respect

If there's one aspect of Korean culture which I disagree with, it's their reverence for old people. It's not that I think old people should be spat on or anything, I just don't think that old age should be the only prerequisite for being respected. Because let's face it, just because you're old doesn't mean you're not a dickhead.

This "if they're older than you, they're better than you" mentality is ingrained in Koreans. The language has different grammar for different levels of formality, and of course there's the ubiquitous bowing as a sign of respect. I've asked students what would happen if they used informal grammar when speaking to someone older, and they've said that they would probably be hit for it.

You might be guessing that this post is heading toward an encounter I had with an old person. That's good work.

I had dinner earlier, some kimchi stew at a local kimbap restaurant. I go to this place maybe once or twice a week. It's good food and quiet and I can listen to podcasts or music on my ipod and not be bothered.

Tonight was a little different. Shortly after I sat down, a really old and drunk guy enters. For the next 20 minutes he sits at a table and angrily yells about god-knows-what. Some of his yelling was at other people eating, some at the staff, some of it at me. I had my back to him, but I could see other people nervously looking at me, so I kinda wish I knew what he was saying. But as I've mentioned before, old Korean people terrify me, so maybe I should be glad I don't know. Maybe I look a lot like a soldier who murdered his brother or something 60 years ago.

Anyway, this yelling goes on and on, and nobody says a word about it. People just sit there and listen to him. Nobody says, "Hey you old madman, shut up and go home!" In fact the staff even seemed make him priority number one. As soon as he sat down, he got some side dishes. Meanwhile I'd been there for 5 minutes and hadn't even gotten my kimchi.

That's bullshit, man.