Quote from: Ben304 on Thu 16/12/2010 02:37:14
But sometimes nicknames are taken to the point where people's original names are never used anymore, how is this different? I had a friend at school named Craig that everybody called Frankie - friends, teachers, family. He referred to himself as Frankie almost all the time. One day he rang me up and said "Hey Ben, it's Craig" and I spent about 10 minutes thinking "Wait, I don't even know anybody called Craig!" before I recognized his voice and realized it was Frankie. Whose name is/isn't Craig.
I don't see how this is different to being in possession of both an English and Korean name. Heck, if someone gave me a name from their own language, I'd gladly call it my own when dealing with them. I understand the reason for division on the issue, but still don't see it as a problem, just a peculiarity.
In other news, the strangest first name I have ever come across was the name "Goondy". Yes, his parents called him that.
And Karl Malone was known as the mailman, but this has nothing to do with what I said, pretty much like your response.
Nicknames are fun because your friends (or yourself) pick one for you and it has a certain significance. It might remind you of an event, a trait you have etc etc. In that sense it means way more than the name you have in your ID. It defines you more or less (usually less but still)
On the other hand what technocrat told us about Koreans is something, in my opinion, completely different. It shows a certain attitude in South Korea, that it would be easier to be happy/wealthy/succesful/whatever if you can be more "Western". Not only that, but also that Korean names are WAY too difficult to be remember. A little child learns that in order to be remembered by the world he has to change his name. That is what I find sad. Wouldn't be much better if instead of this the child was taught that he will be remembered if he changed the world? And I don't blame so much the parents (although they do have their share of the responsibility) but the arrogance of the so called western world. We still remain retain the attitude of the british when visiting one of their colonies.
For fuck's sake look at the dutch people. We can remember Anneke Van Giersbergen, I think we can handle Park Ji Sung. Why don't do dutch change their names? Way more difficult than korean names. They don't change it because they have pride and they're not poor. Because they don't get treated like they're 3rd world. If you believe this is just something "by itself" and will have no impact on their culture or their psychology then you're right to find it cute. I believe on the contrary that the cultural imperialism of the US and Europe is crushing their pride, their culture and possiby their future. And anyway I also believe that evolution comes through diversity, not through another 10.000 John Smiths
Anyway I hope I didn't come as a aggresive to you or technocrat, it was not my intention honestly. Just expanding on my first post because you asked "how is it different"
Cheers!
PS: I don't have anything against americans either, in fact I believe they're one of the most modest and relatively tolerant empires.
