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Oppa Gangnam Style (feat. surprise Yoo Hyuk!)
Whoa, you guys.
Gangnam Style, Dissected: The Subversive Message Within South Korea's Music Video Sensation
Beneath the catchy dance beat and hilarious scenes of Seoul's poshest neighborhood, there might be a subtle message about wealth, class, and value in South Korean society.
Right now, my thoughts are somewhere between "lol he made in America when no one else could" and "more social commentary in my kpop, please!" Damn. That's pretty cool.
- Gangnam Style MV (English subs)
- LA Dodgers Stadium playing Gangnam Style with PSY in the audience
The response vids and flash mobs are neat to see too. (This one is my favorite because it features MLP:FiM!) Sometimes it boggles my mind the things that go viral and how they do - and how very, very huge this got.
I think it's especially interesting that he went to school in the U.S. As did Tablo, you know, and probably a fair number of other k-celebs, but it makes me wonder if there's something in particular about university here that sparks the social criticism, especially when returned to a country where it's not particularly prevalent. Obviously, the U.S. isn't the only country whose schooling system promotes that (it's just more likely for Koreans to come here or be born here and then return to Korea) and obviously it's coming from a (Western?) standpoint that criticism of the government and society are of value (I believe this but I was also schooled here, so, you know, biases).
This inevitably makes me think of China and its party-promoted heavy emphasis on harmony and cooperation over individualism, over criticism or challenges to the social norms, but not because that harmonious viewpoint is a valid alternative cultural school of thought (?), though I'm sure it is(?), but because it's useful as a tool of suppression.
I have no idea what I'm trying to say here. We take it for granted that social commentary and satire are inherently things of value (see the parody and satire fair use exceptions in U.S. copyright laws, for example) but why is it rarer in some cultures? Who's to say it is? The author of the article and the sources he spoke to seem to agree that social commentary is fairly rare in South Korea but is it? Or is it just the familiar form of social commentary that is missing? Maybe there are other ways people are subverting and criticizing and pushing back. Maybe we don't know because we're on the outside, even those Korean-Americans (and definitely me as a Chinese-American with regards to China). Is there less value in those other ways a society might be commenting or subverting their mainstream, simply because the collective we don't understand it or might not recognize it? Is there only one "correct" way of doing social commentary, is what I'm asking. (Certain advocates of democracy seem to think so.) I don't think any society is so mindlessly complacent with its government or its life to not push back in some way. There must be discourse, I believe this, just not necessarily in familiar avenues of such.
Maybe this is technically one of those. But is it so irregular to comment via music (video)? It seems pretty conventional or at least familiar. Then again, who defines what is conventional and familiar? Presumably the society from which it originates, so maybe this is an unconventional means of social commentary in Korea, exactly as the article said, perhaps even influenced by PSY's U.S. schooling.
But then, what about the commentary of people who never went to school here or abroad or wherever? But in the kind of world we live today, is it feasible to not be influenced, however unconsciously, by global (read: Western in this case of East Asia) mores and ideas, even without stepping foot off domestic soil?
I'm just rambling now, stream of conscious word-vomiting. This is why I prefer to have these discussions in person where people can interrupt my flow and make me think. You'd think I'd be able to arrange my thoughts in some sort of coherent order before typing them out here but nope.
Anyway. SUPER INTERESTING TO ME.
Gangnam Style, Dissected: The Subversive Message Within South Korea's Music Video Sensation
Beneath the catchy dance beat and hilarious scenes of Seoul's poshest neighborhood, there might be a subtle message about wealth, class, and value in South Korean society.
Park Jaesang is an unlikely poster boy for South Korea's youth-obsessed, highly lucrative, and famously vacuous pop music. Park, who performs as Psy (short for psycho), is a relatively ancient 34, has been busted for marijuana and for avoiding the country's mandatory military service, and is not particularly good-looking. [...]
Now, Park has succeeded where the K-Pop entertainment-industrial-complex and its superstars have failed so many times before: he's made it in America. The opening track on his sixth album, "Gangnam Style" (watch it at right), has earned 49 million hits on YouTube since its mid-July release, but the viral spread was just the start. [...]
