Until now, I had felt overwhelmingly like an American displaced in a country where everyone happens to share a larger portion of my gene pool than I'm used to, speaks a language I understand on a toddler level (though that is debatable), and eats the same food I grew up eating. I feel I am easily identifiable as a 교포, and that has led me to feel somewhat more loyal to lady liberty, the red white and blue, and all that patriotic jazz.
So it shocked me to enter the subway car on the way to dinner to see a group of six Americans (five white guys and a black guy), and immediately feel a surge of judgment, condescension, and disgust. These were not travelers expanding their horizons, nor were they students enriching their educational experience, nor friends taking advantage of travel opportunities abroad. These were US military, "off duty" or whatever you call it, acting like complete asses on the train.
While not as obsessively polite as Japan, Korea still observes a respect for others sense of well-being, harmony if you want to apply that Asian cliché term. Each subway car is flanked by seats reserved for the elderly. Despite maintaining full cell reception deep underground, phone conversation is rarely heard, and muffled and quiet if so. I have yet to hear audible music playing.
It makes for an enjoyable ride for everyone.
Yet on this particular train, on this particular night, five of the 6 guys are sprawled out across 10 or more seats, slouched sideways with their legs spread, tenting up obnoxiously baggy pants circa 2001 wigger. Their attitude sucks. Yucking up amongst themselves over how "silly" some of the station names sound, which they are when pronounced with all the finesse that can be squeezed between tandem "yo's." Making fun of elderly Koreans who, once upon a time, were actually listened to when they scolded youth.
Obviously these guys were off to find some girls to treat with respect.
The disapproval and annoyance hung like a stank fart in that car. I wanted so bad for an opportunity to intervene. Something welled up inside me. Whether it was pride in defense of Koreans, or enraged disbelief on behalf of Americans, I think is a moot point. It was quickly overcome by a sense of helplessness. These were relative kids. And they weren't about to get a lesson in maturity before my next transfer.
The funniest part of all is that these guys were losers. They'd never get away with acting "gangster" like this in the States. Mosquito larva in a wading pool - irrelevant to the fish, but still fucking annoying.
With this amount of cultural sensitivity in a DEVELOPED and WESTERNIZED context, its no wonder that the United States is hated in most places outside of UK and Canada. And even there, we're not so popular, eh? Obviously these guys don't represent the whole of the US military presence in Korea. I've met many more army guys who are very cool, and are well attuned to the culture here at a depth that I might never achieve. But come the weekend, the rats definitely start coming out of the woodwork.
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