Asian American Representation
We’ve all seen the video…
A smartly dressed Asian performer doing what many would call the
hokiest dance known to man, with Asian women frolicking around him as
the futuristic synths pulsate in the shadows. It’s Gangnam Style, and
it’s taken pop culture, YouTube, and also the entire world by storm.
Yes,
we’ve all seen it, but can most of us agree with the impact that
Gangnam Style sports Asian male representation in the media?
In accordance with recent controversy, the answer is probably not.
Many
people debate that Gangnam Style, which presently has over 200 million
hits online, is self-racist; that it makes fun of Asians and Asian
stereotypes by caricaturing the protagonist as being a poor Asian
American Representative. Others feel that this content is in fact good
to the Asian community, claiming which it pushes boundaries and
challenges assumptions made about Asian culture, and Asian men in
particular. Is Gangnam Style bad or good for Asian American
Representation?
Start your engines and get ready for some
contentious comment-fighting, as this article is focused on the
double-sided coin that is… GANGNAM STYLE!
Why Psy?
Exactly
why is Psy such a stereotype-shattering badass? Well, for lots of
reasons! Not only is he fresh and new, but he's extremely charismatic,
the primary reason that he has taken the country by storm. The greatest
selling Korean artist of them all, Psy is currently being managed by
Scooter Braun, the same chap who brought our beloved Bieber assault into
the limelight.
But what, specifically, has garnered him a
lot attention? Along with what is it possible to, my dear Asian reader,
do to emulate his successes? Lets break all of it down inside the new
segment which i want to call…
“Why Psy?”
Confident
- Psy is really the inverse of each and every other K-Pop artist on the
market. He is apparently the only person which is avoiding face makeup,
feminine body language, and overall self-castration. Additionally, he
could be the only one TAKING RISKS. Which is why he's so massively
successful.
Un-reactive - Just examine him, he’s one chill
motherfucker. Watch some videos from the guy. Check him from Ellen
Degeneres with Brittany Spears. Watch as Brittany grows more plus more
nervous as she actually is put on the location, whereas Psy gets to be
more and more chill and awesome. Psy lets neither the viewers pressure
of performing nor the social pressure of Brittany acting all weird
arrive at his head. He is supremely ingrained in is own feeling of
reality, by which he is awesome 100% of times.
Self-amused- Psy
isn’t afraid to get fun, and even produce a fool out of himself. Just
watch the wacky dance moves in Gangnam Style, and observe extremely he
caricatures himself and his awesome culture. Furthermore, Psy is really a
practical joker. He likes having fun at other peoples expense, cracking
light-hearted jokes and keeping the atmosphere light and fun. This
allows him to become both social and dominant at the same time. Rather
than worrying in what everybody else thinks, Psy sets their own rules
and does what he wants.
Voice- Listen to Psy speak.
Just listen to him. He has a more radio-friendly voice than 1 / 2 of the
broadcasters available. Going hearing him on Ryan Seacrest, among the
top radio hosts on the market, and thinking “Hey, I bet Psy could to
Ryan’s job… But better”. But, how about Psy’s voice makes it so
alluring? Should you listen to his music, it honestly doesn’t sound
extraordinary. His rapping is choppy and fobby, and the vocals are
wavering and off-pitch.However, the gold isn’t in his singing… It’s just
in the way he talks.His voice is deep, even, and resonant, all
characteristics that exude confidence.
Pre-selected- In his
music video (plus true to life), Psy is surrounded by chicks. He is
completely comfortable with them, which makes them do goofy things and
treating them the same as he would a dorky little sister.This level of
comfort with females is definitely an attractive quality in the male.
Psy
is only a solid male throughout. He brings the heat, dresses sharp, and
generally acts fault someone who gets laid. But, for some reason, not
everyone is a fan of him or what he stands for… That’s right, Psy’s got
his great number of “haters”.
Addressing The Hate
There's
two schools of hate that seem to circulate around Psy and his music and
videos. These schools share just about converse views, and dislike Psy
for opposite reasons.
One school may be the jealous K-Pop
artists and Koreans who state that Psy shouldn’t be famous because he’s
a sell-out, he doesn’t embody the options of true K-Pop (*cough cough*,
makeup and straightened hair), etc. Believe that that he's “too
American” or “too mainstream” being liked. To those individuals, I only
say: Awesome. I’m sure that Psy would take that like a compliment.
Another
school are the type Asian-Americans who desperately wish to be viewed
as entirely American, and then leave their Asian heritage behind; people
who want to be completely assimilated and accepted, irrespective of any
personal or cultural compromise they might must make.
These
folks dislike Psy because they believe he could be re-enforcing
negative stereotypes of Asian men (that they isn’t) understanding that
this negative association will affect them personally. My argument using
this is that you ARE Asian… DON’T surrender your cultural heritage and
national pride, since you simply DON’T NEED TO. You don’t need to forget
your family’s history in order to get laid.
The Bottom Line
Psy
is really a blessing towards the Asian community. Observe him and mimic
his behavior and the entire body language. While “Gangnam Style” is
straightforward to create fun of, it is primarily the way since it was
Designed to be… Psy is ok with making fun of himself!
Asian American Representation
Psy
proves that it's possible (and even fucking fantastic) to embrace both
your Asian-ness as well as your inner alpha male. Harness the two
together to be an unlikely, but extremely charming, way to obtain
interest for that ladies.
Now go kill it, you exotic lover, you! Empower yourself!
