Critical Eye: Soompi’s Editorial On “Sick Of K-pop Cult” Article A Hypocritical Mess

When I initially stumbled upon Adeline Chia’s article about K-pop, contritely titled “Sick Of K-pop Cult”, I knew a response was coming from somebody in the K-pop community. Although I took issue with certain points she made, I understood the general intention behind her words.

A significant reason why I didn’t take issue with it was because it wasn’t a bombastic piece of journalism meant to troll fans into an angry response; it was the opinion of a writer who made her feelings known and then backed those feelings with solid reasoning.

Soompi, however, seemed to feel differently, which I suppose shouldn’t shock me considering it’s essentially a roundabout attack on what powers their daily lives and incomes. While I felt it would be simple enough to form a reasoned response to her article, perhaps stating why K-pop is so special to fans, I didn’t expect to see such a hypocritical and disjointed editorial.

In fact, the response to the article is so messy and all over the place that it’s hard to form a response that doesn’t involve addressing questionable sections separately. As such, I’ll do exactly that.

In her article, Ms. Chia attacks K-Pop and its fans, calling it a “cult.” Of course, this article is probably written in a way to catch the attention of K-Pop fans, to help get the article more exposure and clicks.

I actually think she said it because she meant it. I feel I have a decent radar for trolling journalism, but she didn’t make the bombastic claim and then follow up with a bunch of inane bullshit. She followed her point by providing her own personal interactions with the culture and then continued to expand on her initial claim.

First of all, much like people who call themselves “critics” the problem is that the tone of the passage comes from a subjective moral high ground. I have a lot of issue with people who write this way, it sounds like

-> A: I know what real music or art is supposed to be, so it is far more superior to what you listen to

At this point, I began to wonder if:

1) The writer actually read the article at all.

2) If the writer did read it, was he able to comprehend the article’s point?

I say this because at no point did the original author pretend to be a music critic; the focus of the article was never on the music quality. From the introduction to the conclusion, the article revolved around the cultural movement, the idols who drive it, and the fans who buy into it.

While that’s a disaster by itself, Soompi’s editorial quickly gets worse.

(She doesn’t say it outright, but that argument is inherent in her article. She compares Korean Idols to the Backstreet Boys, saying that comparing the two the Backstreet Boys has a lot more individuality!)

At the start of the article, the writer states this about perspective:

Before I talk about her article, I should explain where I am coming from because it is probably a very different perspective from the author, Ms. Chia.

It’s a valid point, because perspective is important, as it changes how people view similar things.

As such, what’s mind-boggling to me is how he complains about critics judging other people’s tastes in music, before following up with a tangent that basically spells out how he feels Korean idols are a cut above the Backstreet Boys/N’Sync and their brethren.

Now I mention ‘perspective’ because the writer is Korean-American, and to Americans, the Backstreet Boys & N’Sync have become parody-worthy jokes in pop culture.

The problem?

K-pop is not any different.

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Idol pop groups like the Backstreet Boys and N’Sync are running jokes in America, partially because of their music, but mainly because of what they represent: a corporate-vetted, manufactured sound, delivered by pretty boys who appeal both musically and lyrically to the angsty emotions and raging hormones of tweens.

The article Adeline Chia wrote is not specifically a criticism of K-pop so much as it is a criticism of pop music as a whole. Yet, the Soompi author took it personally and responded in a way that resulted in a disjointed rant – all because the author refused to detach himself and couldn’t let go of the idea that it was an attack on his culture’s pop music.

Ironically, he has no problem turning it around and poking fun at American pop music, which makes it an unbelievably hypocritical response.

You see, for a while since 2003, Lil Jon’s “Get Low” would play at the club 24/7. Whenever I danced with girls and the song came out, I would laugh like a madman.

The reason being, a lot of girls would dance to the part of the lyrics “Skeet Skeet skeet skeet skeet skeet.” Being the jerk that I am, I would always ask the girls I dance with, do you know what “skeet” means? They would never know. It means “To Ejaculate.” That is why you should at least have some notion about the lyrics of any song you are listening to.

I guess the goal of writing this section was to establish his article as ‘light-hearted’, but the end point about having to understand K-pop lyrics before criticizing it is a tried-and-true copout that fails every time.

Forgetting for a second that to introduce his point he awkwardly tries to relate quizzing women on a club’s dance floor regarding their ejaculation terminology knowledge, the author’s argument of ‘ignorant judgment’ doesn’t actually help his case.

Knowing the lyrics of K-pop wouldn’t help legitimize anything, nor would it change her perspective. In fact, if most international K-pop fans knew the lyrics of the songs they loved, I would bet a greater number of fans would understand what Korean music critics are talking about when they call idol music ‘infantile’.

When the Beatles and Elvis Presley were gaining fame, a lot of people were turned away from the cult fandom. (Even now with Justin Bieber, there are a lot of haters) I remember similar things going on with Michael Jackson as well. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that K-Pop is as great or is better than the classics. (It is merely different) I’m just trying to say that a lot of times older generations will look at the music of a younger generation and say that it is crap. Often saying, “Music was better when they were younger,” nostalgia.

K-Pop is a new trend, people are going to love it, hate it, or not care at all. I just wanted to say that I am sick of reading comments, of people comparing K-Pop to something else, saying that it will never be as good.

The author feels upset about how people compare K-pop to other things, especially in terms of its limitations. In the preceding paragraph, however, the author himself compares the K-pop phenomenon to The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Apparently, comparing K-pop to something else should not be encouraged unless you’re going to make a positive point – which makes you understand why some people call K-pop fans delusional.

Additionally, The Beatles and Elvis Presley? Seriously? Why not compare K-pop to David Bowie? Oh wait, somebody already did that.

K-Pop is only heartless and soulless if you look at it that way. Then you are disregarding the amount of effort it takes to make a K-Pop star, all those people behind-the-scenes that try so hard to make that star successful. Also, you start to disregard a country that has only recently started to enjoy economic success and is trying to capitalize that by spreading their culture, albeit in a more flashy and formulaic way.

To me, this is the heart of the writer’s argument.

The author’s article reads like an emotional and prideful response to an editorial which makes observations that everyone has read at one time or another about pop industries around the world.

I suppose it’s just ironic to me that Soompi’s article starts by giving us a lecture on perspective, but pride is what ends up making the author miss the perspective of the original article completely.

Guess that’s why they say pride is the sign of a foolish man.

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A part of being a fan of K-pop is accepting the fact that it’s not any different than latching on to the Backstreet Boys or N’Sync. I’m conscious of who it’s marketed to, how it’s promoted, and what its meanings are. I recognize that it’s a bit weird and awkward, both socially and culturally. Essentially, I know what I’m getting myself into, I accept it, and I don’t care because I enjoy it.

Unfortunately, many K-pop fans (predominantly the international crowd) attempt to make K-pop into something it’s not. They try to portray it as something bigger, better, and more sophisticated than any other brand of pop music in the world, but it’s simply not any different and it never has been.