So I applied for a university position over here in Busan, South Korea, had an interview, and was turned down. This is the second time I've been turned down by an institution here. The first institution (Dong Ju University) told the ESL Network president, who is Korean, that they prefer "white" people, yet if they can't get anybody, then they'll give me a call. The second institution (Dong A University), that I had an interview with sent me a message saying, "thank you for applying with us, but it was hard to decide from all the worthy candidates." Well if that's the case, then why not hire all the "worthy candidates"? This is what I know, the moment that they saw my "black skin", they had it in their minds that they weren't going to hire me. I was the only black person that applied for the position, submitted all of my information before anyone else; however, no success. Now if we want to define "nigger" as being IGNORANT, then tell me who's the nigger in this situation? Yet I know a lot of you are probably thinking that I'm playing the race card; however, CAN YOU BLAME ME? At least I'm it playing fair. Hell, I have no option.
I was talking about this situation to my good Korean neighbors. Though sadden about the results, they said to me, "you know, Koreans don't like black people. And in our mind, white is better. We look at white as being good and black as being bad." One of them told me that she's still a little scared of black people, but because of me, it's changing. She stated that her grandfather told her black people were bad, so she held on to that fear until recently, that's when she met me.
In an open course discussion, I asked my students if they saw me on the streets, being that they've never saw me before, would they think I was a school teacher? These are the answers I received.
No because you are a black man.
No, because you have a strong face.
No, because you look like a hip hop star.
No, because you have a nice body.
No, because you look like a factory worker.
No, because you look like a gangster.
I'm only playing the race card, because that's what has been giving to my people for so damn long and just because America now has a "black president", much hasn't changed. It didn't change in Africa when Mandela became president, so what make people think it has changed now? Who's to say we'll have a black president the next 4 or 8 years? Who's to say the race issue will decrease just because we have one currently in office. Ignorance become demolished in a people when they chose to not be ignorant anymore.
If black is bad and white is good, then what is YELLOW?
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Dude, this place has mad issues about race here. What's sad is that many Koreans have never actually been around black people save for seeing on on the street or on TV. It's all learned behavior. Some of my students still flinch when I walk past them.
ReplyDeleteOne of my students gave me a card on Teacher's Day saying that when I first came to school that she was suprised and scared. Now she knows race and size make no difference.
One mind at a time I say.
I was warned of this behavior so long ago that I just go, "eh." My friend's company recently cleaned house of it's non-white teachers and now only wants "White Christian teachers". I can only say "that's Korea."
Man I've saw posting for jobs that are looking for "White Christian Teachers." Sad but true. You know what I was thinking. That we should apply for jobs that we don't even want yet put a picture up of a white guy to see how quickly we'd get a response. What you say about that?
ReplyDeleteMan, I wish I'd been keeping up with you! Sounds like your having a heck of a time out there, but I'm really glad your sharing your experience with others.
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