Kids will be Kids
Today I saw 3 kids riding bikes in the parking lot of my Sunny Ridge townhouse parking lot. They all happened to be Korean kids by the way –seemingly recently immigrated Korean kids. The reason why I say that is neither out of any contempt nor condescension, but rather casual observation of how American thinking and Korean thinking differ.
In our Sunny Ridge Townhouse complex, riding bikes or playing in the parking lot at all is prohibited. This is probably true of any other types of parking lots. Playing by kids are only allowed in playgrounds, parks and backyards of individuals’ homes, etc.
The reason for this is obvious to Americans. Cars are driven in and out of parking lots all day long. For drivers, it is very difficult and often impossible to see little children darting across the parking lot whether they’re running or riding on a bike. The kids don’t pay any attention to the cars around them and they pose a great risk to themselves and drivers around them. God forbid any child should get run over by a car one of these days. It’s a frightening thought. The Association members comprised of Americans (including Americanized Asians) freak out about this irresponsible behavior and continue to give warnings about this behavior. There is a park 5 minutes walk away from the parking lot yet the children continue to play in the parking lot and not the park.
The parking lot is a property owned collectively by all of the Sunny Ridge Townhouse owners. With this ownership comes responsibility and legal liability. If anyone is injured or killed within the communal property, the Association is liable and will likely be sued for tons of money for failing to prevent the accident. United States is a highly litigious society and we go out of our way to see that we do not cause harm nor allow harm to be caused to other people around us. At the same time we expect other people not to cause us harm and not allow harm to be brought to us through their carelessness.
However, Koreans who recently moved here do not understand the logic of this. They feel that children should be allowed to play wherever they see fit. I think that Koreans feel that if there is an accident, it’s the fault of the people who were in the accident. They seem to be oblivious of the fact that the Association is liable.
When I was in Korea, I’ve seen kids play anywhere and everywhere—next to moving cars, near construction sites, next to trash dumps, etc. Koreans in Korea do not have the kind of safety conscious mentality that we have in the U.S. This is why Korean parents let their children play in the parking lots and the American neighbors freak out about this behavior.
Sunny Ridge Townhouse Parking Lot
In our Sunny Ridge Townhouse complex, riding bikes or playing in the parking lot at all is prohibited. This is probably true of any other types of parking lots. Playing by kids are only allowed in playgrounds, parks and backyards of individuals’ homes, etc.
The reason for this is obvious to Americans. Cars are driven in and out of parking lots all day long. For drivers, it is very difficult and often impossible to see little children darting across the parking lot whether they’re running or riding on a bike. The kids don’t pay any attention to the cars around them and they pose a great risk to themselves and drivers around them. God forbid any child should get run over by a car one of these days. It’s a frightening thought. The Association members comprised of Americans (including Americanized Asians) freak out about this irresponsible behavior and continue to give warnings about this behavior. There is a park 5 minutes walk away from the parking lot yet the children continue to play in the parking lot and not the park.
The parking lot is a property owned collectively by all of the Sunny Ridge Townhouse owners. With this ownership comes responsibility and legal liability. If anyone is injured or killed within the communal property, the Association is liable and will likely be sued for tons of money for failing to prevent the accident. United States is a highly litigious society and we go out of our way to see that we do not cause harm nor allow harm to be caused to other people around us. At the same time we expect other people not to cause us harm and not allow harm to be brought to us through their carelessness.
However, Koreans who recently moved here do not understand the logic of this. They feel that children should be allowed to play wherever they see fit. I think that Koreans feel that if there is an accident, it’s the fault of the people who were in the accident. They seem to be oblivious of the fact that the Association is liable.
When I was in Korea, I’ve seen kids play anywhere and everywhere—next to moving cars, near construction sites, next to trash dumps, etc. Koreans in Korea do not have the kind of safety conscious mentality that we have in the U.S. This is why Korean parents let their children play in the parking lots and the American neighbors freak out about this behavior.
Sunny Ridge Townhouse Parking Lot
posted by Jonathan J. Kim at
3/06/2005 11:40:00 AM
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