OK Guys and Gals- let's let fat old Biff off the hook for a while. I have sent him a note and asked if he would do his part to help us ease up on each other.
Now I'm asking you to keep cool. We started out to talk about Koreans being rude. Now WE are starting to be rude, also!
I agree with Willie's first post here, which he wrote in Korean. None of you caught it. He used two small words to express his disbelief that a taxi driver would call Biff a Fat something. Hard to believe for me, too. But I think we will all agree that often Koreans appear rude by our standards. I think New Yorkers are mostly rude. It depends on our individual experiences. But we also know of others who have not been "rude". Let's just shake hands and go to our respective corners, as the bell just rang.

I guess we might give some thought as to why Foreigners are rude overseas. Or are they just acting as they would in their country and it seems rude to those in the host country? The answer is "All the above". Have you run into "Touchers"?
I have. Some Middle Easterners like to stand close enough for you to smell what they had for lunch. Some like to put their arms around you, and you can detect perspiration odor. Friendly is friendly, but it can be overdone.
Now for the Soldiers who go downtown and drink and act a fool. That's a hard act to follow. I know how I would feel if that happened in my hometown
in the U.S. I might do something to them that I would be ashamed of later. I guess maybe we can understand if some Koreans thnk of us as barbarians. I'm going to stick to smiling and trying to be civil to everyone. Can't hurt; might help!

How about the "war babies" they will treat you worse than the Koreans do

After visiting 17 countries over the last 5 years I find Korean people are no more rude than others. While it is true that "personal space" , public interaction, and social graces vary from the Asia to the Middle East, always remember to enjoy the people no matter where you are.

Just a guess or opinion on my part, but I think in general Americans tend to think of people in other countries as rude BECAUSE of rude behavior on the Americans part. This also happens (I have seen it) in Lancaster County, PA.

We (Americans, general) tend to gawk at people in their own culture. Many of us don't seem to realize that when we are in another country that it is not a zoo.

I mentioned Lancaster County because there is a large population of Amish there. People who visit Lancaster County treat the Amish like a freaking zoo or amusement park! And they are down-right rude about it.

We need to remember that people are people no matter where you are, and no one is there for our entertainment or enjoyment.

Koreans Are rude and mad cause they dont have a DEROS...HA! HA!

Gawk! You want to talk about gawking, my two little girls are like a zoo attraction around here! Every time I take them out people want to pick them up, touch their hair, give them hugs and take their pictures and/or get their pictures with my girls. This is just because the have blonde hair and giant blue/brown eyes. Ever since we got off the plane people have been staring. We went to E-Mart one time and no joke 10 people were standing there watching us check out. They don't mind very much but I'm a little tired of it. Americans aren't the only ones the "gawk" at others.

P.S. If the Amish didn't want people staring at them they wouldn't open their stores to outsiders. They are hardly victims, and make good money off tourists. I live pretty close to Amish country back home and most people just think that it's "cute" or "quant" there.

I completely disagree. I am talking about people who harass the Amish near their homes. People who aim their cameras at them as they go about their business. It's very rude and inconsiderate. In fact, I recall an incident where a tourist wanted a photo of an Amish man and he asked her very kindly to not take the photo. The tourist got all huffy at him insisting that it was her right since he was part of the Amish Country Experience, as if this man's life was some sort of living museum for her enjoyment.

I have great respect for the Amish and have lived with them as neighbors for many years.

And if you don't want people gawking at your kids, then don't take them out in public. Same logic that you used about the Amish running stores.

Yeah I'll just keep my kids locked up in the apartment for over the next year, that makes plenty of sense. I can't keep them in but the Amish (and the Menninites for that matter) can keep people out.

I was trying to make a point that it is not only Americans that stare at people. Furthermore as far as the Amish are concerned they are a self sufficent people and do not really have a need for outsiders in order to live. The communites that do choose to open up to tourist have a resonable understanding of the stupidity of the average person. Unfortunately not all of the people that go to Amish country use common sense or good manners when they go. On a general basis however people know better than to take pictures of the people, especially those who live near these areas.

The lady in your example is obviously grossly uninformed about other people's cultures and should be ashamed, although I highly doubt that she is.

I love this forum but often forget to come here.

It's funny--I lived on Yongsan 35 years ago. I was a dependent; my dad was a USAF Lt. Col. at the time. We spent as much time as possible off-post, realizing that it was actually a privilege to be able to live there. Perceptions then by many non-Koreans were exactly the same as they seem to be--Koreans were rude, spit on the sidewalk, pushy, etc. They'd call you by accident on the phone and just yell Yoboseyo! 10 times...etc. (And conversely there were rude Americans, usually the freshest and youngest, fighting in the Ville and trashing kimchi cabs etc...)

But my point is, I think we (then) and people now tend to overlook the kindness as well. We made many Korean friends and were treated to many random acts of kindness...there was much gratitude then to Americans and many people let us know how appreciated we were.

Koreans are like anyone else--complex, not perfect, but fundamentally decent.

These days I tend to travel a lot in Latin America. Places like Guatemala actually remind me of Korea in the 1970s...crowded in the city, no personal "bubble," but the people will give you the shirt off their back.

Just a few cents' worth of rambling.