The Beginning of Time like Fire Burns Bright only against the Shadows of Eloquent Nothingness

ON EDUCATION AND THE STATE OF MODERN YOUTH

Why would one ever even contemplate such an exacting, demanding schedule? Because one wants to learn. To seek wisdom and knowledge is one of the the noblest professions of life. True wisdom is worth the world's weight in gold. Petty people proclaim that their intent to take rigorous course-loads is to matriculate into one of the standard “good” colleges. I find that this single-minded pursuit is superfluous, and in some cases, even humorous. I often laugh at the extreme lengths and measures that people go to in order to present themselves as more than they are. I would believe that even the most naïve, the most ingenuous of college admissions officers would be cynical enough to be able to see through these feeble attempts for social fame. Those people who devotedly dedicate their entire secondary educational lives to the pursuit of college entrance are like the beautifully transparent waters off the pristine Hawaiian coast, where the waters magically magnify the details beneath the undulating waves, so that triviality becomes of paramount, prodigious importance. Except, what is amplified is not fishes, but rather the falsehoods and flaws hidden beneath a façade of fetid seaweed. It is like entering a building that is romantically endearing when viewed from the exterior, but upon entrance is discovered to have walls that are covered with the mold of lies, floors that sag with the weight of sin, and a fine, chalky, choking, suffocating dust that permeates the entire evil edifice as though a malevolent maelstrom was at that very moment rancorously rampaging through. Except the house is transparent, and everyone can lucidly see the walls, the floors, and the storm — everyone but the owner.

THE WEBSITE WAS FREE

And for those the weak of heart
given to start, here perhaps by will of
another and shocked: words like stars
hold true in the night a course of wisdom.
Popup pop down you say! The aphorism
hither be that of the worker and
his creed, the bourgeois clerk who
in his sleep over the dusty books
(for greed has stolen his daily bread
his soft bed) whispers softly a dream:
"he gets what is paid for."

Whether an anomaly of the Asian world or a definite indicator of Western trends in modern Asian society, Korean popular music or Kpop as it is colloquially known presents an interesting subject for historical and social analysis. More specifically, Kpop represents a forum in which the conflicting forces of East and West are clearly separated and defined. Music has been called the poetry of the soul, and through its examination one can examine some of the most prevalent societal trends within a culture. In the case of Kpop, a style popular throughout the Asian continent, its study can help to reveal and forewarn larger social trends . A brief disclaimer: this essay is written by a Westerner and therefore reflects the biased opinions of a man at sunrise who, risen out of darkness by the light of the east, nonetheless is blinded by the star's brightness.

To say that Kpop is derivative insults the genre; however, it is impossible to deny that Kpop takes many of its stylistic elements and inspiriations from the primarily American styles of music known as R&B, Rap, and Hip Hop. It is not insignificant to note that these three aformentioned American styles have come to represent primarily African American musical genres. As another minority existing in a White or Western (here the two are nearly synonymous) dominated world, Korean, or more generally Asian, musicians no doubt empathize with African Americans. Historically dominated by both China and Japan, Korea identifies itself as an oppressed Asian minority, another reason for connections between Koreans and the "White-oppressed minority" of African Americans. The frequent nominative use of the English word "nigger" by Korean rap stars attests to the common identification felt by both Koreans and African Americans. Additionally, many of the themes of Kpop correspond closely with those of Rap and R&B. Ideas of anger directed toward society are common in Korean rap music as they are in American rap, while songs devoted to the effects of drug use and other "affluent" pleasures are relatively rare in both musical styles. While male Kpop stars tend towards rap as their primary musical form, the music of female Korean pop stars more closely resembles American R&B, Hip Hop, and Pop. Themes of love predominate both American and Korean female genres, though dissimilarities between the two appear in the more specific social statements of each.

"Korean Pride" by Kpop Rap group H.O.T.
An example of African American influences on Korean rap

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Visible Western influences on Korean music present themselves further in both the presence of English (and other Western languages) within Kpop lyrics and in the cosmetics of Korean Pop singers or Gasoos. Despite the inevitabe definition of Kpop as a reaction to the "cultural imperialism" of the West, Kpop songs and groups have embraced English in song titles, group names, and song lyrics. It is not uncommon for Kpop songs to be interspersed with English phrases, forming the mix of Korean and English sometimes refered to as Konglish. Kpop stars also have adopted "manufactured" Western styles of dress and appearance which stongly resemble those of American Pop stars such as Britney Spears or the Backstreet Boys. Both trends in Korean popular music represent an increasing encroachment of the West and Western traditions upon Korean society. Additionally, whether out of expediancy or some other cause, many Kpop groups have adopted acronymic names in English. Groups such as Baby V.O.X., H.O.T., G.O.D., and Fin.K.L. serve as examples of this trend, which doubtless indicates the penetration of Western linguistics within the Korean musical aesthetic.

