Scribblings of the Metropolitician

The Naughty Double Entendre of Certain Seoul Subway Stations

If you've lived in Seoul long enough, are a native speaker of English, but also have been sufficiently saturated in the sounds and feelings of the Korean language, the names of certain subway stations can start to sound...kinda sexy. Naughty. Even a little dirty.

"Shindorim." Ooooooooooh.

"Shindaebang." Yeah, muthafucker.

"Beotigogae." Oh, yeeeeeeah. Gimme dat boodie meat.

"Gaebong." Oh, you know why that's nasty.

"Suk-gye." Isn't that illegal in Alabama?

"Wangshimni." Because I like it extra large.

"Daebang." The big bang.

Naebang." Even deeper, baby.

"Namsung." All man, all the time.

"Shinpoong." The "blow" that always feels new.

"Beom-gye." Hehehehehehe...

And finally, "Jeongja." Ewwwwwwwwwww!

 

Sometimes, We Need a Little Dr. Ruth

Towards understanding Korean morality, your boss, the high suicide rate,, and other apparent hypocrisies: "In anthropological studies of different cultures the distinction between those which rely heavily on shame and those that rely heavily on guilt is an important one. A society that inculcates absolute standards of morality and relies on men's developing a conscience is a guilt culture by definition, but a man in such a society may, as in the United States, suffer in addition from shame when he accuses himself of gaucheries which are in no way sins. He may be exceedingly chagrined about not dressing appropriately for the occasion or about a slip of the tongue. In a culture where shame is a major sanction, people are chagrined about acts which we expect people to feel guilty about. This chagrin can be very intense and it cannot be relieved, as guilt can be, by confession and atonement. A man who has sinned can get relief by unburdening himself. This device of confession is used in our secular therapy and by many religious groups which have otherwise little in common. We know it brings relief. Where shame is the major sanction, a man does not experience relief when he makes his fault public even to a confessor. So long as his bad behavior does not 'get out into the world' he need not be troubled and confession appears to him merely a way of courting trouble. Shame cultures therefore do not provide for confessions, even to the gods. They have ceremonies for good luck rather than for expiation." -- Ruth Benedict, from "The Crysanthemum and the Sword"