Below is the final paper I submitted to my English professor before the semester ended. My Eng 102 course was about ourself: our family history, our younger self, and our present self. This paper was about our own culture, something that we enjoy or has made us who we are now. Of course I chose k-pop. I was really nervous about writing this because my entire class (23 students plus my professor and graduate assistant) would read it. I knew I had to present k-pop in the best light. I had to show how it has made me who I am now. Because I love k-pop so much, I wanted it to be the best paper I've ever written. Well, it wasn't because I only got a B on it... BUT I really think I opened many peoples' eyes to a world they have never seen or understood before. Everyone really enjoyed my second to last paragraph and I think you will too. I wanted to share this with you because I feel like you would appreciate it and maybe it can inspire you.

Another note: this is a college paper, but I tried making it as personal as I could.

And since this was submitted to my professor and the University of (not saying), DO NOT STEAL MY WORK! I STAYED UP TILL 5AM WORKING ON THIS FOR DAYSSSSS! And if you do steal it for school, you can be expelled... or if you steal it for personal reasons... I WILL SUE YOU! (my cousin is a lawyer, so don't think I won't...)

Anyways...... ENJOY! :3

Just Kent Control

            Music is a part of everyone’s daily lives. It has not only given me a source of entertainment but meaning to my life. In particular, Korean pop music, or K-pop for short, has been a major force in my life. K-pop exists as an underground genre in the United States, but is overwhelmingly popular around the world. This distinctive genre of music has given me a sense of community through my experiences with other fans.

            K-pop has opened my eyes to the opportunities the world has to offer. I saw my first K-pop music video in 2011 (before “Gangnam Style”). Super Junior, one of the most famous- and now older- Korean boy bands, opened the door to the world of K-pop for me. The bursts of color, unique fashion, and catchy beat intrigued me, so I decided to watch more from the band. Eventually other fans suggested that I listen to my now favorite band, VIXX (which is pronounced how it looks). In the end, I found myself learning the Korean language through the music, help of fans and lessons on YouTube- a common event among non-Korean fans. This and meeting people from many different backgrounds sparked my interest in other languages too, and I can now say several simple sayings in eleven languages: English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Tagalog. My newfound passion for language has driven me to pursue Linguistics, with the intention of teaching English abroad. I may come back to America to teach other languages as well, so the next generation can learn to be more culturally accepting than the current one. I hope to bridge different cultures together through my language skills and appreciation for everyone’s differences. I could help the tourist on the street struggling with his English or the foreign woman at the airport that desperately needs directions to her flight that’s leaving in thirty minutes. Thanks to K-pop, I discovered my affinity and love for language and connecting others together.

            Although parents, media, and common sense advise against connecting to others over the internet, I’ve made several friends throughout K-pop fan groups online. My closest online friends are from VIXX’s fandom, Starlights. The group, which consists of myself and 9 others, has been inseparable (although we live in six different countries) since the summer of 2012, when we first committed to voting for the six-member boy band on a popular blog. We now have our own blog, Starlight Battle Station, on Tumblr where we are “dedicated to helping VIXX shine throughout the galaxy,” which mean to help them win more awards (Ally). On our blog, we teach fans (in English and Spanish) how to vote for our idols on several websites. My job is to go to other fandoms on the YouTube community and ask for votes, and in return, give support to them when their bands are up for voting. It only takes a few bad apples to ruin the crop – the same applies in fandoms. A small number of fans can ruin the reputation of an entire fandom, so it is crucial that we work together in a structured yet respectful manner. It’s wonderful, however, seeing how millions of people can come together to support each other and K-pop as a whole.  While the majority of fans are friendly, having just a few friends like my fellow Starlight Battle Station members helps me feel at home in a crowd of otherwise scary and suspicious strangers.