"Get Up" by Kpop group Baby V.O.X. (Voice of Expression)
An example of the permeation of English across Korean popular music

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Despite its origins in American and other styles, Kpop nevertheless represents an original and vibrant musical genre which both has innovated upon older traditions and introduced Eastern motifs to Western forms. While traditionally male Kpop groups largely have gathered inspiration from American Rap, female Korean singers more profoundly combine the genres of R&B, Hip Hop, Rap, and Pop into a uniquely Korean form. The creative fusion resulting from this coupling of American and Korean traditions exemplifies the artisic essence of Kpop. Music written and performed by female Korean artists often juxtapose rap with song and song with rhythm; the conflicting influences of Rap, Hip Hop, and Pop clearly appear in the dynamic nature of these Korean songs which by American standards may seem more like mixes than continuous works. However, it is this very collage of sounds and styles that defines Kpop as an original mode of expression.

"Caution" by Kpop duo Tashannie
An example of the juxtaposition of American styles within in Korean music

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Musically Kpop differs distinctly from its Western inspirations; both in harmonic structure and tempo Kpop retains Eastern styles within an otherwise Western form. Traces of Eastern musical patterns incompatible with the Western scale appear throughout Kpop, and the presence of traditional Asian instruments in popular Korean songs only accentuates the still active struggle between Eastern and Western musical influences. The higher syllabic frequency of the Korean language additionally contrasts Kpop against its origins, most notably in Rap, the Korean style of which proceeds at a markedly faster pace than its American counterpart. Kpop further preserves Eastern customs in its continued emphasis on group creation as opposed to that of the individual. Solo Korean pop stars are rare while groups predominate; soloists who do exist (e.g. artist BoA) are nearly all female, perhaps a throwback to the traditional roles of women as singers and dancers under Korean dynastic rule. In marked contrast to the emphasis placed by American Rap on individual artists, few Korean Rap "stars" exist as nearly all such singers are part of larger groups.

This examination of Kpop reveals trends both toward cultural preservation and innovation with respect to Korean society and music. While all the implications of Kpop can hardly be analyzed or quantified, it is clear that in the modern world music as well as every other aspect of life has come to represent an untiring struggle for balance between the often conflicting forces of old and new, East and West. As the poetry of the soul, Kpop like so many aspects of the Asian continent has yet to achieve its resolving couplet.

ON WORDS AND SOCIETY

According to Barbara Lawrence, the words we use are powerful indicators of the subconscious of society, and can be seen as a reflection of the beliefs and attitudes a society possesses. In her essay “Four-Letter Words Can Hurt You”, Lawrence expatiates on how the slang people commonly use are denigrating, especially towards females. But are these words actually indicative of a subconscious stream of thought in society?

One's speech is merely the repetition of what the speech of one's peers. Thus, communication, to some degree, can be considered imitation - even babies learn how to speak through imitation, gradually connecting the words to actual objects and ideas. The words and even the phrases and sentence syntax are all because of imitating one's peers. However, a logical fallacy occurs with this argument: if everything is based on imitation, then how can anything start? Rather than a conscious choice occuring everytime an individual utters a single syllable, the answer is that just one extremely intellectual or extremely stupid person develops a phrase. People who admire that person will logically emulate them, thereby repeating the new phrase. This is substantiated by examples of how presidents can coin a phrase that then gains prominence until it transcends to the state of the hackneyed. This also explains how words like “the best known of the tabooed sexual verbs” are formed, for surely they are not created because a wispy old scholar sits down at a rickety desk and, after laboriously poring over German and Latin textbooks, is struck by a neological epiphany and combines ficken with futuere. Instead, it is more likely that a deadbeat lowbrow who happens to be in the company of etymologists picks up on the German and the Latin, but then confuses them and combines them into the infamous word we have today. His (this word was almost certainly coined by a male) peers, for fear of embarrassment, do not question his authority on the synthesis of this new word, instantly thrust it into international prominence.

There is no disputing the fact that this set of words is denigrating. But the mere fact that people use them is not a condemnation of society. One uses the words one's peers uses, for there must exist a common vocabulary, no matter how crude or vulgar or tawdry or denigrating it is, to communicate.