RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

Circumstance: Today, in a huge cafe. It is the size of 2 villas put together, 3 floors. Maybe 1/3 full at most. (lots of places all over)

I am there with 5 other people at a large table playing a board game and having our coffee. I can hear people yelling from the other side of the building and laughing. A guy behind on speakerphone talking on the phone. We are not being loud or anything over the top IMO. After 10 min a lady from 2 tables comes over to tell us to be quiet.... We obviously obliged and tried to keep it down but why is it that she just didn't move to the other side of the building? Why did she not go over to any of the Koreans making noise right beside her?

 I mean, I guess this is a rhetorical question and also just a rant but wtf....

Circumstance: Today, in a huge cafe. It is the size of 2 villas put together, 3 floors. Maybe 1/3 full at most. (lots of places all over)

I am there with 5 other people at a large table playing a board game and having our coffee. I can hear people yelling from the other side of the building and laughing. A guy behind on speakerphone talking on the phone. We are not being loud or anything over the top IMO. After 10 min a lady from 2 tables comes over to tell us to be quiet.... We obviously obliged and tried to keep it down but why is it that she just didn't move to the other side of the building? Why did she not go over to any of the Koreans making noise right beside her?

 I mean, I guess this is a rhetorical question and also just a rant but wtf....

Interesting story. Yeah it sounds like she was being selective in who she told off.

On the other hand i was out with a group of native English teachers a week ago and we all went to a Starbucks after our meeting. There were some in our group who were very happy and having a great old time and also talking and laughing loudly. I am always conscious of noise so i looked around feeling like we might be inconveniencing some of the korean customers there enjoying a nice quiet coffee and doing some study.  They all seemed totally oblivious to it. Either they hide their annoyance well or they block it out. I know Korea is a loud place so maybe they accept it. Or maybe there were no  cranky ajumas in the cafe and we looked too intimidating. 😜

Circumstance: Today, in a huge cafe. It is the size of 2 villas put together, 3 floors. Maybe 1/3 full at most. (lots of places all over)

I am there with 5 other people at a large table playing a board game and having our coffee. I can hear people yelling from the other side of the building and laughing. A guy behind on speakerphone talking on the phone. We are not being loud or anything over the top IMO. After 10 min a lady from 2 tables comes over to tell us to be quiet.... We obviously obliged and tried to keep it down but why is it that she just didn't move to the other side of the building? Why did she not go over to any of the Koreans making noise right beside her?

 I mean, I guess this is a rhetorical question and also just a rant but wtf....

Interesting story. Yeah it sounds like she was being selective in who she told off.

On the other hand i was out with a group of native English teachers a week ago and we all went to a Starbucks after our meeting. There were some in our group who were very happy and having a great old time and also talking and laughing loudly. I am always conscious of noise so i looked around feeling like we might be inconveniencing some of the korean customers there enjoying a nice quiet coffee and doing some study.  They all seemed totally oblivious to it. Either they hide their annoyance well or they block it out. I know Korea is a loud place so maybe they accept it. Or maybe there were no  cranky ajumas in the cafe and we looked too intimidating. 😜

Yeah I agree with you that people can sometimes get loud and I am usually very aware of it. Just boggles my mind how with all the other noise around, opportunity to relocate and overall no problem being really there that it happened. As mentioned it really wasn't a problem and just a rant. have a great weekend all.

depends. are you canadian or american? sometimes i find those two nationalities to be INSANELY loud in public places. sometimes i have to tell my can/us friends to shut up, as they are clearly being inappropriately noisy. i guess it's a cultural thing?*

*yes, i know, not all canadians/americans are like this, but this is my general experience

depends. are you canadian or american? sometimes i find those two nationalities to be INSANELY loud in public places. sometimes i have to tell my can/us friends to shut up, as they are clearly being inappropriately noisy. i guess it's a cultural thing?*

*yes, i know, not all canadians/americans are like this, but this is my general experience

Yes, I am Canadian. I also agree with you that NA people can be overly loud and I usually call them out on it.  I think I covered these bases in my OP. We were not being overly loud. There were multiple places to move to, overtly loud Koreans within distance and I could hear people from the other side of the huge building.

then yeah, they were just being dickheads.

saw someone complaining on facebook the other day that they were smoking among several other koreans, but an older korean lady came over to her - and only her - to tell her she can't smoke there, ignoring the korean smokers right next to her. sometimes you can't win

I've got FOMO and regret selling at 8100 dollars

then yeah, they were just being dickheads.

saw someone complaining on facebook the other day that they were smoking among several other koreans, but an older korean lady came over to her - and only her - to tell her she can't smoke there, ignoring the korean smokers right next to her. sometimes you can't win

What's the problem with older Korean ladies all about. Will the younger generation become like that in 25 years or so? Maybe it's dying out.

haha yeah i wonder that. same with the older guys. wonder how similar/different this generation will be when they're old

The older people get...the more...