Gangnam, Hong said, is a symbol of that aspect of South Korean culture. The neighborhood is the home of some of South Korea's biggest brands, as well as $84 billion of its wealth, as of 2010. That's seven percent of the entire country's GDP in an area of just 15 square miles. A place of the most conspicuous consumption, you might call it the embodiment of South Korea's one percent. "The neighborhood in Gangnam is not just a nice town or nice neighborhood. The kids that he's talking about are not Silicon Valley self-made millionaires. They're overwhelmingly trust-fund babies and princelings," he explained. [...]
Psy hits all the symbols of Gangnam opulence, but each turns out to be something much more modest, as if suggesting that Gangnam-style wealth is not as fabulous as it might seem.
Right now, my thoughts are somewhere between "lol he made in America when no one else could" and "more social commentary in my kpop, please!" Damn. That's pretty cool.
- Gangnam Style MV (English subs)
- LA Dodgers Stadium playing Gangnam Style with PSY in the audience
The response vids and flash mobs are neat to see too. (This one is my favorite because it features MLP:FiM!) Sometimes it boggles my mind the things that go viral and how they do - and how very, very huge this got.
I think it's especially interesting that he went to school in the U.S. As did Tablo, you know, and probably a fair number of other k-celebs, but it makes me wonder if there's something in particular about university here that sparks the social criticism, especially when returned to a country where it's not particularly prevalent. Obviously, the U.S. isn't the only country whose schooling system promotes that (it's just more likely for Koreans to come here or be born here and then return to Korea) and obviously it's coming from a (Western?) standpoint that criticism of the government and society are of value (I believe this but I was also schooled here, so, you know, biases).
This inevitably makes me think of China and its party-promoted heavy emphasis on harmony and cooperation over individualism, over criticism or challenges to the social norms, but not because that harmonious viewpoint is a valid alternative cultural school of thought (?), though I'm sure it is(?), but because it's useful as a tool of suppression.
I have no idea what I'm trying to say here. We take it for granted that social commentary and satire are inherently things of value (see the parody and satire fair use exceptions in U.S. copyright laws, for example) but why is it rarer in some cultures? Who's to say it is? The author of the article and the sources he spoke to seem to agree that social commentary is fairly rare in South Korea but is it? Or is it just the familiar form of social commentary that is missing? Maybe there are other ways people are subverting and criticizing and pushing back. Maybe we don't know because we're on the outside, even those Korean-Americans (and definitely me as a Chinese-American with regards to China). Is there less value in those other ways a society might be commenting or subverting their mainstream, simply because the collective we don't understand it or might not recognize it? Is there only one "correct" way of doing social commentary, is what I'm asking. (Certain advocates of democracy seem to think so.) I don't think any society is so mindlessly complacent with its government or its life to not push back in some way. There must be discourse, I believe this, just not necessarily in familiar avenues of such.
Maybe this is technically one of those. But is it so irregular to comment via music (video)? It seems pretty conventional or at least familiar. Then again, who defines what is conventional and familiar? Presumably the society from which it originates, so maybe this is an unconventional means of social commentary in Korea, exactly as the article said, perhaps even influenced by PSY's U.S. schooling.
But then, what about the commentary of people who never went to school here or abroad or wherever? But in the kind of world we live today, is it feasible to not be influenced, however unconsciously, by global (read: Western in this case of East Asia) mores and ideas, even without stepping foot off domestic soil?
I'm just rambling now, stream of conscious word-vomiting. This is why I prefer to have these discussions in person where people can interrupt my flow and make me think. You'd think I'd be able to arrange my thoughts in some sort of coherent order before typing them out here but nope.
Anyway. SUPER INTERESTING TO ME.
no subject
I'm not sure that the university system is the source that sparks social criticism. Could it be that it's part of exposure to a different culture, which leads to a shift in thinking/values?
