I can’t say I can really blame the Koreans fro being arrogant, though. They went from shambles in the 1950s to a top economy with the largest steel industry in the world in little more than half a century.

Pero like you said, highly unlikely ang sinasabi nya because we’re docile and easygoing. Other than that, wala tayong sense of history and we don’t have long memories (unlike the Chinese and the Koreans). Government also hasn’t taken it upon itself to indoctrinize Filipinos a sense of patriotism based upon (1) a huge resentment and (2) a gross sense of victimhood by repetitively teaching all injustices and atrocities done to us by foreign invaders, unlike the way China and Korea has done to their students (and really, a lot of us are so desperate for jobs na keber na if they have to work for/serve the same people who did them atrocities–beggars can’t be choosers). Naging institution na ang resentment at pagiging victim nila kaya ganun na lang sila ka belligerent minsan (esp. Koreans).

As for that superiority thing, yeah inherent yan sa kanila. I’m actually reading (required eh) a comic book giving a mindmap for Koreans titled Korean Unmasked, which explains why they are the way they are. In short, apologist ang nagsulat pero may ere pa rin ang superiority. Tumatayo ang balahibo ko tuwing nirarationalize nya bakit pinapapatay nila ang mga Korean women who were impregnated by “foreign savages”, kasi daw once the blood of “foreign savages” mixes with the Korean race, their identity will be diluted (may diagram pa ng 1 bottle of “foreign savage blood” being poured into a bottle of Korean blood and diluting it). To an extent it’s true, pero still why can’t these people learn to live in harmony kahit halo-halo sila? A lot of cultures have had foreign influences or foreign cultures mixed in, but they learned how to assimilate it into their identity and make it their own brand of culture.

I could hardly care less about these guys when I see them around, but they’re useful when I fancy meself some Korean barbecue. LOL. In any case, hindi naman ako typical Filipina and am not afraid about taking them one notch down when necessary. Hit it right where it hurts — their flat eyelids are a sore point with a lot of them, that’s why they’re notorious for the plastic surgeries. Yes, it’s not unique to them, but for mothers to give their daughters plastic surgery appointments as presents?! Call me “ignorant” if you will, but that’s just sick. Might as well disown your kid for being butt ugly.

Koreans should learn how to assimilate even just a little bit (and by this, I don’t mean copy the most corrupt and dirty ways of some of our unsavory countrymen). Bwiset kasi inaallow ng mga Filipinos mashado ng freedom ang mga foreign guests dito. For some reason, we have a stupid need to be liked by foreigners. Buti na lang, we’re not all like that. I remember one time, my lolo (God rest his soul) didn’t stop the car when some idiot Korean guy jaywalked in front of him at binusinahan na nga sya, di pa rin tumitigil. Had to wait until the car almost ran over the guy before the guy took my lolo seriously and stopped walking.

That’s a shocking insight into how the Koreans in the Philippines think. Luckily, Filipinos are generally docile and easy going, so we won’t be seeing hate crimes any time soon. Not that that sort of behavior doesn’t deserve hate crimes. Well, they don’t, but treating us like insects isn’t cool either.

Thanks for dropping by, and thank you for your kind words. We also have an entry on Indians if you’re interested.

Koreans have little respect, if any, for the Filipinos. My GF was schooled in London and is well-traveled and yet she considers Filipinos as inferior beings – kinda like how they think of Bangladeshi workers in Busan/Seoul. I may also say that Koreans think of themselves as White and this partly is the cause why they mistreat Filipinos – they also dislike Chinese but don’t think of them as insects. She also says that the Filipinos don’t have integrity and their behavior defined by your money and/or status.

She is equally full of contempt and disgust for your typical dark-skinned Indian/South Asian. She refuses to see the irony in our relationship on the ground that I am relatively fair-skinned and educated, therefore not subject to the stereotype. She also talks about how a lot of Koreans think of their blood as pure and her relationship with me is a brave and difficult choice she has made. She also points to the lack/rarity of korean female-filipino male couples as a proof.

I am in an amusing position because when I am out with her, both of us get weird stares from all – Filipinos, Koreans and Indians. Her brother doesn’t approve of me tapping her sister and I have to stay at the reception every time I go to her place to pick her up. Also, as she acknowledges, Korean men are worse then the women – in the sense that while most Korean women steer clear of the local men, Korean men prefer to go to the KTVs and abuse/humiliate the girls they hire there. This is apparently okay with her, because Koreans are extremely sensitive and well-mannered with each other.

Where I live, the building is full of Korean families and they are very decent and civilized – in fact, more than some Filipino-Indians I know. But my relationship with one makes me privy to a barely-disguised racism.

I hope not all Koreans think of Filipinos this way but the huge number of ‘entertainers’ that go to Korea and the perceived work-profile of OFWs doesn’t impress my GF and other Koreans like her.

Filipinos are not perfect. Neither are Indians or Koreans. But Filipinos are amazingly warm, cheerful and well-meaning people – with as much potential as any other Asian nation, if not more, given the advantages of American occupation and subsequent influence. I hope Filipinos don’t let themselves be defined by their reaction to myopic, immature antics of expats (irrespective of where they come from).

p.s. Thank you for this excellent blog. This is just the kind of social commentary I thought was completely missing on the Pinoy blogosphere.