Love Me Tender

This is one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen. Super Junior members Shindong and Kangin got tattoos recently. Shindong’s is just a little weird looking and the saying is odd - “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” What the crap is that supposed to mean? It is neither profound or impressive. But it is nowhere as bad as Kangin’s. Kangin’s tattoo has a MAJOR spelling mistake in it. Rather than saying “Actions are more precious than words” it says “Actions are more prection than words.” Prection? That’s not even a real word or close to a real word. Serious FAIL! Why, why, why didn’t he spell check?! Kangin! Idiot! At least ask Brian or Tim before you did something stupid like that. I am cringing for you. Foolish boy.

SHINDONG

KANGIN

References:
1. PopSeoul!: pictures & info
2. SujuOppa: info

So Wonder girls got a boost in exposure by being featured (and praised!) by none other than Perez Hilton himself. Talk about lucky! And they’re not even the most talented artists in the mainstream Korean music industry. This might actually have benefits for BoA since she’s planning to debut in the US in the near future. I was really ticked off by some of the ignorant comments made on the post though. There were so many comments perpetuating stereotypes of East Asians with broken English, exoticizing East Asian women as sex objects, and just references to East Asain restaurants (as if that’s all they can succeed in, in America). Honestly, it is disgusting how much racism there still is. Anyway, I hope this exposure helps Korean artists trying to break into the American music industry. I hope that with representations from East Asians who don’t fit the stereotype of idiotic jesters that ignorance against Koreans and other East Asians (who tend to be lumped into a huge category despite their vast diversity) can diminish.

You can read the Perez’s post on the Wonder Girls here.

I just read that coolsmurf, who has dedicated endless hours of his life to subtitle and upload Korean variety shows onto youtube, has had all his videos deleted and his account suspended. This was due to a third party named SBS International Inc. complaining that the uploaded material was an infringement on copyright laws. So they axed coolsmurf’s hard work.

I am very disappointed by this. I know that youtube had started “cracking down” on illegal material but I think that copyrights are bullshit to begin with. In this case in particular SBS should be thanking coolsmurf rather than doing this. It is because of coolsmurf that so many international fans have been created for the Korean music industry, including myself. If it wasn’t for the videos he subbed and uploaded, I probably wouldn’t have been into Korean music because most things aren’t subbed. Translators, subbers and uploaders deserve a lot of credit for their work and dedication to the international fanbase of so many East Asian industries. It is a shame that these companies don’t see it this way. A shame.

Thank you coolsmurf for your dedication for so many years.

Sometimes I am baffled at how stupid people/parties can be. First off the South Korean army is using the Wonder Girls and their popularity from their song Tell Me to promote the Army’s theme song in hopes to seem friendly to the public. WTF?! The only thing I take the army to be after this move is a joke. Who can really take a military organization seriously when they use five minor girls who shake their booty to stardom as their ‘friendly’ representatives. Especially when they are scared of soldiers because they all look the same. I bet the rest of the world’s militaries are laughing at South Korea’s army, because I certainly am.

Another piece of stupidity that I read about was Ayumi Hamasaki’s decision to continue performing despite completely losing her hearing in her left ear. She has known about her condition since last year and has stated that “Nevertheless, I would like to continue as a singer. That’s why I would like to continue singing until I reach the limit with my remaining right ear…I won’t stop. I won’t make excuses. As a professional, I would like to deliver the best performance for everyone” (source). At what point does being a profession equate to being a dumbass? As an individual if you want to be stupid and sacrifice your hearing completely then that is your decision. But as a role model, what kind of message are you sending to your fans and to the public? That it is acceptable to abuse your body for the sake of popularity, fame, and respect? I’m sorry, but that is nonsense. I would think that as an adult Ayu would be more intelligent. I don’t think it is a healthy message to send out and I do not see her as being loyal or selfless for her decision. To be selfless is to sacrifice any personal benefits from your actions, which she is not. She is being praised by mindless parties which results in increased respect, and is using her hearloss as publicity for her Asian tour. She is definately business oriented, which comes at the price of being a responsible human being.

References:
1. Asian Bites: Wonder Girls army song information
2. Wonder Girls Wonderland: So Hee scared of soldiers information
3. Asian Bites: Ayumi Hamasaki’s hearing loss information