[11/17]Age determines the kind of relationship in Korea

[Vincent(카페지기)]

Topic1

Age determines the kind of relationship in Korea

The following is a tip on traditional Korean language and customs in response to a query from a Mr. Kerry, who wrote to us from Miami, Florida: Q. Mr. Kerry: Two months ago, I visited Korea for a week to work with Korean musicians. I really enjoyed working and hanging out with Koreans, who were kind, generous and friendly. One thing that bothered me, though, was that Korean guys told me that I "could NOT be friends" with a couple of Korean promoterswhom I got along with very well. Because they were three, four years older than me, I should "pay respect" and "treat them like big brothers" and that I could "only be friends with guys who were the same age as me." Everyone agreed that it was the "Korean way" that I should follow. That shocked me and made me wonder about what it takes to form a friendship in Korea. The Korean guys asked me to come back. I'd like to, but I think it will be challenging to live and work in Korea if I can't become closer with people. At home, I have friends of all ages who treat me as their best friends. Is there anything I can do to change this situation?

A. IHT-JAD: Quite simply, Koreans socialize differently from Westerners. First of all, chingu, or "friends" in Korean, does not mean the same as friends in English; chingu refers to one's peer group, not the "Friends" found on the American TV show. A casual mode of speech is used among people of the same age group, while some kind of honorific is used when people of different age groups talk. To determine which honorific, if any, to use, Koreans must find out a person's age. If he or she is older, then that person is addressed as hyeong (man to man), oppa (woman to man), nuna (man to woman) or eonni (woman to woman), instead of by first name. Your friends were trying to inform you of the Korean mannerism, so that you, as a foreigner, wouldn't come across as rude. Once the perfunctory social initiation period passes, Koreans get along wonderfully with people of different age groups.

Questions

1. How do you feel about the so-called Korean "honorific system"? Is it worth keeping? Why not abolishing it and, if possible, replacing it with the system in which the language uses only talk in terms of the degree of "formality" (formal..informal) as in English. What do you think?

2. Can you list the pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages) of the strict use of Korean honorific system?

3. Do you have any older or younger friends? How much older or younger are they? Do you think it possible to make friends with Korean people of more than ten years' age gap? Why?

4. How would you feel if a person who is younger does not use the "honorific terms" to talk with you?

5. When you talk in English with people older than you, do you use any "honorific terms"? Probably not, and if you don't, then would the person you are talking with feel insulted or embarrassed? Yes? No? Why is it that?

6. Do you think that age matters in making friends? Or rather can the two people with over 3 years' age difference be friends in Korea, not Seonbae (the older) and Hoobae (the younger) or Hyeong (or Eonni) and Dongsaeng? And which would you prefer? On a "friends" basis or "Seonhoobae (hierarchical)" basis?

7. Now could you define friendship or "Korean friendship"? Should we include or exclude the condition that only people of less than two or three years' age gap can be friend

Topic2

Morning Person or Late Riser?

Scientistsnickname early risers "larks" and people who like to stay up late, "owls". While about 80% of people fall into the middle of the spectrum, only slightly favoring the morning or the night, it is now believed that about 10% of the population is extreme larks and a further 10% are extreme owls. Larks are most alert!! around noon, function best in the late morning, and are talkative, friendly, and pleasant from around 9 am to 4 pm. Owls, on the other hand, are not really up and running until the afternoon, are at their best later in the day, and most alert!! around 6 pm.

The early bird gets the worm? Benjamin Franklin's well-known proverb "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise" (from his Poor Richard's Almanac) not only gives larks a smug sense of superiority, but also reflects the larger trend of society to view sleeping late as a character flaw. Historically, this may have been due to our agrarian ancestors' need to rise with the sun in order to accomplish a full day's work. However, numerous studies have refuted the claim that there isn’t any health, socioeconomic, or cognitive benefit to following Franklin's advice.

Moreover, a new evidence shows that the most import!!ant factor in determining a person's morning or night preference is not their willpower but- you guessed it - their DNA. Scientists believe interactions between a dozen or more genes located in the hypothalamus in the brain, and the polymorphisms or differences in those genes, have a strong influence on circadian rhythms. In genetics, variation of traits within a population is often key, and, as Dr. Christopher R. Jones, the medical director of the Sleep-Wake Center at the University of Utah points out, "The whole tribe is better off if someone is up all the night, listening for a lion walking through the grass."

