I'll be honest with you. I can't stop listening to PSY's new song, "Gentleman." This morning while getting ready for work, I must have replayed that youtube video at least ten times in a row, and I found myself imitating him while shaking my hips in the privacy of my apartment. There is no doubt that his music has a certain hypnotic quality that lots of great songs have.
I heard it for the first time last Sunday, and my immediate reaction was that whatever "it" is, PSY has it. By "it," I am referring to that certain intangible unidentifiable quality that makes a person beyond great at what they do. And when a person has "it" everything he/she does seems to "turn to gold." I've been drawn to this video, more so than "Gangnam Style," ever since my first viewing.
I am one who looks at anything that goes viral with skepticism, and "Gangnam Style" was no different. I was probably one of the last people in the world to deliberately and actively enter those key words on the search bar of youtube.com and view the video in it's entirety, and enjoy it. There's no doubt that it's a cool song, and I was intentionally late in realizing that.
My opinions of PSY were based solely on my cynicism, and my artistic elitist fear of becoming a follower. It's rather sad that that is what prevented me from simply enjoying something that is worthy of being enjoyed. So upon my realization of his new release, I immediately went to Youtube, and checked out the song.
I'm not fluent enough in Korean to know exactly what the words mean, but the video makes an obvious strong statement. And that being that lots of men hold fast to obvious strong inhibitions when they are around attractive women, and in this video, PSY is rebelling against those very inhibitions.
I've heard accusations of the video being sexist, and I find that to be laughable. It's so ridiculous that certain Americans try to inject their cancerous political correctness into anything they deem offensive. Everything on this planet is offensive to somebody. Americans just need to lighten up, have fun, and stop being little children who get offended over everything they perceive as negative.
Anyway, If the video for "Gentleman" is sexist, than it is just as sexist on the part of certain attractive women to expect a man to fawn over their every desire, and to expect the man to readily submit to their standards and desires without the man knowing who she actually is as a person. Men are just as much at fault for this as women, and PSY is heroically rebelling and breaking through these inhibitions that women, many times, expect the man who is pursuing them to hold.
As a man from the south, I am fairly familiar with chivalry. When walking in a building or room at the same time as a lady, I usually attempt to be the one to open the door, and allow her to enter first. I usually try to offer my arm while walking down a set of stairs with a lady. I've offered my coat when l've heard ladies mention that they were cold. It's a great feeling when a lady actually appreciates it, and it is a totally different feeling when she is unappreciative, and carries an ungrateful demeanor that expects such behavior.
Korea is a place that, no doubt, has an abundance of attractive ladies. I will take it a step further in saying that there is an abundance of women who put a strong effort into maximizing their personal appearance, and I love that. I wish more Americans applied the same effort, but unfortunately and obviously, a significantly smaller percentage do. But nothing makes an attractive woman look more unattractive than arrogance, haughtiness, and a sense of entitlement based solely on her personal appearance, and that is the message that this video is conveying.
I'm not saying that I agree with everything that PSY is doing in this video, because there are things that he does that are downright degrading, but that is what rock n' rollers do. They push the edge in order to maximize the shock value. But I do agree with his message, and that is that the inhibitions that a man holds shouldn't be based on the expectations of the attractive woman that he is currently pursuing, because different women expect different things. A man's inhibitions should be based on his personal values, belief systems, and the convictions he feels deep within his own heart.
I like PSY, and he is showing his true colors as a true artist in this video. Although he doesn't play the guitar, although his music is electronic, and although he isn't from the west, his music and style is rock n' roll to the core. Just like Elvis, The Rolling Stones, Guns n' Roses, and Nirvana, he is rebellious. He is sexual. He does things on his terms, and he doesn't seem to be a puppet for the record companies like most other artists. And with the video and song, "Gentleman," he has shown that he is good at what he does, and that he has staying power. I wasn't a fan when he put out "Gangnam Style," but now I am.
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