This satirical depiction of wealthy young men is universally humorous, the same way Austin Powers and Mr. He’s making a mockery of the cold, chiseled look that is typically associated with Gangnam guys, from magazine models to mainstream K-Pop artists.
As he attempts to dance his way down garbage-strewn streets with gorgeous women or observes old men playing baduk (a traditional Korean boardgame), he’s always dressed well, taking himself a little too seriously. The Gangnam guy in PSY’s video likes a girl with money, or at least one who likes to pretend she does.īut where the social commentary really shines through is in the satirical depictions of the “Gangnam guy,” who dresses in a funny suit but never smiles, gawks at women in an outdoor yoga class, and hangs out in a sauna with tattooed gangsters (while wearing oversized sunglasses). Not so in Korea, where expensive chain cafes (whose parent companies tend are often times international conglomerates such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai) are a marker of wealth, a westernized lifestyle, and an ability to spend six dollars on a cup of coffee. A girl who drinks coffee? That could include my grandmother or agitated boss.
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PSY’s video caricature of a typical “Gangnam guy” ( oppa is the Korean word for older brother, which is used colloquially as an affectionate term for male friends) likes “ a classy girl who knows how to enjoy the freedom of a cup of coffee.” This line may be confusingly simple to American or European audiences for whom coffee drinking is an ingrained, routine part of life. Max Fisher points this out in his detailed assessment of the video in The Atlantic.
PSY makes subtle yet probing jabs at capitalistic, class-concerned Seoulites who will spend more money on a fancy cup of Starbucks coffee than an inexpensive, instant-noodle dinner. Non-Korean speakers and listeners may not realize this, but beyond the horseback-riding inspired dance moves and bright blue tuxedos, there are some thought-provoking words behind the musical funny-man and his attractive backup dancers. But why is this seemingly passing-trend of a video taking so long to pass? We know the song is catchy and the video is colorful and amusing, but is that all it takes to become a global sensation in a matter of weeks? Those things are certainly important. At 767+ million views on YouTube since July 15, he has surpassed viral legends such as Rebecca Black and Lady Gaga in his international hit count, and remains the #1 downloaded song on iTunes. The Korean-raised, American-university-educated singer has recently been signed to Schoolboy Records, the label of Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Brown. Whether you like it or not, unless you’ve been living under a WiFi-deprived rock for the last three months, the Korean sensation that is PSY (Park Jae Sang, 34) has infiltrated your eardrums and eyeballs, through his record-breaking, viral music video, “Gangnam Style.”
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