10 Unique Korean Customs & Practices and Mad TV's 'Average Asian' Skits
I'm still a little irked at The Korea Times. However, this is an interesting article.
Their 50th anniversary is coming up, so they have a series of special articles.
This one is titled 10 Unique Korean Customs & Practices. It points out some things that I've grown so used to that I wouldn't even consider writing about them. However, if you're not familiar with Korean culture, this can help distinguish it from the other NE Asian cultures. So click over and learn something about Korea.
Also, I was watching Mad TV today on the TVU Player on my computer. I love the 'Average Asian' skits. I get it because blacks are stereotyped in the worst way possible. Asians are stereotyped too but, at least, their stereotypes are more positive overall. However, the frustration I can totally relate to.
So here are a few that have been posted on YouTube.
Ha! I'll be posting this to my MySpace for my students. Wonder if they'll get the humor.
ReplyDeleteHey Robin,
ReplyDeleteIt's going to really depend on your students. Asian-Americans will get it, no problem. In fact, Westerners will get it (particularly ethnic minorities). But Koreans might now since 1) they try hard to be those stereotypeses it seems and 2) they act in similar ways towards foreigners.
How many times have I heard "foreigners don't like spicy food."
Um, whatever...white bread Bobby doesn't represent all the foreign cultures out there.
If they get it and are Korean natives, I'd go on to explain just how Hideki gets offended that their generalizations about foreigners is taken the same way most of the time ;)
My kids and I laughed ourselves silly watching this -- no kidding. We actually shrieked. One of the funniest things was the way no one could pronounce Hideki's name.
ReplyDeleteMy family were vegetarians and never had steak. In Japan, I got invited to have steak a dozen times in the first year, even when I assured people I didn't eat beef. No matter how many times I told them that, they just couldn't get it. And I got confused all the time with women who were fatter, skinnier, taller, shorter, older, younger -- but all Caucasian.
All white people look alike and, of course, they all eat beef, right?
ReplyDeleteI can't tell any of y'all apart. I just see pale skin.
Anyway, yeah...it's a funny routine they do over at Mad TV. The thing is it seems that while Asian-Americans do get offended by the stereotypes, I find Koreans actually want to fit them (well, the more positive ones...but they too get offended at the negative ones.)