Circumstance: Today, in a huge cafe. It is the size of 2 villas put together, 3 floors. Maybe 1/3 full at most. (lots of places all over)

I am there with 5 other people at a large table playing a board game and having our coffee. I can hear people yelling from the other side of the building and laughing. A guy behind on speakerphone talking on the phone. We are not being loud or anything over the top IMO. After 10 min a lady from 2 tables comes over to tell us to be quiet.... We obviously obliged and tried to keep it down but why is it that she just didn't move to the other side of the building? Why did she not go over to any of the Koreans making noise right beside her?

 I mean, I guess this is a rhetorical question and also just a rant but wtf....

Korean 'jeong', maybe?  I had a Korean friend tell me that a reason that Koreans are noisy in groups is to show other Koreans what a great time they're having, how well they're bonding and what great mates they are.  'Jeong' overload!!  Artificially so, most of the time.  If the other Koreans were really noisy, then why should another Korean burst their 'jeong' bubble.  You're just an easy target as you ain't got no 'jeong'. 

I remember a while back being in 'SeolBing' in Shinchon with my Korean friend and there was a table of 6 or so young Koreans (20s) next to us, and they were unreal with their over-reaction to jokes, smacking the table, ridiculous over the top laughing, shouting out answers, that stupid clapping when someone makes a joke.  Most of it seemed so over the top as to just be a show of what good mates they were.  Even my Korean friend was shaking his head at how ridiculous their noise was.   

Circumstance: Today, in a huge cafe. It is the size of 2 villas put together, 3 floors. Maybe 1/3 full at most. (lots of places all over)

I am there with 5 other people at a large table playing a board game and having our coffee. I can hear people yelling from the other side of the building and laughing. A guy behind on speakerphone talking on the phone. We are not being loud or anything over the top IMO. After 10 min a lady from 2 tables comes over to tell us to be quiet.... We obviously obliged and tried to keep it down but why is it that she just didn't move to the other side of the building? Why did she not go over to any of the Koreans making noise right beside her?

 I mean, I guess this is a rhetorical question and also just a rant but wtf....

Korean 'jeong', maybe?  I had a Korean friend tell me that a reason that Koreans are noisy in groups is to show other Koreans what a great time they're having, how well they're bonding and what great mates they are.  'Jeong' overload!!  Artificially so, most of the time.  If the other Koreans were really noisy, then why should another Korean burst their 'jeong' bubble.  You're just an easy target as you ain't got no 'jeong'. 

I remember a while back being in 'SeolBing' in Shinchon with my Korean friend and there was a table of 6 or so young Koreans (20s) next to us, and they were unreal with their over-reaction to jokes, smacking the table, ridiculous over the top laughing, shouting out answers, that stupid clapping when someone makes a joke.  Most of it seemed so over the top as to just be a show of what good mates they were.  Even my Korean friend was shaking his head at how ridiculous their noise was.   

I've seen this too. Each culture has its issues, but yeah, Korean culture places a truly MASSIVE emphasise on pretenses.

I've seen this too. Each culture has its issues, but yeah, Korean culture places a truly MASSIVE emphasise on pretenses.

Hence, when eating a fairly standard ddeokbokki for a tv program, they will act like it is the single greatest meal they've ever had in their life.

Bi-yearly reminder of Crab Man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_wv8hNCYK0&

Circumstance: Today, in a huge cafe. It is the size of 2 villas put together, 3 floors. Maybe 1/3 full at most. (lots of places all over)

I am there with 5 other people at a large table playing a board game and having our coffee. I can hear people yelling from the other side of the building and laughing. A guy behind on speakerphone talking on the phone. We are not being loud or anything over the top IMO. After 10 min a lady from 2 tables comes over to tell us to be quiet.... We obviously obliged and tried to keep it down but why is it that she just didn't move to the other side of the building? Why did she not go over to any of the Koreans making noise right beside her?

 I mean, I guess this is a rhetorical question and also just a rant but wtf....

I have a story similar to that too.
In my 2nd year in Korea, I was on the bus to my travel school. Another foreign teacher was on the bus, we were sitting together and talking and were the quietest people on the bus.
We were near the back, and most of the other people were up the front. Anyway, some Korean group was really loud, to the point we could barely hear ourselves talking. Eventually, this Korean guy gets up, comes over to us, and screams something in Korean. Then goes and sits back down. We try being a bit quieter but, he keeps looking back to see if we are talking. Eventually the lady behind him, comes over to us, and based on her hand gestures, tries to explain, that the man wants us to be quiet.
We just nod like, ok ok, and carry on.

The man, now comes over to us again, and grabs the collar of my shirt and looks like he is going to attack us. Me and the other foreign teacher pull out our phones and start recording the man. Once he saw us filming him, he lets me go, and goes and sits back down. He didn't do or try anything after that.

I can't think of one culture that doesn't have its loud moments. Singling out North Americans is ridiculous.

