Showing posts with label k-pop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label k-pop. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Sex and the Thug Life, South Korea, China

Girls so angry, they could become K-Pop Demon Hunters to defeat all the bad guys around.

The crime South Korea still can't forget: The Miryang Case
This isn't how K-pop presents girls, is it?
(CrimeHub) The Miryang middle school girl gang rape case was a series of gang rapes that occurred in Miryang, South Korea in 2004.
Forty-four or so underachieving male high school students gang raped children, female high schoolers, over the course of 11 months [1].

The case caused a public outcry due to police mistreatment of the victims who finally came forward, insensitivity to their plight and danger, the bungling of the case, and the offenders' very light punishments.

Background
I hope I didn't influence them (Ariana Grande)
The victims lived in Ulsan and Changwon, while the perpetrators were from Miryang and Changwon [2]. The perpetrators were initially believed to be members of a high school gang [3], but little evidence for this was found [4] by bungling and unmotivated police on the case.

The gang reached the first female 14-year-old victim over the phone. When she met the gang members, she was sexually assaulted, the whole scene filmed on video to blackmail and extort her.

According to police, she was raped 10 times by three to 24 high school boys at each occurrence. At least 44 boys were involved in the attacks over a period of 11 months [1, 3]. But 70 more were later discovered to be affiliated.


The sexually assaulted girl was ordered to bring her 13-year-old sister and 16-year-old female cousin to Miryang the next time [3] so they could also be gang raped, which is where the cousin was sexually assaulted.

The original police report stated that the younger sister was sexually assaulted as well, but it may only have been a physical assault [4]. The attackers extorted money from their victims [5].

After the sisters' aunt reported the gang rapes to the police [1], only three of the boys were arrested. Following protests from the victims and an outraged public, another nine students were arrested, and 29 were charged.

The horny pervert of China: psycho killer

The perpetrators family members threatened the victims, warning them that they should "watch out for reporting our sons to police" [3]. They were never charged for the crimes of intimidating witnesses, interference with an active case, or terroristic threats.

Difficult Women (Helen Lewis)
In a television interview, a female parent of one of the offenders stated, "Why should we feel sorry for the victim's family? Why don't you consider our suffering? Who can resist temptation when girls are trying to seduce boys? They should have taught their daughters how to behave in order to avoid this kind of accident" [5].

One girl victim reportedly quit school after repeated visits and verbal abuse from the offenders' parents [6], and the original victim is said to have attempted suicide on various occasions. More

Blame the old culture or the young music?

OMG, we're not gay! We're K-pop boy idols.
K-pop (Korean 케이팝, RR Keipap, an abbreviation of "Korean popular music" [1]) is a form of popular music originating in South Korea [2]. The music genre that the term is used to refer to colloquially emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians influenced by Western dance music, rap, hip-hop, R&B, and rock [3, 4, 5]. Today, K-pop commonly refers to the musical output of teen idol acts, chiefly all-girl groups and androgynous boy-bands, who emphasize visual appeal and performance [6] over substance and individual expression.

Life in the "civilized" West

They represent a corporate approach to profit making and an illusory bigger-than-life persona and emphasis on PR (public relations). As a music genre, K-pop is characterized by its melodic quality and cultural hybridity [7, 8, 9]. K-pop can trace its origins to "rap dance," a fusion of hip-hop, techno, and rock popularized by the group Seo Taiji and Boys, whose experimentation helped to modernize South Korea's contemporary music scene in the early 1990s [10, 11, 12]. Their popularity with teenagers led the music industry to start to focus on this demographic. More

Monday, August 24, 2026

K-pop dance practice: 'Iconic by Mistake'


Seokguram Gautama Buddha
KOREAN BUDDHISM
began in the 4th century CE during the Three Kingdoms Period. Centuries after Buddhism originated in India, the Mahayana (Hinduism as Buddhism's "Great Vehicle") tradition arrived in China through the Silk Road in the 1st century CE, then entered the Korean peninsula in the 4th century, from where it was transmitted to Japan.

In Korea, it was adopted as the state religion of three constituent polities of the Three Kingdoms Period, first by the Goguryeo (Goryeo) in 372 CE, by the Silla (Gaya) in 528 CE, and by the Baekje in 552 C [1].

Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what its early practitioners saw as inconsistencies within the Mahayana Buddhist traditions that they received from foreign countries. More

Blame aging culture or youth music?
Cultural hegemony: Is white Western culture ruining the lives of South Koreans in the East?
.
OMG, we're not gay! We're K-pop boy idols.
K-pop (Korean 케이팝, RR Keipap, an abbreviation of "Korean popular music" [1]) is a form of popular music originating in South Korea [2]. The music genre that the term is used to refer to colloquially emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians influenced by Western dance music, rap, hip-hop, R&B, and rock [3, 4, 5]. Today, K-pop commonly refers to the musical output of teen idol acts, chiefly all-girl groups and androgynous boy-bands, who emphasize visual appeal and performance [6] over substance and individual expression.

It's OK to be angry, but keep the hits coming.
They represent a corporate approach to profit making and an illusory bigger-than-life persona and emphasis on PR (public relations). As a music genre, K-pop is characterized by its melodic quality and cultural hybridity [7, 8, 9]. K-pop can trace its origins to "rap dance," a fusion of hip-hop, techno, and rock popularized by the group Seo Taiji and Boys, whose experimentation helped to modernize South Korea's contemporary music scene in the early 1990s [10, 11, 12]. Their popularity with teenagers led the music industry to start to focus on this demographic. More


Meanwhile, in neighboring Russia

Thursday, August 6, 2026

K-pop is not about the music: selling out

 
We're backed by very evil and rich corporations
Like Korean Buddhism,* K-pop (Korean 케이팝, RR Keipap, "Korean popular music") is a best-selling creation originating in South Korea [2]. The music genre that the term is used to refer to colloquially emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians influenced by Western dance music, hip-hop, R&B, and rock [3, 4, 5].
(BTS Inc.) What do fans want, divas or gay dance rapper thug life?

(No Na) "Honk!" It's the future of all music, like Indonesia's no na (lol)
One day we'll be bigger than Blackpink
Today, K-pop commonly refers to the musical output of teen "idol" acts, chiefly all-girl groups and all-boy bands, who emphasize visual appeal and performance [6].

As a pop genre, K-pop is characterized by its melodic quality and cultural hybridity [7, 8, 9]. K-pop can trace its origins to "rap dance," a fusion of hip-hop, techno, and rock popularized by the group Seo Taiji and Boys, whose experimentation helped to modernize South Korea's contemporary music scene in the early 1990s [10, 11, 12].



We're not manufactured product! We're natural
Their popularity with teenagers led the music industry to focus on this demographic. Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment, who developed the Korean idol system in the late 1990s, created H.O.T. and S.E.S., the "first generation" of K-pop [13].

By the early 2000s, TVXQ and BoA had achieved success in Japan and gained traction for the genre overseas [14, 15]....

ROSE and PSY perform "APT." (live from Summerswag 2025)

By 2019, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) listed South Korea as the 6th largest music market in the world [116], with boy band BTS alone accounting for $4.65 billion, or 0.3%, of South Korea's GDP [117].


Blackpink, biggest in the world?
In 2024, IFPI declared K-pop the leading global genre in unit sales, across both physical and digital formats. Seventeen of the top 20 albums on the IFPI Global Album Sales Chart that year belonged to this genre [118, 119] thanks to BTSBlackpink, solo Rosé, Katseye, and a few others. More

*Korean Buddhism for a changing Korea
Standing guard statue (one of the Four Heavenly Sky Kings) in a Korean temple, Korea
.
Korean Buddhism began in the 4th century CE during the Three Kingdoms Period. Centuries after Buddhism originated in [Gandhara, now modern Afghanistan] and Magadha [a Buddhist territory later brought into the empire under the umbrella term "India" under Buddhist Emperor Ashoka], the Mahayana tradition arrived in China through the Silk Road in the 1st century CE, then entered the Korean peninsula in the 4th century, from where it was transmitted to Japan.

In Korea, it was adopted as the state religion of three constituent polities of the Three Kingdoms Period, first by the Goguryeo (aka Goryeo) in 372 CE, by the Silla (Gaya) in 528 CE, and by the Baekje in 552 CE [1].

Korean Buddhist monks Haeinsa
Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what its early practitioners saw as inconsistencies within the Mahayana Buddhist traditions that they received from foreign countries.

To address this, Korean Buddhists developed a new holistic approach to Buddhism that became a distinct form, an approach characteristic of virtually all major Korean thinkers.

Sam Taeguk symbol, Korean Buddhism
The resulting variation is called Tongbulgyo ("interpenetrated Buddhism"), a form that sought to harmonize previously arising disputes among scholars (a principle called hwajaeng 和諍) [2].

