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Old 2012.09.26, 06:36 PM   #31
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Originally Posted by deadgrandma View Post
There is nothing uncool about a man who dances with Hyuna.
Agreed. If it was just a perfect K-pop robot singing/rapping and doing the same dance seriously, it'd wouldn't be nearly as successful. We can relate to him because he's not perfect-looking and is a little awkward and isn't afraid to make fun of himself in the video by acting like he thinks he's cool when he really isn't (which does come across even if the specific satire of Korean culture doesn't). I think most people get that, which is why it seems to be crossing about every cultural border.
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Old 2012.09.26, 08:20 PM   #32
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The man has confidence. I respect that.
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Old 2012.09.26, 10:20 PM   #33
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Originally Posted by TurtleFu View Post
But it's actually a really clever (and at times viscous) satire of materialistic Korean youth culture, and it really annoys me how none of the American understand that.
Wow. Seriously?

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Old 2012.09.27, 09:36 AM   #34
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^ Point taken, but I think we have to remember that Gangnam Style is a Kpop song first and foremost. Of course it's going to feature cameos of other famous Kpop stars. But at the same time, that subtext is still there. By no means do I think it's a brilliant song, but it's definitely more intelligent than most Kpop (admittedly not a difficult feat).
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Old 2012.09.27, 03:27 PM   #35
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Alright, point taken.

It is both a gag song and a satire. But I don't think, taken solely as a gag song, it's really THAT funny. Like, it's funny, but so funny that it deserves all this fame?

All of the funny cameos are by Psy's friends and fellow comedians. Psy is a comedian first and foremost, but that doesn't mean he can't do social commentary.

The really clever thing about Gangnam style is that it so cleverly subverts K-Pop as a whole. The lyrics basically refer to the peacocking that all K-Pop idols do, and the video makes fun of standard K-Pop videos. Psy is able to criticize the system within the system, and he does it in a way that feels honest, instead of cheap. To compare, there is another comedic rapper named San-E who attempted something similar, where he had a song that criticized K-Pop Pretty Boy Bands and Major Music labels... while featuring shirtless K-Pop idols in his video and being signed to a major label.

@thefro
That point is well taken, but people don't seem to be reacting because they relate to him. It's just the opposite actually. I think looking at the way that Asian men are viewed by Western culture is really important and it shouldn't be ignored.
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Old 2012.09.27, 03:34 PM   #36
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Well the song does offer 90s style pop with no pretentious crap...
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Old 2012.09.28, 05:35 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by TurtleFu View Post
But it's actually a really clever (and at times viscous) satire of materialistic Korean youth culture, and it really annoys me how none of the American understand that.
Most everyone I know has seen this article:

Gangnam Style, Dissected: The Subversive Message Within South Korea's Music Video Sensation

OTOH, most everyone I know is a middle-aged hipster to one degree or another, so there's probably considerable sampling bias going on.
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Old 2012.09.29, 10:38 AM   #38
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Okay. After reading that article, now I see what you meant, TurtleFu.

I was a bit skeptical about it before because I thought you were overanalyzing a stereotypical K-Pop song.
But then again, I had seen/heard it just once.
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Old 2012.09.30, 02:04 PM   #39
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Originally Posted by TurtleFu View Post
The really clever thing about Gangnam style is that it so cleverly subverts K-Pop as a whole.
I don't think anyone outside the fringe looks at it that way. Most people see it as representative, not subversive.

Most people see it as something wacky and Asian, hence cool or ridiculous or both, or whatever.....something to make two or three minutes pass by pleasantly and feed the multiculti maw of global media consumption. CNN, MSNBC, and FOX play it with the angle of "look at this KOREAN POP SENSATION WE DON'T UNDERSTAND!!!!" to fill up 30 seconds of "we are so hip and media-mashy" airplay of "what's hot on the net this week."
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Old 2012.10.06, 08:53 PM   #40
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Originally Posted by deadgrandma View Post


Most likely seen it before, but just in case...
Where was the information about her visiting London and France? I don't see it in Kronekodow updates, so just wondering where you guys are finding out this stuff.
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