I recently had a guy bothering me about fishing in a lake where Koreans were also fishing. He didn't say anything to the Korean men and blamed me for the garbage left by a dirty Korean. I told him that I hadn't left the garbage (in Korean) and to mind his own business (in English), the latter with an obviously fake smile. He didn't understand what I said and smiled back. I've decided that next time a racist Korean harasses me, I'm going to respond back with something really obnoxious and a massive smile.

"I regret that you were born of a family of ill repute, but your conception being the result of a financial transaction is something for which I cannot be blamed." 

"I regret that you were born of a family of ill repute, but your conception being the result of a financial transaction is something for which I cannot be blamed." 

Lol

I'm leaning to the belief that it's an old person thing.

I regularly train at the local stadium, which has a 400m track and soccer field. You'll usually find no more than one person walking the track or a few kids playing soccer on the field.

In this case, there were a few kids practicing free kicks on the field and I was doing wicket drills on the grass. This old fart walks up to me and starts berating me for "ruining the grass" by running on it. I ignore him and he infuriated, he goes to squeal to the security guard before leaving. The security guard, a young guy, apologises to me and claims the old man is just trying to be a nuisance and I should keep training.

My complex has a spot where no cars park. It was late afternoon and I wanted to do a few minutes of jump-rope as part of my routine. I went about my business, making far less noise than the group of ajjoushis (smoking like chimanes, swearing, spitting and dropping coffee cups) sitting on a makeshift bench about 15m from me, inside the complex... there are big no smoking signs right next to them.

This old lady, ignores the litter being created the clouds of smoke, cacophony of obscenities and enthusiastic discharges of sputum, but walks up to me and tells me I'm being too loud.

Lol

I'm leaning to the belief that it's an old person thing.

I regularly train at the local stadium, which has a 400m track and soccer field. You'll usually find no more than one person walking the track or a few kids playing soccer on the field.

In this case, there were a few kids practicing free kicks on the field and I was doing wicket drills on the grass. This old fart walks up to me and starts berating me for "ruining the grass" by running on it. I ignore him and he infuriated, he goes to squeal to the security guard before leaving. The security guard, a young guy, apologises to me and claims the old man is just trying to be a nuisance and I should keep training.

My complex has a spot where no cars park. It was late afternoon and I wanted to do a few minutes of jump-rope as part of my routine. I went about my business, making far less noise than the group of ajjoushis (smoking like chimanes, swearing, spitting and dropping coffee cups) sitting on a makeshift bench about 15m from me, inside the complex... there are big no smoking signs right next to them.

This old lady, ignores the litter being created the clouds of smoke, cacophony of obscenities and enthusiastic discharges of sputum, but walks up to me and tells me I'm being too loud.

Are you still training with your 'Jeong is bullshit' t-shirt on or the one that says 'Kiss my jeong, assholes'?

As a simple test, wear a red 'Korea Fighting' t-shirt and see what happens.  I'd expect different treatment.

Ugh, all of this reminds me of a drunk adjeosshi who tried to tell a friend and me to shut up or get off the bus because he said we were being too loud, which we weren't -- we were literally talking in very quiet tones, but we were seated behind him, and I guess he really didn't want to hear any English. There were others on the bus also talking right next to him, and they were twice as loud as we were, but he chose to single us out. I'm pretty sure it's because he thought we were easy targets and that everyone would empathize with him against the foreigners.

Everyone stopped talking to watch us after this asshole's outburst. We literally just gave him the death stare until he turned his stupid ass back around, and we kept right on chatting. He tried to say something to us again after a few minutes, but I think I might have looked like I was about to lay into him, so he changed his mind, and he got off the bus at the next stop. A few people started giggling and talking about him when he left.

"I regret that you were born of a family of ill repute, but your conception being the result of a financial transaction is something for which I cannot be blamed." 

Lol

I'm leaning to the belief that it's an old person thing.

I regularly train at the local stadium, which has a 400m track and soccer field. You'll usually find no more than one person walking the track or a few kids playing soccer on the field.

In this case, there were a few kids practicing free kicks on the field and I was doing wicket drills on the grass. This old fart walks up to me and starts berating me for "ruining the grass" by running on it. I ignore him and he infuriated, he goes to squeal to the security guard before leaving. The security guard, a young guy, apologises to me and claims the old man is just trying to be a nuisance and I should keep training.

My complex has a spot where no cars park. It was late afternoon and I wanted to do a few minutes of jump-rope as part of my routine. I went about my business, making far less noise than the group of ajjoushis (smoking like chimanes, swearing, spitting and dropping coffee cups) sitting on a makeshift bench about 15m from me, inside the complex... there are big no smoking signs right next to them.

This old lady, ignores the litter being created the clouds of smoke, cacophony of obscenities and enthusiastic discharges of sputum, but walks up to me and tells me I'm being too loud.

What's with these older Korean people? When I was in China and now here in Taiwan, the older people are the most friendly. I don't get it.