As it now stands, Korean Buddhism consists mostly of the Seon [Zen] Lineage, primarily represented by the Jogye and Taego Orders. The Korean Seon has a strong relationship with other Mahayana traditions that bear the imprint of Chan teachings as well as the closely related Zen.

Other sects -- such as the modern revival of the Cheontae lineage, the Jingak Order (a modern esoteric sect or Vajrayana), and the newly formed Won -- have also attracted sizable followings [3].

Korean Buddhism has contributed much to East Asian Buddhism, especially to early Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Tibetan schools of Buddhist thought. More
American dance hegemony hits South Korea, Japan...and now Indonesia

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Olivia's Daisy Chain Fields Fest (8/29)

 
Olivia's Daisy Chain Fields Festival
Drop Dead? Bigger than Nazi Barbie Taylor Swift-Kelce? Olivia, what's a daisy chain? Miss Rodrigo, is sex what you meant? What is this, the rebirth of the Lilith Fair? Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac), Shirley Manson's Garbage, Chappell Roan (Chapel Rowing?), punkers Bikini Kill, The Breeders, Die Spitz, and a little band we like to call Katseye until they get too famous to take our calls once they're on the road opening for Black Pink and BTS. Doechii, Eli, Quiet Light, Santigold, Rachel Chinouriri. What, no Linda Lindas? Oh, and a special appearance by up-and-coming world superstar and Taylor Swift nemesis Olive Rodricklow (aka our favorite female popstar Olivia Rodrigo).

Making of a popstar (by design)

What is it and why?
I'm bigger than that b*tch Taylor now!
Daisy Chain Fields is an upcoming charitable music festival, featuring a women-led lineup at Great Park in Irvine, Orange County, California, founded by American singer Olivia Rodrigo in 2026. All net profits are to go toward organizations supporting females, both women and girls. (Trans womyn are on their own).

Background
Pop superstar Rodrigo appeared in Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery (2025), a documentary about the women-led music festival Lilith Fair, which she cited as an inspiration to her music career.

I'm Number 1, b*tch! You'll see.
Lilith Fair co-founder Sarah McLachlan is one of the performers at Daisy Chain Fields. Rodrigo announced the festival on June 22, 2026, concurrently through social media, Pitchfork e-magazine, and radio station 88.5 The SoCal Sound.

In an interview with Shaad D'Souza for Pitchfork e-magazine, Rodrigo said that the festival was inspired by Lilith Fair.

She went on to share, "I just feel like we need something really positive to do and see, and young girls need awesome role models who are supporting other women and who are engaging in something that's really joyful and musical and community-oriented."

Will Oli Rod become a Blur?

Tickets
Spend it for Olivia, girls. She needs it for girls.
Tickets for the festival sold out within 30 minutes on June 24, 2026, which led to event partner Verizon issuing new tickets on July 9, 2026.

The festival's sponsors are Depop, Etsy, Taco Bell, and Verizon. Rodrigo co-designed a merch collection for the festival [to milk more money out of the event] with ten female entrepreneurs; the collection is available for online purchase exclusively through Etsy and will also be available on festival grounds. [So bring money]. More

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

BabyMetal a joke? Japanese girl metal


Maybe the strange form of Buddhism that thrives in Japan due to the preexisting practice of Shintoism (kami veneration cults), like Babymetal's "Fox God," explains the form of Zen (Chan Buddhism) and Nicherin Buddhism on the powerful island.
Shaman/Shinto priest placates kami
When Buddhism reached the Far East, its Zen architecture evolved to an extraordinary level of perfection—one that seamlessly harmonizes with the elements of nature. In Japan, it encountered the ancient world of the kami, the spiritual forces of animistic Shintoism. This meeting gave rise to a unique architectural fusion—a never-before-seen blend of sacred styles, where Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines began to echo one another, reflecting a profound spiritual and cultural syncretism.

Documentary: Sacred Spaces – Asian temples. Humans, Nature and Gods directed by Véronique Legendre and Production: ZED, Arte France, CuriosityStream. More


Babymetal were a JOKE until they conquered metal

(The Heaviest Show in the Universe) Premiered Nov. 16, 2025: Metal laughed at them — until Babymetal made the world bow. Babymetal was once laughed out of the metal world. Critics said they were a manufactured pop gimmick. But they didn’t quit. They conquered Download Festival, Sonisphere, and the global stage. In this episode of The Heaviest Show in the Universe, we break down how Babymetal went from novelty to legend.

