korean youth culture

[clay dube]

This is for Janice --
Let's use this area of the forum to discuss ideas raised in Tim Tangherlini's presentation on Korean youth culture. Do you agree with Tim that the punk rock performers and fans were primarily engaged in rebellion against family and school?[Edit by="Clay Dube on Aug 2, 2:15:47 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Tim's interviewee's were used the word "freedom" to explain themselves, Rebellion denotes the desire to change something. Punk rockers in Korea and the US I think are often those who feel displaced, ignored, unseen, unrepresented, misunderstood. My experience with th epunk rockculture is that there are differentiations. There are those like the ones I described above, usually very intelligent, creative, and sensitive. They are looking for a space to be seen and heard. They often feel "different" and their manner of dress celebrates that difference making it no longer and inference or a whisper. There are also those who see the violent looking punk dress codes and use that as rebellion. It seemed to me that the artist interviewed at Drug were not attempting to be anything but themselves, so I think freedom is more fitting than rebellion in their case.
DEAN

[Anonymous]

I agree with what Dean was saying about the term of rebellion in Sat. lecture. I never thought that the Korean's were rebelling in a sense of defiance. Rather it seemed that they were so stressed out from school and the pressures put upon them by their parents that they were looking for a place to temporarily escape for a few hours. It did surprise me that drugs were not evident in the punk scene though. I would have thought that the tennagers would want to "escape" in ways other than just going to concerts.

[Anonymous]

From my personal experience with my Korean students, I do know from meeting parents that there is always a stress placed on the importance of education. A child is expected to be successful and go on to college.

Some of my Korean students always seem to be stressed out because of trying to please their parents and getting A's in all of their classes. To relieve this stress, I know that my students turn to music as a way to be free. Headphones and the Discman transport them to a place where they can just be.

I am not sure that my Korean students are into Punk. A lot of them seem interested in Rap or Metal. I think the principle is the same though. Students use music to escape. I think it also helps them discover who they are. It is definitely about being a teenager and rebelling against the family.

I don't think that my students are all that political. A lot of the time, they use music as a way to be noticed and to get attention. Thus, forming their identity.

[Anonymous]

I agree that using the term "rebellion" is little bit extreme in this case. The interviewees in the video do not communicate a feeling of rebellion. Rather, they seem to be saying that they enjoy Drug and punk rock as a means of escaping and unwinding. They want to have fun and relax. They enjoy the escape from the daily pressures of family and school. I wouldn't go so far as to characterize any of the kids highlighted in the documentary as "rebellious." I think that Tim Tagherlini makes this point by including the interview with the drummer of "Supermarket" where she describes her fondness of cooking and doing laundry. She seems to be saying "Hey, I'm a regular person! I just like alternative music!"

[Anonymous]

I agree with dean that korean punk is a way to express their freedom and not rebel against their family and school. It is more like an outlet...just like going on a getaway vacation, going to the movies, golfing, hiking---basically a way to hide/ignore reality. If it was a way to rebel, then these students would not continue their education. The students Tim interviewed were intelligent students with plans for their future. I also find it interesting that Tim said drugs were in "other" clubs but not at Drug. Again, this shows the difference between rebellion and freedom.

[Anonymous]

I think that's exactly what it was. John M.

[Anonymous]

If I remember correctly, one of the students and the Drug club manager was talking about how "Choson Punk" isn't real punk like that of Britain and the US. It's just a style of music and culture (or trend?) that the students are creating for themselves. It's something that's different and not expected of them. It's not anything political, it's just something that sounds different from the norm. Being Korean myself, I think that if my parents saw something like punk, they would think that it is rebellious. Not rebellious against government, but possibly just against their parents' expectations of them.

Someone else mentioned this before, but going to Drug and listening to "Choson Punk" is also a way of relieving stress for these students. I think that Korea has one of the highest suicide rates among high school students (Japan has the highest suicide rate). Students are under a great deal of pressure to get into a prestigious university in Korea. Punk music gives that temporary outlet. It seems that another reason why some students turn to punk is because they might be outcasts at school. David, the student who spoke English in the video, had a difficult time fitting in during middle school. He found his place through punk music and felt welcomed at Drug when he performed there.

I'm not really sure what other things students do to relieve stress in Korea, but music and dance are some things that I've seen on Korean TV myself.

[Anonymous]

Isn't music also an escape for adults? My mother listens to music and thinks about the days when my father was alive. I listen to different types of music, depending on what I am doing. I seldom listen to music while doing nothing unless I'm at a concert or the opera. I think students are the same way: one type of music for walking and other activities, another type of music for studying, thinking, and writing. Sometimes I think we try too hard to attach unique meaning to a particular situation, when it is quite common among people in general. What do you think?

[Anonymous]

It is very hard for me to disagree with Timothy Tangherlini's analysis on Korean youth culture due to the fact that I know very little about the culture. But, this is my comment on his presentation. I was struck by Timothy's remark about how hard Korean students study to get into college but once in college, they no longer have to work hard. I have difficulty in understanding this type of educational system. What type of college curriculum do they follow? I have also heard this mentioned about the Japanese system. Can someone who may know something about higher education in Korea explain this phenonemena. Thanks, Janice Harrington [Edit by="jharrington on Aug 2, 3:11:02 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I think the Korean punk movement was actually not just about rebellion against school and family. In fact, I don't know if anyone recalls this, but one of the kids talked about songs with "three" chords. Well, to make a long story short, most pop songs are formed in a "triad" or with three chords. So if anyone is musically aware of this, really thoses bands were trying to go against that pop musical convention not only in lyrics but in the music itself. Unfortunately, those songs did have the pop song structure and format just with heavy distortion in the music. In the end, the music had popular appeal contrary to its initial goal of being underground and "pure".

[Anonymous]

I agree with pretty much everyone is saying that it isn't really rebellion. I would like to add something that I think it might be that is a little more than escape. I think that it is also a way to question some of the social culture of the society. I'm a woman of the 60's, much of the dress and style of the 60's was a questioning of the uptightness of the 50's in the US. The roles that women had to play. The skirts that were mid knee in the 50's were part of this. Now, this wasn't the total of the 60's, but it was what some of the music and styles represented. I think some of this can be said for punk in Korea. I think the style might be a form of social questioning.
Melody

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