Superficiality

There is one aspect of Korean culture or personality or whatever that I simply cannot stand. Koreans are incredibly and cripplingly superficial. This is not an overstatement, exaggeration, or generalization. This is hard concrete fact. Here are several examples for you.

One. Saving face. Speak to anyone in Korea about what is the most important thing to do in your interaction with other Koreans. Their answer will be saving face. You must never ever "shame" a Korean. It is of vital importance that everyone save face. Not feeling, not intention, not truth... save face. I have no idea what will happen if you do not save face.

Two. Mirrors. Every Korean student, male and female, has a hand mirror. They are constantly checking out their faces and their hair in these mirrors. The teachers have these mirrors too. Before they leave their desks to go to class they check their face in the mirrors. In the hallway there are large mirrors with slogans written on them. The slogans are like propoganda with messages about "how do you look to the world?" Notice the stress is on how do you "look" not on your actual place in the world or your actions. Very surface.

Three. Cell phones. Koreans are always taking their own pictures with their cell phones. I've never seen this in the U.S., but in Korea it's an activity that you see constantly. It is yet another way to see what you look like, when you don't have a mirror, or when you simply need a higher-tech mirror.

Four. Keeping up appearance. This summer my school spent lots of money on rebricking the facade of the building. The old facade was in excellent shape. They rebricked and painted two-thirds of the building, the two-thirds that are visible from the road. The rest of the building was left in it's old state. Now, the inside of the building is crumbling and in sad shape. Instead of using the money to improve the inside of the school, where the students have to sit and learn, or improve the facilities, the school spent the money on the facade. There is no concern with the actual guts of the educational system, just the skin.

Five. Demo lessons. All native-English speaking teachers have to give two demo lessons a year. These lessons are not the simple kind of inspection that teachers in the U.S. get, where people show-up unexpected to view you teaching. This is a fully scripted and rehearsed class that is unlike the regular daily lessons. The demo lesson uses every bit of technology that the school has. The very best class is chosen for this demo class. There are banners and signs up in the building for the demo lesson. The students spend all morning cleaning the building. It is a full-scale production. It is not about evaluating the teaching or the students. It is all about the warm and fuzzy feeling that it gives to the teachers.

Lastly, something that really upsets me. My old co-teacher was a substitute, and is now working with my friend Victoria. Victoria told me that he was talking about me to another Korean teacher, the Japanese teacher, and all he had to talk about was my size. "How big is Mr. Youngs?" Now, I'm a big guy, but I'm also interesting. I have lots going for me. I'm a musician, I speak Russian, I'm knowledgable of most things. In America people move past my size in a relatively short period of time and realize that I'm a good guy. Well, not here. If the people that have worked with me everyday for the last 6 months cannot see past my size to the person that I actually am, to the important things, the things that matter... then what are the chances for the rest of the people in Korea to see past the exterior? This is the most disturbing aspect of the Korean superficiality.

There are so many more things that I could add to this list. I find this aspect of the Korean psyche to be the most damaging and off-putting. I also think that it is this part that ultimately influences their own interaction in the world. This leads to their famous xenophobia (fear of other cultures/countries) and egocentrism. Strange. I wonder if any Koreans are concerned with this? The world will never know. Koreans adhere strictly to the adage "if you don't acknowledge it, then it isn't true." This is why you will never see statistics for drug abuse or teenage pregnancy in Korea. If you pick at the surface of Korea you find that there is nothing else there.