(Gumiho) What happened to dancer/singer Yui "Metal" Mizuno?
 
Check out some more bangers 👇🤘 Remember to subscribe to help the channel grow: @theheaviestshow.❗Contact information for business inquiries/collabs/review requests: theheaviestshow@gmail.com. Background music courtesy of Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio #Babymetal #Metal #KawaiiMetal

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Coachella 2026: Let's party to forget?

In all the pop hoopla, Goldenvoice forgot the rock 'n' roll.

Coachella 2026 featuring Sabrina Carpenter, Wet Leg, Justin Bieber, KAROL G, and more 🪁
I'm not a washed-up drug addict. I won't be.
(Coachella) Sept. 16, 2025: Passes go on sale this Friday, Sept. 19, at 11:00 am Pacific Time. Register now for access. coachella.com. This is NOT a counter-cultural event anymore.
Go see Kaskade to hear EDM "I Remember (Deadmau5/Kaskade song)"?
Ever wanted to mosh with the celebrities at Coachella, take photos by the famous Ferris Wheel, or attend one of the world’s biggest, greatest, and arguably most (in)famous music festivals? Join Awake Tours as it ventures through beautiful Los Angeles then heads on over to the oasis that is Palm Springs (and the dusty town that is Indio) to experience Coachella 2026! A deposit of $750 (which comes off the total price) holds a seat. The remaining amount is not required until 12 weeks before the tour's departure. More

What kind of lineup is this?
I love Justine. She my boy, we go full buck wild!
Peaches
had that hit song, "F*ck the Pain Away" from Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation (Scarlett Johansson in Tokyo). Is that why we party or crave to drive out to the windy, dusty, burning desert to walk, walk, and walk some more, trying to squeeze la dolce vita out of life? How else is Goldenvoice sucking so much cash out of our phone apps?

He used to be a somebody, a something
Even with a big mistake of a 2026 lineup -- headlining recovering rap molestation victim and drug addict Justin Bieber, after his harrowing affair with serial child molester and party thrower, Epstein-style blackmailer, accused sex trafficker, best buddy Sean P Diddy Puff Daddy Combs -- we suppose it's better than no show at all. Where's the big star? Kaskade. Sabrina Carpenter? K-pop? KATSEYE.

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Demon Slayer K&J-Pop (BabyMetal)


Watch Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba | Netflix (2024) 5 seasons⁨ (TV-MA⁩ Anime) After a demon attack leaves his family slain and his sister cursed, Tanjiro embarks upon a perilous journey to find a cure and avenge those he's lost. Starring: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, Hiro Shimono.


People prefer lore, animation.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
 (Japanese 鬼滅の刃, Hepburn Kimetsu no Yaiba, rgh "Blade of Demon Destruction" [4]) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge.

It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from February 2016 to May 2020, with its chapters collected in 23 tankōbon volumes. It was published in English by Viz Media and simultaneously on the Manga Plus platform by Shueisha.

It follows teenage Tanjiro Kamado, who joins the Demon Slayer Corps after his family is slaughtered and the sole survivor, his younger sister Nezuko, is turned into a demon, in the hopes of turning her into a human again and defeating the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji.


Who cares?
The first 26-episode season of an anime TV series adaptation, produced by Ufotable, aired from April to Sept. 2019, with a sequel film, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, released in Oct. 2020, which became the highest-grossing anime film and Japanese film of all time.

Infinity Castle is out in Japan #demonslayer #anime - Ordinary streets are the anime background.

An 18-episode second season of the anime series aired from Oct. 2021 to Feb. 2022, while a compilation film, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village, was released in Feb. 2023. An 11-episode third season aired from April to June 2023, while another compilation film, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training, was released in Feb. 2024.



Is it all due to Lisa?
Shy girls can speak up and sing in a traditional, aging, patriarchal society with bad demographics?

Mass popularity means $$$
An eight-episode fourth season aired from May to June 2024. A film trilogy sequel adapting the "Infinity Castle" story arc premiered in July 2025.


By July 2025, the manga had over 220 million copies in circulation, including digital versions, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.

It was the best-selling manga of 2019 and 2020. It has received critical acclaim for its art, storyline, action scenes and characters. The Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba franchise is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all timeMore

Only its singers can explain allure and charm of J-Pop Babymetal
Asian animators are just better at drawing than Anglos?