I have a roommate. A Korean 50 year old male. For some reason he is really patriotic toward his home country. He is a citizen of the United States. So, patriotic toward the United States? No. His home country. Where he was born. South Korea.

Mr. Lee (the roommate) was born in South Korea in 1969. And his family moved to the United States when he was 16 years old. And he did not serve in the army either went to Korea to work for a number of years.

It was last night when I was drinking with him and another roommate (So, three guys.) I was playing a number of Japanese songs (like x-japan, who doesn’t know? and a few other famous songs)

Mr. Lee always seems reserved and holds his words tight to his mouth until he is a bit tipsy and relaxed to open his mouth to speak his opinion.

Mr. Lee – Ben, you tend to play a lot of Japanese songs. (And of the fucking blue, he talks about the imperial era history.) Do you know what those Japs did to *our* country? Do you know what they did to *us*?

I knew that all three of us had been talking for a little while that it kind of made Mr. Lee feel relaxed and very into being himself and becoming a social weirdo (indeed the other roommate Mr. J and I really consider him a weirdo.)

(Back to the scene) Me – Ah… it is just, I like listening to these songs. I don’t mind.

Mr. Lee – But historically Japanese has been always causing problems not acknowledging their past only a few decades ago. (his serious face and almost like a speech tone toward the general public)

Me – (A big laughter) It was like a century ago. Also we didn’t live the times… (being politically correct. Korean culture of respecting the elders) But it is very interesting that you came to the United States at your age 16 but you tend to somehow keep the old tradition

Mr. J (A Korean American man, also the same age as Mr. Lee) – Right…. we didn’t live the era… So like a special sentiment toward feeling ‘against’ the Japanese culture does not really touch me either like Ben.

Mr. Lee – hey! We should not be forgetting… dot.. dot… dot.. blah blah blah (a 5 minute speech)

I didn’t want to deal with his BS. So I changed the song to the classics. Mozart came about.

I was having a good time.

Mr Lee – Do you know that actually Mozart, the first part of the name Mo is from the Korean first name Moon?

Me – hmm… I didn’t know about it.. (A serious laughter) and you are trying to make an Austrian guy into a Korean man?

Mr. Lee- I am serious.

  • Mr. Lee often talks about how the world’s first language (Adam and Eve, let’s say) was Korean.
  • He once claimed that Genghis Khan is a Korean guy. His first name Gen- a derived version of Kim
  • He listens to the Korean christian radio channels and videos

Me – OK. Time is up. I am gonna have to go to sleep because I need to wake up early tomorrow

Mr. J – Me too. Good night.