fads
those who haven't spent time in an east asian society have never experienced the power of a true fad. most fads come and go. some stay longer than others, and still others hope for a resurgence in later years. (sorry yuki, you were great in '98, let's just enjoy what we had.) some fads never quite seem to stick. (leehom, i hear ya with the whole chinked out thing, sorry no one understands it though.) and some fads are just so powerful that six months after it hits, gay bars are still playing remixes of the songs. (bang bang tang)*
so what is the power of a fad? everyone wants to imitate the fad. it's impossible to avoid it. unfortunately it's not just limited to teenagers and pop culturally-aware individuals. everyone, including grandmothers want to follow the fad. (grandfathers not so much; they prefer to talk about how it was "back in the day" before the fad came.)
so are fads good or bad? first the negative, they're difficult to keep up with, and may require a complete readjustment every few months, new clothes, new music, new hairstyle. but on the other hand, they keep things fresh. and provide entertainment, as long as you don't fight over which bang bang boy is the best. (let the record show that a-wei is totally the best!)
a-wei is the one in the white tank top with blue trim @ 45 sec mark
* "bang bang tang" is an unfortunate pun in chinese. the original word meant "lollipop," but they changed it, so now it basically means "hall of sticks/pokers/long objects you could hit something with" and can connote ::ughm:: down there.
so what is the power of a fad? everyone wants to imitate the fad. it's impossible to avoid it. unfortunately it's not just limited to teenagers and pop culturally-aware individuals. everyone, including grandmothers want to follow the fad. (grandfathers not so much; they prefer to talk about how it was "back in the day" before the fad came.)
so are fads good or bad? first the negative, they're difficult to keep up with, and may require a complete readjustment every few months, new clothes, new music, new hairstyle. but on the other hand, they keep things fresh. and provide entertainment, as long as you don't fight over which bang bang boy is the best. (let the record show that a-wei is totally the best!)
Click to viewa-wei is the one in the white tank top with blue trim @ 45 sec mark
* "bang bang tang" is an unfortunate pun in chinese. the original word meant "lollipop," but they changed it, so now it basically means "hall of sticks/pokers/long objects you could hit something with" and can connote ::ughm:: down there.