Just Pretend You're Having Fun

This past Saturday Lara and I were shopping downtown and we noticed that a B-Boy (break dancing) contest was taking place in a few hours.  We had both been wanting to see it so we decided to stay and watch.  We got there at three o'clock and the show didn't start until five but we didn't want to lose our seats so we ended up sitting there for two hours before the show started.  The break dancers were amazing and Lara and I screamed and squealed the whole time and were so impressed by the things these dudes (and one girl) could do.  But this post isn't about the B-Boy contest.

The show had been going on for literally one minute when I notice the only other foreigner in the crowd pulling a chair up next to me into the aisle.  I thought this was a little bit weird but just gave him a smile and kept watching the contest.  After about a minute of him sitting next to me a young Korean woman comes up to me and screaming over the bumpin bass tells me that a camera is going to be pointed at us and that I need to pretend like I'm talking to the dude on my right and smile.  I am so confused for about 30 seconds as I am 'talking' to this guy with a camera hovering over the crowd filming us.  I ask the guy what's going on through a big, fake smile.  He also keeps a smile on his face as he tells me that he had been hired by this Korean English news company essentially to go to different events in Daegu and pretend like he is having lots of fun.  The company was actually paying him to do this!  After we had been 'talking' for awhile the lady stands up in front of the crowd, looks at us and does a clapping motion, obviously wanting us to clap to the beat for the camera.  We start clapping.  I can't even explain how I felt once I realized that I had been picked out of a crowd by a Korean news company and told to act like I was having a really good time so that they could document 'foreigners having fun in Korea.'  I kind of felt like a robot mimicking the actions of the Korean lady.  I also felt kind of taken advantage of since I really had no choice in the matter.  They didn't ask me if I would be willing to do this but it was thrown upon me.  After the opening act which lasted about 4 minutes the Korean lady told the dude that he was done.  She said 'thank you' to Lara and I and the guy apologized to me because during our 'really fun conversation' all I could really say was how awkward I felt and that I didn't know what was going on.  He also looked pretty awkward and didn't seem like that outgoing of a guy.  I asked him how much they were paying him and he said, 'not enough.'  After all of this happened I just tried to imagine what this news program would be like.  I can imagine the title being something like, "Foreigners in Daegu have much fun at cultural events," or something to that extent.

This event just brought up something that I've noticed multiple times in my interactions with Koreans.  They always want to make sure you are having a good time.  My last post, "This is Fun, Right," was entitled this because Wechool kept saying this at dinner over and over.  I had dinner with a neighbor lady the other night and she too kept saying the same thing.  Why do Koreans care so much if we are having a good time?  Do they genuinely care that we are always entertained?  Do they merely want us to have a good impression of their country?  I really do appreciate their concern but this was taking it to a whole other level.  Please, Korea, do not make me pretend I am having fun in your country and feel like a robot.  I am having fun and I will make it known in my own style.