Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

The year is 2005. The place is Seoul, South Korea. Atomic war has ravaged the world, and but a few souls remain. Though life is hard, these few souls have the world to themselves and can do as they please without having to worry disturbing those around them. Oh wait that didn't happen...yet for some reason a great deal of the populous walk around as if they are the only person in existance.

Today while walking to and from the subway station I was nearly spit on not once, but twice. Bare in mind this was just normal Korean loogey hockin' not malicious spits of rage, but still both spitters were just oblivious to the fact that other humans were on the street. These spitters were not alone in their world view either.

Each and everyday I ride the subway. I have raved about the subway in the past, and for the most part I adore the subway (J'adore le metro! 지하철 사랑해!), but there is one aspect of riding the rails I absolutely loathe. When attempting to exit the train I will inevitably be pushed, shoved, hastled, and otherwise harrassed by people attempting to board the train before disembarking passagers have emmm...disembarked. Again the people attempting to board the train are of the mindset that they are the only human being in existance.

The bulk of the things I dislike about Korea originate from this "Mad Max" syndrome. Motorcycles and scooters barrelling down sidewalks, bus drivers weaving in and out of traffic like they are driving a sports car, and people walking smack into you because they are reading the paper/sending text messages on their phone/studying (or doing all three) are all symptoms of this last man standing mentality.

Maybe it's just me, but this lack of attention to one's surroundings is very troublesome. It's hazardous to both the person and those around them. I have seen people walk into street light post, step into potholes, and trip on stairs for the sole reason that they were not looking where they were heading.

Anyhow, that about does it from here, and if you were ever curious what one could purchase with 1,000 won (roughly $1US) I present you with this:


700 Q-tips! Cost: 1,000 won (less than a dollar at time of purchase). This picture has nothing to do with what was written above, but I'm in awe of the fact that I was able to score this many Q-tips for such a small amount of money.