The Power of a Name – 듣보잡, HanSpot Episode 4!

How Much Does What You "Have" Define You?

How much does name value mean to you? For some, it's a way display your wealth when the name is associated with a logo. For others, it's a rite-of-passage into a network such as a prestigious university. Names are a part of almost everything we own – our car, favorite pair of sneakers, resume, company logo, and so many other things that define us in society.

But how far can society go to rank those names? To objectively decide that one name is 'better' than another, that your school is undoubtedly 'below' Princeton or Yale, or that your job ranks in an unmoving spot in the global market hierarchy?

Of course this is almost impossible to do – whether it's comparing Gucci to Prada or deciding whether Harvard Business School is above the London School of Economics – but there are certain words we use that encourages a society to make those subjective judgements.

For this week on HanSpot, we look at the phrase 듣보잡 “deud-bo-jad” and how it's used to determine name-value hierarchy in Korea, inadvertently motivating or dissuading individuals from dealing with that product or place or person.

Have You Heard of It? Seen it?? Is it Worth it???

The phrase Deud-bo-jab is a bit complicated but it is essentially a shortened combined version of the following sentences – Something you've never heard of, you've never seen, something insignificant; no-name. As you can imagine, it is used to describe things that are less present in society.

"That college is Deud-bo-jab." The use of the term started with describing universities back around 2008. Students would often post their credentials online, during that oh-so anxious period of adult transition, and ask other online users if a so-and-so university had a good reputation. Some were obviously recognizable choices, but the ones that didn't meet top tier status would often be described as “no-name,” and implied that they were not worthwhile. IN FACT, the word goes so far as to suggest that it would be detrimental to go to the school simply because it was unrecognizable and you would be asked “where? what school?” time and time again.

Is part of life "branding" ourselves?

That attitude towards a place's or person's immediate reputation has latched onto other societal categories and objects as well. Brand-name clothing and cars is an obvious application. But it also applies to an office that you might work for, or a restaurant that you like. Even literal individuals such as idols and sports players come under the scrutiny of Deud-bo-jab.

As you might imagine, this creates an interesting social dynamic in South Korean culture where name-value weighs in on interesting ways on people's choices and perceptions. It inadvertently musters judgement and predetermination concerning vital components of citizen life.

How far do societal expectations push us in a certain direction?

Do other cultures and languages have a similar way of expressing this? Have you personally experienced any pushback on your personal choices? Let me know what you think below! Tomorrow I will be going over how I think this simple of use of the word really affects the lifestyles of people in Korea.

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