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Ajeossi Got You Down?
This entry was written by Robert Koehler, posted on February 12, 2008 at 1:46 pm, filed under Korean Culture. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.
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8 Comments
“Ajosshis Ruin Everything”!
Yep, they certainly do with most of them acting like monkeys- feel like it’s their born right to throw their sh*t all over everyone (and we all just have to take it because we are “beneath” them).
And the “jeong” thing where people are not really held responsible for their misdeeds & wrongdoings- especially if they are drunk, they are never held responsible.
Yes, this whole “we should just understand and forgive them because they have had hard lives” just makes them worse. If jerks are never held accountable, then they are just encouraged to be bigger jerks!
Metropolitician was right on this one!
Metro’s post reminded me of an acronym that a female teacher and I used back when we were teaching together in L.A.: KME. = Korean Male Entitlement. We used it to describe ajussis who didn’t really like taking directions from a female teacher.
If one listens to Korean women, they will do a variation on the above theme that is far more angry than most. Basically this reality is a twisted version of “kong-ja”, where being older and male is taken as carte blanche to do whatever one feels like they can get away with. There is no righteous leadership from above, in the classical sense of Kong-ja, and this occurs in many instances through out society.
There has been a tremendous lack of accountability and example from the very top of society here, thus one finds what Andy mentions regarding the blatant attitude that “politics is above the law”, per a Chosunilbo article.
It does seem that no one will lead and the person who is afraid will avoid change, thus the exile of Jeong Yak-yong (Dasan) is still a possibility for those that would encourage change, even after all these years. (note: the wikipedia article leaves out that Jeong was exiled (from court) to Gangjin County for ten years due to the plotting of rival scholars at court during his years of service. Essentially, his rivals got rid of him for being too wise and practical.)
Guys, before you start putting the blame on Korean customs, remember this: a young asshole never becomes a wise old man…he becomes an old asshole.
especially when he is never put in his place by his
parents, sisters, teachers & society in general!
Korea: Where men come first and women usually not at all…
I know, lame joke, but really, it’s going to be another generation or two before the stain of these assholes washes out of the cultural fabric of Korea.
Younger Koreans are more worldly and unwilling to put up with that shit. I’ve seen it a lot during my time, here, and at a constantly increasing rate.
These guys are the “Farmers in suits” that people talk about, but they’re also relics that are simply waiting to die out.
A few years ago at a watering hole frequented by foreigners in Kumi, a drunk Ajeossi came in, grabbed a pool stick and started hitting everyone within range of him. Six people, including one Korean female, had to be treated at the hospital for cuts, bruises and one minor concussion. The man was subdued and held until the Kumi Police arrived. To make a long story short, the guy was released 3 hours later after agreeing to pay restitution for everyone’s medical expenses. The Kumi Police Captain said we should all understand that he’d had a hard life and that his mother destroyed his parents marriage by having an affair with an American soldier from CP Carroll some years ago. So after committing assault with a deadly weapon on a half dozen people, the guy didn’t even spend one night in jail. If anything, the police were doing there best to convince all of us present that the attacker was the victim here.
Am I surprised that the arsonist was also a guy with a criminal past that was let go with a slap on the wrist? No. Korea is a society that can’t fathom the thought of Koreans ever being anything other than a victim. Whenever a Korean does something wrong, there has to be an outside catalyst to justify their behavior. Korean society has not yet matured enough to embrace the concept of taking responsibility for one’s own actions or even admitting that Koreans have the innate capability to do wrong. Until they do, this will always be a backwards and hypocritical society. No amount of cheap cars or flatscreen TV’s can change this.
And the guy who attacked the foreigners in Kumi….one month later he attacked a Korean guy in a disco club and broke a whiskey bottle over his head. I wasn’t present at his next attack but word is (not that it matters) it was over a woman that time. I can’t confirm the outcome but most likely he was let loose again. After all…..he did have a hard life.
I keep thinking ofthat line from “As Good as it Gets”:
Woman: “How do you write women so well?”
Jack Nicholson: “Easy. I think of a man, then I take away reason and accountability!”.
All reasoning and accountability is thrown by the wayside.
And yes, they are always playing up the “we are the real victim” angle.