The latest genetic breakthrough in the study of morning people versus night people comes from researchers at the University of Surrey, England, where a study led by Dr. Simon Archer found a link between a gene called Period 3 and people's lark or owl preference. The research was carried out at the Science Museum in London, England where visitors were asked to complete the Horne-Ostberg questionnaire. In use since 1967, this survey is comprised of 19 questions designed to determine the time of day people prefer doing certain tasks. The researchers took genetic samples from the participants who scored the most extreme on the morning/night spectrum and analyzed their DNA. Published in Sleep, the journal of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, the study's findings show that most of the extreme morning people have a longer version of the gene while night people have a shorter type.

The genetic explanation for an extreme morningor night preference may come as a welcome relief to those who have spent years fighting their own nature. In particular, night owls tend to be the losers in our 9 to 5 society: people who are inclined to stay up late but have to function on a normal working schedule often end up sleep deprived due to insomnia.

Carolyn Schur, a sleep advocate and author of the book Birds of a Different Feather, which explores the relationships between early birds and night owls, doesn't believe in labeling people with an illness simply because their natural habits are different from what society mandates. For example, patients described as having Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome or DSPS, are typically unable to fall asleep before 2 am and have extreme difficulty waking early. Extreme morningness is referred to as advanced sleep phase syndrome, or ASPS. Instead of making people with either DSPS or ASPS feel guilty and shunning their lifestyle, Schur argues for increased tolerance and understanding of sleep variations, and greater flexibility with work schedules.

An ideal future would allow humans to test their genetic make-up to determine the healthiest work schedule for them. At the moment, there are entire professions that tend to be larks, like bankers and surgeons, whereas owls gravitate to freelance or shift work or industries that operate later in the day like entertainment and hospitality. Perhaps predictably, Schur also notes that there is a much higher divorce and separation rate between couples who have different morning/evening preferences.

So should people try to change what is genetically inherent? Schur doesn't recommend it. Although there are treatments to alter your circadian rhythms, like light therapy, melatonin and large doses of vitamin B12, she likens such a course to continually dying your hair. "If you're a blond who wants to be darker, you can do it, but you're committing yourself to a lifetime of maintenance and upkeep," she says.

Questions

1. Are you a 'lark' or a 'owl'?What makes you think so?

2. Do you agree that morning persons are more pleasant, talkative and friendly during morning? What can be defined as a characteristic of each type of person?

3. What is the primary factor to determine the person’s circadian rhythms? Do you think it’s genetic? Do you have any other reasonable cause for this difference?

4. What do you think are the benefits of being a morning person or a night person?

5. Do you think your jobs are fit on your life styles? Otherwise, what kind of job can be chosen?

6. If you are a boss of a company, which kind of person do you prefer as your employee? What are the reasons?

7. How can you recognize your personal signs and symptoms when your usual life cycle is changed? Do you have any experience to cope with stress from family members or flatmates who have opposite circadian rhythms?

[Judy]

참석합니다 .. ^^

[Alba(Manager)]

일~빠네요!! ㅋ

[Alba(Manager)]

저도 참석합니다^^ 오실분은 미리미리 꼬리말 달아주는 센스~~~

[Lucy~]

참석해요~

[스탈리쉬]

참석합니다..저번준 갑자기 설가는바람에...지송.. ㅠ

[chloyee]

몇달만에 참석합니다... 기억하실는지...ㅋ 친구데리고 갑니다.

[amy~]

참석합니다 모두들 내일봐용!

[레간자]

참석합니다,

[파랑콩]

참석합니다

[JACKIE]

주제가 좋으네요~ 참석합니다

[bloody]

i can't make it~ ㅠㅜ

[Doo ^^]

메이비 고고싱.^^

[Jackie]

올만에 지두 참석요~~^^이따봐요~

[Teddy~*]

참석합니다~ 늦어서 죄송합니다~ ^=^/

[조형섭]

참석합니다.