The Best Rhetorical Analysis Ever.
If there ever was an idea custom-made for a Jay Leno monologue, this was it: Psy’s Gangnam Style going viral and Psy himself spearing on the VMAs. Isn’t that like One Direction appearing on a Korean music show? Whatever happened to the language barrier?
I happen to sympathize with Psy, though, perhaps because I’m proud of him for introducing the music that runs in my veins to my actual mother country.
I don’t know why people who laugh at Japan’s pop culture are now noticing Psy. I don’t know why they’re amused by his silly antics, fascinated by his juxtaposed good and bad looks, or mocking everything he stands for. But what I do know is this: K-Pop is a big deal. Psy’s recent viral success is just a taste of what this phenomenon actually is. While some of my K-pop peers disagree, I am happy that Psy is in the States, albeit for the wrong reasons.
A good part of me wants to believe that Psy isn’t popular because he’s cool. My fellow fans have pointed out that he’s gone viral because he’s funny, and it’s easy to insult the Asian race even more because here, look at this funny video of a chubby Asian man doing weird things. According to Seoul Beats, Psy is a “chubby Asian doing a stupid and easy-to-imitate horse dance” and that he “holds very little promise for any other Korean music acts that hope to follow in his footsteps.”
As much as that makes me cringe, it’s very true. Other attempts to bring K-Pop into the States have failed due to the language barrier and lack of understanding. Some things, despite major modification, just won’t sit well with an American audience. For example, the super-clean themes, the beautiful boys, the fashion and dancing that are flashy, flashy, flashy. Not to mention the deep-rooted cultural traditions of respect and humility. Also K-Pop stands for Korean pop. Meaning that it’s Korean. And it’s sung in Korean. Spanish music has made such inroads in the United States because a sizeable portion of the population is Hispanic. Asians account for less than 5% of the population. Even if every single Asian person were to pull together and rally for Psy, he would not have made it to the VMAs.
That’s not to say that this milestone is less than terrific. Although K-Pop has had a series of little wins in the past two years, these were isolated events. The coming of Psy and the dawn of what is hopefully a new age for K-pop is near. Psy’s landing gives me only hope for the future of Korean music. I hope that Psy will find middle ground between the two cultures, and help America to appreciate music in a language that isn’t Spanish or English.
Phew…that’s a tall order, Psy. Heralding the advent of a global phenomenon? Now that’s Gangnam style.
I happen to sympathize with Psy, though, perhaps because I’m proud of him for introducing the music that runs in my veins to my actual mother country.
I don’t know why people who laugh at Japan’s pop culture are now noticing Psy. I don’t know why they’re amused by his silly antics, fascinated by his juxtaposed good and bad looks, or mocking everything he stands for. But what I do know is this: K-Pop is a big deal. Psy’s recent viral success is just a taste of what this phenomenon actually is. While some of my K-pop peers disagree, I am happy that Psy is in the States, albeit for the wrong reasons.
A good part of me wants to believe that Psy isn’t popular because he’s cool. My fellow fans have pointed out that he’s gone viral because he’s funny, and it’s easy to insult the Asian race even more because here, look at this funny video of a chubby Asian man doing weird things. According to Seoul Beats, Psy is a “chubby Asian doing a stupid and easy-to-imitate horse dance” and that he “holds very little promise for any other Korean music acts that hope to follow in his footsteps.”
As much as that makes me cringe, it’s very true. Other attempts to bring K-Pop into the States have failed due to the language barrier and lack of understanding. Some things, despite major modification, just won’t sit well with an American audience. For example, the super-clean themes, the beautiful boys, the fashion and dancing that are flashy, flashy, flashy. Not to mention the deep-rooted cultural traditions of respect and humility. Also K-Pop stands for Korean pop. Meaning that it’s Korean. And it’s sung in Korean. Spanish music has made such inroads in the United States because a sizeable portion of the population is Hispanic. Asians account for less than 5% of the population. Even if every single Asian person were to pull together and rally for Psy, he would not have made it to the VMAs.
That’s not to say that this milestone is less than terrific. Although K-Pop has had a series of little wins in the past two years, these were isolated events. The coming of Psy and the dawn of what is hopefully a new age for K-pop is near. Psy’s landing gives me only hope for the future of Korean music. I hope that Psy will find middle ground between the two cultures, and help America to appreciate music in a language that isn’t Spanish or English.
Phew…that’s a tall order, Psy. Heralding the advent of a global phenomenon? Now that’s Gangnam style.