            Although strangers in real life, my Starlight Battle Station members hold a special place in my heart. We come from different backgrounds, countries, cultures, and ideals, but we all feel as if we are one. One of our youngest members, Caitlin, recalls the time we helped her overcome her bully: “You all helped me when I was at my breaking point. You helped me more than my friends here [in Australia]” (Sinnott). Caitlin looks up to me as her older sister since she has an emotionally distant older brother. I’m more than glad to fill in that spot for her since she reminds me of myself; I even call her “Mini Me.” We provide each other with support, something that our local friends fail to provide all of the time. We don’t judge each other on anything: looks, beliefs, etc. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if those around are true friends or not– distance doesn’t always dictate whether or not a person will ultimately become a true friend. My Starlight Battle Station members became friends with me because they recognized our mutual love of K-pop, and they accept me for who I am. They do not hold with me burdensome expectations, nor judge me unfairly for what I do or believe. The distance, in a way, made it easier for them to become close friends. It’s hard to describe a friendship so pure and honest.

            Every circle of friends has their own inside jokes and terms, but a group of K-pop friends have some that are completely understood by other K-pop fans. In my group, we like to use lyrics from VIXX’s songs in our daily conversations. We also have mixed the lead vocalist’s name into one of our commonly used phrases. His name is Ken, and the lyric is “Just can’t control,” so we say “Just Kent control” whenever we are overwhelmed by something (“On and On”). If a Sone (fan of Girl’s Generation) were to read the comments of a VIXX music video and see our little joke, they would immediately understand the pun and maybe even add to it. That’s how the K-pop community is. We are familiar enough with every band to understand each other’s jokes. Fans commonly use Korean terms because English words don’t do the Korean meaning justice. The term “maknae” refers to the youngest member of a group. The maknae of Starlight Battle Station – who we have nicknamed “Maki” – likes to bring us together to listen to another member’s online K-pop radio show when Minerva, the host, is too busy to remind us. She and Minerva are both from Spanish speaking countries, so they have a special bond. Although the radio show is in Spanish and we live in different time zones, we all get together to listen to our dear friend “talk about current news and possibly gossip in the K-pop world” (Ally). I have studied Spanish a little bit, but not enough to understand everything Minerva says; I mainly listen for the shout-outs she gives to our members. Coming together for this weekly event is just one way my little community bonds through K-pop.

            K-pop is not enjoyed by everyone, however. There are some people I have met that can’t comprehend how I can enjoy music that I supposedly can’t understand. I don’t have to understand the lyrics completely when I listen to it (there are subtitles for that); what’s more important is the emotion I feel from it. Music is meant to move its listeners and the lyrics play only a small role in that. Sometimes the negativity from others isn’t even about the music. Caitlin states that “many YouTubers comment on how the boys look too feminine, how they all look the same (being Asian and all), and how they [resemble] One Direction” (Sinnott). To dedicated K-pop fans and decent human beings, this hurts deeply, but fans from all over the world come together to comfort one another. It’s saddening to see that racism is still alive today, and I know it’s not going anywhere any time soon. Furthermore, it’s disappointing to see such unconstructive, hateful comments. Even if YouTube is a public site and everyone is entitled to their opinions, I don’t see any point of finding a video, watching it all the way through, and negatively commenting on the video just to upset the video’s intended audience. We as a K-pop community attempt to have these comments removed or persuade the malicious YouTuber to leave us be. On the other hand, those comments are someone’s opinion and I have to respect it even if I wish they would keep their opinions to themselves. The disrespect I receive daily (even if indirectly) allows me to be more open and accept others’ preferences so they don’t have to feel what I do when I read or hear those horrible words. I have no doubt that other true fans of K-pop feel the same. Everyone should be able to enjoy different things and not be judged based on such little things.

            The lessons I have learned through my experiences with K-pop have opened my eyes to the world around me. Uncommon in America, the globally renowned genre of music is my rock. I have found my passion, set career goals, and discovered a new and exciting source of entertainment due to K-pop. This goes to show how far music and the community that comes along with it can move oneself.

Works Cited

Ally, Daniel. Personal interview. March 27, 2014.

Sinnott, Caitlin. Personal interview. March 27, 2014.

VIXX. “On and On.” On and On. Jellyfish Entertainment, 2013. CD.