a good time being had by all. Yes, you will meet a few Koreans who will tell you they don't want to talk to you..... fair enough, it's everybody's loss but at least I did my best. As to stereotypes about westerners. Yes, SOME Koreans share this idea that westerners come to Korea to get drunk and have sex. SOME think that outside ideas are dangerous and that westerners should be kicked out of Korea. SOME Koreans will start a conversation by talking about how much westerners can drink, assuming we all like to get blackout drunk every night. SOME do, but in my experience it's not the majority that so many westerners think it is. In fact, I think these idiots with the dumb ideas get so much discussion time amongst the westerners simply because so few westerners ever leave their 7-8 enclaves long enough to meet a Korean person. I mean, have you ever actually heard a Korean talk about fan death? The only time I have it was suggested that when a Korean war vet drinks 8 bottles of soju on a 35 degree August night and goes home to a small, unventilated room to pass out and subsequently dies of dehydration no one wants to call him out on his alcoholism (hello Confucius) so instead it's "fan death". Sure some kids probably believe it, and I bet a few adults do too. But you hear it discussed in the expat community WAY more than you do amongst Koreans. I do know that experiences vary, and people in small towns probably experience more of the close minded behaviour than people in, say Seoul. I'll just say that my experiences in Ulsan (a fairly small town, being that it's really four small towns all tied together through a bus network) and Daegu (an admittedly big town) have been largely what I am discussing here.

I also find many westerners here deliberately avoid much contact with the locals. If they have Korean friends at all the friend speaks fluent English, often is very westernised and may very well have lived in the west for years. Otherwise they are co-workers who, more likely than not, do not go to the expat scene even when offered. Now if that's how you want to spend your time that's your own business, but I feel that then sitting around passing judgement on Korea, when you have no knowledge of what it is you pass judgement on, is unfair and that will lead to hostility from Koreans. Also, walking around screaming at each other in groups of twenty all the time doesn't help, most Koreans I have talked to about this think that foreigners are too loud and they find it irritating/offensive. Also, a group like that is hard to approach, even if you want to. Just sayin.

My point in all this is not to damn anybody, but to point out how similar everyone really is. Two groups that stick to themselves and pass stupid stories around that have little to no basis in fact, or are based on stereotypes or on "what someone saw or heard". I am told weekly how my Korean friend has a Korean friend who wants to meet with a foreigner but doesn't know how. I'm not exaggerating, weekly. So if you're a westerner who wants to meet a few Koreans get 2-3 friends and go to some college campus area or some makkeoli place (not the makkeoli 3000 downtown but some place near where you live). Say hi, you may get shot down but you also may make a few new friends. If you're a Korean, meeting westerners isn't that hard. Just go up and say hi, especially if they are in a small group. But PLEASE don't ask the 20 questions they taught you in school (where are you from? do you like Korea?). Just offer to split a coffee or beer or something.

Anyway, I'm getting very preachy so I should stop. But it would be nice is "black rampage" could just stay as what it is, an isolated idiot.