When I hear about netizens going to great lengths to investigate some "idol scandal" or think about how Korea's progressed (technology, economics vs. social issues), I think, "Why aren't more people pushing?" I don't know the answer. Maybe it's because Korea's smaller, so it's harder to topple that concentration of "power"/societal norms? Maybe it's because Korea's been really focused on growing as a country (e.g., global scale stuff, economics, etc.), so it might be as focused on social commentary/critique? I'm totally throwing these out there. I think there is discourse going on, but we're not necessarily exposed to it.
With respect to social commentary via music, I think it's because mainstream Korean music mostly consists of pop music, which is tied up to the idol industry, which fabricates idol entertainers. I don't think that gives much freedom to artists. E.g., even though GD composes, I can't see YG letting him release songs that might make waves re: social issues, etc. (though I could be wrong). Maybe the way the music industry is set up (the "big three" record labels, emphasis on image/entertainment?, etc.), it's hard to even bring up social commentary/criticism. Also, I think the government is really strict on what they think is "appropriate" though I think lately, people have been criticizing that (e.g., Epik High being banned from performing on stage but people still listening to their music). Some groups go the underground route.
In contrast though, do you think there's been a recent US MV that's particularly commented on (US) society?
no subject
But also you're right, I think I conflated the US schooling system to include the exposure to the cultural norms and values over here, including the different emphasis placed on social discourse, democracy, challenging the government, etc. For all that the US makes me despair often and for all that people abuse and misunderstand the concept of freedom of speech, it's still something I absolutely value.
See, I am far from an expert on Korea (or even China and there at least I've had more time to reflect and ruminate), so all of this is just thought speculation. It would be super interesting to discuss and compare our relative experiences as Asian-Americans and our connections to our mother countries, so to speak.
The entertainment culture in Korea is definitely very different and very, very much dominated by the idol industry in a way the US's isn't - and maybe can't be, as I think Korea's size (and centricity in one city) has a lot to do with the ability of the big three record labels have such widespread influence on the music that is produced.
Epik High is what first made me think about all this stuff way back when, so they were of course the first group I thought about when that article brought up commentary/subversive elements in Gangnam Style. So. I don't know!
As for US MVs...I would have to have watched any recently, hah. Call Me Maybe got super popular because of the ~twist to the typically heteronormative MV; but I am the worst at music, especially US music. I do know a lot of rap music comments on society! But I couldn't name you a song. :\ This is why I mostly muse and hopefully invite discussion with people who know more than I do, hah.
no subject
I know challenging the government wrt to politics was big in Korea in the 1970s? and was acted out through major student demonstrations. I wonder what's emphasized in Korea then; would it be on cooperation (like you mentioned w/ China)? /has no idea
Eep, I wouldn't consider myself an expert on Korea either; I didn't mean to be, hmm, challenging of your thoughts/points.
I'm waiting for the day that someone bucks the idol system and can sing and play an instrument and compose (not to say that idol entertainers don't do that) and can exert creative control and make interesting music and manages to have broad appeal. Absurdly high wishes?
Re: commentary of people who haven't gone abroad -- are you thinking along the lines of how do they end with w/ Western-esque social commentary or how do they manage to comment on/critique society/issues if they've never been exposed to it and/or if social commentary isn't something that's generally expressed in their society?
no subject
The song is embedding itself everywhere. It is interesting to see "kpop" take off this way. I honestly thought that America wouldn't really acknowledge it. But the influence and popularity are hard to deny.
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I used to have so many meta thoughts about kpop haha but no one to really flak about them to. Now I have meta thoughts about Teen Wolf but little inclination to have convos about them, not sure why.
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Which just goes to show that global influence is a two-way street: the West tried to reinvent the world in its image, and the East can't help but do the same now.
I honestly don't know how to comment on East Asian satire and protest. Most of what I've heard comes second-hand from people who went to teach there and came back with stories of how children learn to spit up answers without knowing why. Maybe the reason satire and parody as we understand them is so rare is because the average lay person isn't encouraged think critically about what they're a part of.
Doesn't mean it isn't happening, of course. But in a society that doesn't prioritize it, you can't imagine it would take the same form, have the same protections, carry the same ramifications. Dunno if we'd even recognize it if we saw it.
no subject