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He was clearly taking the piss, but if we are talking your typical Korean that I see in the streets day in day out you are talking about some of the most passive and reluctant to fight people in the world. And I don't mean that in a negative way, on the whole it is such a safe and chilled out place to live. There is certainly nothing in Korea to compare with the dodgy parts of the UK. The only dodgy so called 'tough' Koreans I have ever met are those who have spent their lives overseas and typically come from places like LA.
As I say don't get me the wrong way, Korea is my home and I shall likely stay here for the rest of my life, but the fact that Korean society is relatively chilled out and you aren't seeing gangs of 'tough' kids and gang members roaming about proving their toughness to anyone is one of its virtues. That is not to say that Korean's are weak either, their history says that they have the ability to endure hardship. The 'bloodmoney' system where you pay thousands of dollars for assaulting someone also helps to keep fists at bay. I prefer this kind of life myself.
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Oh yea, it's all gravy.. It was just a misunderstanding on my part and there are no hard feelings..
As a KoreanItalian who's lived in Korea/LA for years and even went to school on both sides, I couldn't disagree more about your preception of Koreans.. Koreans in general all have the scrapper's mentality because fistfights has always been a part of our culture. Because there are no guns in Korea, kids learn how to rely on their fists, so naturally, there are alot of great street fighters out there.. I went to middle school and high school in Korea so I know exactly how it is in our circle.. For example, in America, the guys who get lot of girls etc in high school tend to be the popular ones but in Korea it's really different. They put so much stock into who's the best fighter of each area that high schools go to war with each other all the time to determine who's the best. These guys grow up fighting for fun so they are natural very good at it when it comes to throwing down. I understand my people inside and out and I can honestly say that Koreans in general are some tough ass dudes. They're very stubborn and too prideful to back down from a fight. If anything, Koreans are confrontational people with a short fuse so they're usually the ones starting trouble... Koreans love to fight. Youll never see a streetgang in Korea though because mobs dont allow it. Everything is mob organized over there, no small time streetgangs.. The best fighters from high school get scouted by the mob by the time they graduate.. just a thought...
Where in Korea do you reside?
Last edited by FinitoElDinamita; 06-08-2011 at 03:05 AM.
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Having taught at a Korean middle school for 4 years in the past, I have never seen or heard of such school to school fighting. I have known many other teachers doing the same job, both Korean and foreign, and have likewise never heard of that. Bullying for sure, but school against school warfare with hordes of kids beating each other silly? Never. I'm not sure that is the way to impress the girls either.Not that I am doubting your experiences, but I have certainly never seen it or seen it brought up in the media as a serious social problem.
Most of these kids are going to school all day, then after that they are going to private academies to learn yet more English, math and science. And that's just the middle schoolers, the rest of their time they are in the PC room playing 'sudden attack' or whatever game is currently in vogue. Many highschools don't actually close until 10-11pm and the kids are just plain exhausted. They are not roaming in gangs or engaging in fist fights, sure some get into trouble but it is the exception rather than the norm and certainly not a patch on dodgy parts of Manchester.
My own perception of Koreans is that they can be very passive-aggressive, but not always. They can be very quick to start raising a voice, but when push comes to shove they don't throw a punch. To do so means criminal charges and money that they can't afford, nobody wants to go inside as you won't get a job. You say you know your people inside out, but you don't sound like you do. You probably know yourself and others like you in your circle. Most Koreans simply do not grow up fighting each other. They study too many hours and relax by playing their games. I have known thousands of young koreans over the years and very few fit the description you are giving me. As I say, that is not to say that I am invalidating your experiences, but you seem to have a need to pump the Koreans up into being warriors when most of them are just easy going folk trying to get an education and get that job at Samsung. By middle school a lot of the fight is kicked out of them by the immense and monolithic educational system. It is a nightmare for most, but it does control the young folk and makes society safe.
I don't give out specific details on internet public forums, but I am in the Chungnam province.
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With your edit you are trying to make Korea sound like Sicily. There is obviously organised crime in Korea as in any country, but as you can tell with the lack of guns, crime, drugs etc, it is on the whole a relatively passive and peaceful country and all the better for it. Honestly, the country you are trying to describe is quite alien to the one I have been living in for a decade. Koreans are on the whole generous and kind people, what does it even matter if they can fight or not? Such a silly thing to even care about really.
Blocktonblockbust is a monster for his weight and that is all that matters.
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I feel what you're saying in some ways. I dont know how long you've been out there but I lived it, breathed it and felt it for years so I know exactly where I'm coming from. You would have a better understanding if you went to school in Korea, I bet. Im not trying to pump up anything bro, im only stating what I know for sure.. School wars, bullying, extortion etc has been a huge problem in Korea for years.. It's died down a bit throughout the years but it's still a bigger issue than in other countries.
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That fair enough, those are clearly not my perceptions or those I have seen in the media, but your personal experience is what it is. Bullying is clearly a problem, but I think that is the case anywhere. Honestly, I have known thousands of kids over the years and only one was a 'serious' problem child, but the guy was simply stressed out from years of pushing by his parents and liked to wire up a motorbike with his friends and take it on the road. That was a big problem child. But all in all he was a nice enough kid and got himself together and went to university. The worst stories I have heard are things like groups of boys gangraping a girl, but all this other stuff about school wars is strangely off of the media agenda.
Regardless, I don't think Koreans are any tougher or weaker than anyone else. I do think their society is more peaceful though and that comes from grinding the kids to death through education. They simply don't have free time like us in the west do.
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Fighting/Violence is nothing to brag about and im not even glorifying anything. I never said being a fighter was cool or anything but im just stating the facts, the reality... WOuld you buy it if I told you that I knew more about the Europeans than you do? Probably not... I think you only know certain aspects of the Korean people but you clearly dont see the whole picture. I still have close friends and relatives out there so i'm updated with whatever is going still going out there. And FYI, yea, the best fighters in school are the most popular and they get all the girls and the power.
You clearly dont understand our people as much as I do but that's only normal.
BTW, i made some edits because of typos.. Im not trying to pump us up as if we're some superheros..
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I just punched a hole through my dirty clothes dispenser...
Top that bitch ass! I'm a fucken monstor for my weight dawg.
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I missed this post, but yes, I teach ESL. I would never teach in my home country though as I think the schools are much more like the Korean one's that FinitoElDinamita seems to have experienced. My own experiences are quite different though, the Korean schools have been nice to work at whilst the UK would likely drive you to a breakdown. I imagine the US could be much the same. Be careful, big bad Hulkster.
Thank You for the reply.
I plan to teach at a small town high school, not one out of the film "Dangerous Minds" starring Michelle Pfieffer.
Thats an interesting take you have on the school system, but I would agree that it would be far better to teach in a peaceful encouraging classroom with attentive students than in a classroom filled with punks, thugs, and smart asses.
"You knocked him down...now how bout you try knockin me down ?"
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