Need for Change

In order for people to start changing, we need the Korean society to start changing first. There are numerous topics I would like to go with this idea, but I just want to start with people's manners. When Sara came to visit me in Korea, one thing she pointed out was that there doesn't seem to be any "gentleman" among Koreans. What she meant by this is that Koreans are just straight-out rude to strangers. When you walk down the streets in Korea, it is easy to observe the grim expressions on people's faces. They aren't happy and they don't want to be messed around with. When you bump into somebody, rather than hearing a "I'm sorry" it is more common to receive the death stare or a rude comment similar to WTF.

The funny thing is once you get to know these rude people, they become genuinely nice. They are actually kind people. They don't hesitate to help a friend out or have a sincere conversation with their friends. In other words, Koreans are even more two-faced than Westerners.

Americans (Westerners) are known commonly as being two-faced. They seem nice to you when they are talking to you, but you don't know what they will say about you when you are not there. They seem like they are genuinely interested in you, but in reality, they don't give a shit about you one bit.

It seems like the exact opposite for Koreans. A lot of people are openly rude to strangers. However, once you know somebody, you treat them truthfully. When you don't like the individual you keep your distance, rather than faking a smile or a laugh. Then again, when you see a waitress or a receptionist being overly nice to you, you know it's fake. It's way too overdramatic to the point that it is unnecessary. I would rather prefer the American way, where people are rather straight-forward with you when you ask for some service.

To judge which culture is better is impossible and rather impractical. However, in a general standpoint, I would have to go with the Western culture. There are common etiquettes people need to follow. Saying "Excuse me", or "I am sorry" should be a common and automatic saying if you bother somebody. If you do get bumped or disturbed by others unnecessarily, you should have the courtesy to accept the apology and be nice. These common manners are lacking in our Asian country. We don't hold open the doors for people behind us in public, and we are prone to cut people off whenever we get the chance.

We hope that the younger generation will be better than us and the older generation in having and following these common manners. However, people need to realize that kids learn from their parents. They look up to adults and follow what grown-ups do around them. When adults are giving the death stare to strangers or insulting them for some minor bump, what are the kids going to learn?

For our country to change, the adults need to lead the cause. Without efforts from them, there will be no improvement in the near future. It doesn't matter if Korea has become a developed country with one of the top leading economies in the world. Countries such as Canada and New Zealand are considered more developed countries than us. When you go to these countries, you see how cultured the general population is. People are educated not only academically but culturally. Without these basic things fixed and improved among us, we will always be perceived as a developing, third-world country.