Friday, November 11, 2011

Kvetchpat of the day: "the dirtiest members of society"

Leave it to the Metropolitician to take a nice fluff piece on English teachers dressing up like Confucian scholars and cleaning up the local riverside park, and twist it into a story of English teachers (aka, "the dirtiest members of society") being negatively depicted as a miserable and wretched lot:
Pagoda apparently had its English teachers out in traditional Korean dress for a big cleanup detail. Is this a new branding exercise on behalf of foreign English teachers? The dirtiest members of society, out and about, cleaning up its own act? An symbolic baptism in the dress and manners of morally upright Confucian gentlemen? Well, at least it's a show that we're not out molesting children, raping hapless Korean maidens, or spreading HIV around town.

I certainly agree with the sentiment in the motto "I can do!" The irony of an English-teaching institute touting such a grammatically/idiomatically incorrect expression aside, I say all us dirty foreigners should adopt this positive attitude, a la "We can do, too!"

Perhaps the donning of duds from the days of aristocracy gone by will help stave off my hankering for seducin' elementary school children and getting innocent Korean virgins hooked on crystal meth.
For his uncanny ability to see negative portrayal of English teachers and foreigners wherever he looks, the Metropolitician earns our Kvetchpat of the Day award. I'd go over to his blog and announce his achievement in person, but he might take that Rhode Island-sized chip on his shoulder and chuck it at me.

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8 comments:

  1. If he would stop trying to frame every spotlight on foreigners as a form of bashing, he would be much happier and solve the problems that he makes a career of raging against. Same goes for other Korea haters.

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  2. If he did that, he might also find the time to finish the PhD that he talks as if he's already earned. :)

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  3. itissaid, the kvetching (especially about how English teachers are depicted or treated) is a contagion, it seems. And some of the better bloggers seem to be getting afflicted.

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  4. What I find so interesting and funny about Korea haters is how they are so quick to criticize Koreans for a sheep mentality, but are such prime examples of that themselves. Where do they usually get their Korea news? From other expat blogs. What do they base their knowledge of Koreans on? Usually from the Koreans in their hakwons/schools, maybe neighborhoods, but I don't know of too many Korea haters who actually know their Korean neighbors in a meaningful way so that is irrelevant. They bash Koreans for lumping foreigners or ESL teachers into the same category, but what are they doing to Koreans? If they took the time to be open-minded and look at things from a larger perspective, they would have a better understanding of Korea and not feel like English teachers are the number one enemy of Koreans. Most Koreans really don't care about English teachers unless you are their child's teacher. They do hear of negative stories if they work in the hakwon/school system, but I have never seen that prevent a Korean from being open to a new English teacher he/she meets. Koreans generally want to get along with their coworkers, foreign or not. Team morale is something that most Koreans are very conscious of. It just doesn't make sense to create a hostile work environment. Now, if they are jerks, then they are jerks normally, but I don't see most Koreans going out of their way to create problems for ESL teachers.

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  5. Exactly what is he doing in Korea? I just don't understand how one could willingly live in a country for ten years if one hates it so much. He has a graduate degree in history, I believe. He could find a job in the U.S. that is more fulfilling than teaching at a Korean high school. It's not like he's some migrant worker from a third world country.

    He talks about how America is so much more racially enlightened than Korea, so I just don't get it.

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  6. Americans like to complain... and water is wet.

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  7. itissaid,

    Metro gets more ass in Korea than he can possibly get in the U.S. That's why he's here plain and simple.

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  8. Metro gets more ass in Korea than he can possibly get in the U.S. That's why he's here plain and simple.

    I SERIOUSLY doubt that. Even someone like him has standards and I don't see the quality Korean women lining up for him. He's just caught up in a rut like many teachers who complain, but don't do anything about it because the idea of moving themselves out and settling into another place is a hassle to them. Korea is evil, but the lesser of two evils, one being actually doing something to change their life. For all their complaining, Korea is comfortable enough to "endure". so they just "settle" for it. They should really be angry at themselves and I'm sure deep down they are, but for the ignorant, Korea will always be the target of blame for all the ills and misfortunes they are experiencing.

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