I just hope to see this topic being openly discussed because many liberal hand-wringers of today would simply jump on anything remotely politically incorrect and call it racist. However, rather than be too quick to label, sometimes we need to ponder upon the fact that some stereotypes are there as there is no smoke without fire.
I have always found my own country materialistic, superficial and lacking depth. Upon visiting Korea I have found that the Koreans and Singaporeans share many things in common and most Koreans (especially the women) are just as superficial and materialistic. My experience of Korea has not been good too and 90% of the many Korean men I have met would agree with me with regards to the typical characteristics of the average Korean girl (esp those from Seoul and Greater Seoul).
This is not to say that people from other countries do not have flaws. Sure they do. Varied ones. But when we start to see similar characteristics of one culture, we need to start questioning whether it's merely coincidence, or it's something to do with what this culture is composed of.
The Western civilisation has been through centuries of thought, revolutions and change before arriving at Capitalism. The Far East had their own journeys, their own schools of thought, and a very rich history. But several countries in the Far East (namely my own and S Korea) has abandoned or lost (perhaps unwittingly) most things that are good from their cultural evolution and taken on a whole new economic system and cultural identity, in their attempt to imitate the west. Unfortunately, they are inheriting all the bad things about Capitalism (without the evolution of thought and civilisation the West experienced). In short, they are keeping all that is nasty about their cultural heritage and taking on all that is nasty of Western Capitalism and Hollywood identity.
The need to progress rapidly and strive for excellence was a common theme in both the Singaporean and Korean culture. Our grandparents and parents experienced decades of poverty and have resolved never to be poor again. We grew up in a generation who have had everything we need plus deeply-ingrained mental conditioning by our parents who have lectured us to no end the value of money, the significance of materialism and status and the importance of pride.
Our education system was cruel, pushing us to become Bachelors and Doctors at photocopying. In Korea, all school exams are multiple-choice questions and learning to have an opinion was not part of the education system.
For the individual and the family, this could only result in self-obsessed, stressed-out, empty minds that could only conform like sheep because they have been brought up to be that way.
Of course, a rebel like me who questions the logic behind everything we do could not possibly survive in such a culture.
Today, we have
1) the deep-set and fierce materialism that consumes the country,
2) the selfish and incredibly rude and crude Ajunmas,
3) the hypocrisy of the sea of love hotels in every Korean city (most young Koreans have been to them, yet the one who points the finger at the other, accusing her of sex before marriage
4) a bully-esque adherence to hierarchy that deems the youngest person in any social or work group the slave to everyone else and therefore has to serve on them and clean up after them hand and foot,
5) a pride in never ever showing one's feelings because the strong, brooding, nasty person (who perhaps has a soft side he hardly shows) is deemed the hero,
6) the belief that lying, or being creative with the truth is an acceptable way out, as long as the ends justify the means,
7) selfish public-toilet etiquette,
8) common uncivilised behaviour such as spitting every and anywhere, semi-squatting on chairs in a restaurant, not holding the door open for strangers behind you, not saying anything when a stranger bumps into you, not cracking a smile when the foreigner is being amusingly self-deprecating, not knowing how to show interest in someone they have just met by perhaps asking questions about them such as 'What's your name?', not respecting personal space (ever been in a Korean queue where everyone happily pushes right up into you? ever been in a Korean home where parents and siblings don't bother to knock when they enter your bedroom?)
9) Racism...and the racist parents who cannot accept their child going out or even marrying anyone of foreign blood,
10) young Korean woman who are materialistic and are only concerned about marrying a rich guy to fulfil their Cinderella dreams. My fiance and I stood in the middle of Seoul city and within 15 minutes, we counted more than 80 branded bags (out of which more than 50 were Louis Vuittons) on the arms of Korean girls who looked exactly the same, thanks to the majority of Korean girls having had cosmetic surgery.
I can only hope that Singaporeans and Koreans would both learn to open their minds and become more aware of the world and the other people living in it.
