[Korean Culture & Language] '꼰대' Checklist

 Hello, this is Uptempo Marketers!

‘꼰대’ originally refers to ‘a condescend, old person,’ but a younger person can easily be a 꼰대. According to The Hankyoreh, one of the mainstream newspapers in South Korea, 7 out of 10 office workers believe that they have ‘젋은 꼰대s (young 꼰대s)’ in their office.

hani.co.kr/arti/economy/working/917410.html

Some people say that 젊은 꼰대s can be worse than the original 꼰대s because 젊은 꼰대s don’t realize that they are following similar patterns as older 꼰대s when they do. They believe that they are more reasonable, progressive, and not authoritative. According to The Hankyoreh, this phenomenon happens because many Koreans are exposed to a 꼰대 culture every day that they are subconsciously trained to be a new 꼰대 (45.6%), or because 꼰대s evaluate themselves with their own standards they don’t realize that they are one (42.4%).

Even though everyone seems to dislike 꼰대, not many realize that they are one. In fact, not realizing it can be a sign that you might be a 꼰대.

Below is a checklist to find out!

http://www.getggul.com/section/view/10423

 

1.사람을 처음 만나면 나이부터 확인하고 어린 사람에게는 반말한다. When you meet someone, you find out how old they are and speak in 반말 if they are younger than you. (반말 is an informal way of speaking that you use when talking to your friends, younger people, or family members; 존댓말 is a more formal way of speaking to use when you meet someone for the first time, if someone is older than you, or someone is in a higher position than you)

2. 대체로 명령문으로 말하는 것을 좋아한다. You like to speak in imperative sentences.

3. 요즘 젊은 후배들은 근성이 부족하고 불만이 많은 건 사실이다. It is true that juniors lack perseverance, and they complain a lot.

4. 내가 너만 했을 때~ 라는 얘기를 자주 한다 I say “When I was your age…” a lot.

5. 한때 내가 잘 나가던 사람이었다는 걸 알려주고 싶다. I want people to know that I use to be ‘on a roll’ back in my days.

6. 자신의 인맥을 자꾸 얘기한다. I talk about how I have a wide circle.

7. 나보다 늦게 출근하는 후배가 거슬린다. It gets on my nerves when a junior comes to work later than me.

8. 낯선 방식으로 일하는 후배들을 제대로 가르쳐주고 싶다. When my juniors work differently, I want to teach them how the work should be done.

9. 하나하나 업무를 지시하고 확인해야 직성이 풀린다. I feel more satisfied when I instruct each and every task.

10. 나보다 열정적으로 근무하는 사람은 없는 것 같다. I don’t think anyone works more enthusiastically than me.

11. 연애사 같은 사생활 이야기도 인생 선배로서 답을 제시해 줄 수 있다. I have perfect answers for questions, even about personal ones like dating.

12. 나에게 인사하지 않으면 기분이 불쾌하다. I feel upset when someone doesn’t say hi to me first.

 If you checked off more than ten sentences on the list, there’s a high possibility that you already are a pro-꼰대. If you checked 6 to 9, you are likely to be on the way to become a 꼰대. You should be cautious not to become one. If you checked less than 5 out of 12, you’re less likely to be a 꼰대.

Do you have a young or old 꼰대 at your workplace? What about keeping the list in your office so all the workers, including you, can be more conscious and not become a 꼰대?