Korea, Calm Down. Stephen Colbert Doesn’t Hate Rain.
Oh, good lord. Rain fans (and Korean media) need to calm waaayyy down.
SONG OF THE DAY
Rain / Bi - “태양을 피 하는 방법” (How to Escape the Sun) — I prefer this version to the moodier version used in the music video. [ zShare download ]
In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can watch the video clip of Colbert featuring a segment on Rain from The Colbert Nation site — the video that shows that Colbert was not in fact “attacking” Rain and “mocking” him — as the Korean media have been quick to accuse.
You know what? I like Rain/Bi. He has a nice voice, he’s a great dancer, and he’s a hard worker. I don’t particularly think he’ll succeed in the US market but I wish him luck anyway.
But you know what’s NOT going to help him? When fans and the entirety of Korean entertainment media take a silly segment featuring him on The Colbert Report and blow it out of proportion as a racist attack. Especially when the segment is funny as hell AND actually shows Rain in a positive light if you approach it with the right perspective.
First it was Yahoo Korea, The JoongAng Daily, Sports Chosun, YTN News, YTN Star, SBS News (a little more balanced), and now Chosun Ilbo. And there’s a key element that these reports are missing — the point of satire. They have jumped so quickly to the conclusion that Colbert was attacking Rain that their knee-jerk defensive reporting HAS GOTTEN IT ALL WRONG. They misunderstand what kind of show The Colbert Report is.
You need to understand this: There are two Stephen Colberts. One is the man, and one is the character he plays on his show. Stephen Colbert the Man is intelligent, witty, and is NEVER PRESENT on his show. The host of The Colbert Report is a character. The host of the show is a caricature of American ultra-right-wing conservatism — and by pushing the act so far, Colbert the Man is actually criticizing what Colbert the Host is promoting.
For instance, Colbert the Host is the man who staunchly defends President Bush blindly, calling him “the greatest president ever,” and insists with tunnel-visioned, myopic stubbornness that the United States was completely justified in invading Iraq. When confronted (by a guest of the show, for instance) with the fact that there were in fact no weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq, Colbert responds with cheekiness, “Of course there are. Why else would we invade?” The silent response is a powerful criticism of the war in Iraq — not a defense of it.
Colbert’s character is based on the bombastic, often grating television personality Bill O’Reilly, who hosts Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor. O’Reilly is known for being pompous and self-serving, but enjoys a huge following, many of whom are right-wing and conservative viewers. Colbert the Host professes to be a huge fan of O’Reilly, and models after O’Reilly’s supposed “No-Spin Zone” with his “No-Fact Zone.” Do you get the joke? Colbert is not REALLY a fan of O’Reilly. It’s part of his genius, both comic and political.
This is what we call satire. It’s cutting, it’s brilliant, and so is Stephen Colbert. To be fair, it’s not like Koreans are the only ones to misunderstand Stephen Colbert. Irony, sarcasm, wit — that stuff is hard to translate into another language. Even American politicians and pundits have routinely mistaken Colbert the Host for being real, and gone on his show to their own embarrassment, realizing they completely got it wrong.
American politicians have found it’s much more productive to understand what Stephen Colbert is, and work with it — Colbert fans call them “It-Getters.” What’s an It-Getter? Someone who “gets it” = who understands the joke that Stephen Colbert is NOT the same as his “character.”
Conversely, lacking a sense of humor — about yourself or about Colbert — earns you the label “Non-It-Getter.” As in, people who don’t get the joke, people who think Colbert is actually advocating the beliefs put forth by his Colbert Character rather than using his character to mock them as stupid.
Colbert was not mocking Rain’s motto of “Endless Modesty” — he was mocking his own lack of it. Colbert is famous for his immodesty. It’s one of the hallmarks of his character.
Colbert’s remaking of the “How To Escape the Sun” video was not done in malice. Joking that he and Rain used to battle for supremacy on the Korean pop charts is not slander. THIS WAS ALL IN FUN. Producing such a clearly inferior — but hilariously funny — parody of Rain’s video is like a tacit admission that Rain is good at what he does.
In fact, the only part I found mildly discomfiting was the reference as “Kid Jong Il” — but ultimately, that statement highlights Colbert (the Host)’s own ignorance, not Rain’s.
This is a GOOD thing for Rain. Stephen Colbert is someone you want on your side. Aside from being smart and funny, Colbert has a hip, intelligent audience. You’d be smart not to alienate him, or his audience. This will HELP Rain’s attempt to break in to the US market.
But do you know what will help him even more?
If Rain can prove he is an “It-Getter.”
EDITED TO ADD:
It does seem that Rain himself isn’t offended, although I’m still looking a quote or a statement he’s made himself to corroborate this (I really dislike the structure of his hompy and fan sites; they’re difficult to navigate). But it makes sense that JYP is taking it in stride given his facility with the English language and American pop culture (even if Rain and JYP have parted ways officially), and Rain seems to be a good sport about it. Having a sense of humor about this will only help.
Tags: kpop, lost in translation, Rain, ranty/ravey, singers, Stephen Colbert
Sarah,
I hadn’t realized that the Korea media has commented on Colbert piece on Rain. Thanks for enlightening me on that.
I found the piece Colbert did wildly funny. But then, I love Colbert. I also watch Bill Maher religiously too - yes, I’m a bleeding liberal. Koreans who believe the Colbert piece was mocking Rain really aren’t “it-getters!” I think the fact that Colbert did a piece on Rain should energize Rain fans since Colbert has such a large following in the U.S. and caters to mostly the younger audience (the audience Rain wants to have?).
I really liked “I’m all over it like egg over bowl of bibimbop” the best!
Amy
Well said, javabeans! Thanks for doing a piece on this.
I loved that egg/bibimbap line too! Although that Hyundai line in the song subtitles cracked me up too. As well as the “He’s singin’ in Korean… oh yeah, he’s singin’ in Korean…”
p.s. My caucasian husband and I saw the Colbert piece together last week and he got it! Also, I own 3 Rain CDs so I’m speaking as a fan of Rain as well!
Raising Korean children in “white world” I tend to be sensitive- probably overly- to people mocking things Korean/Asian. I saw this clip right after I had read an email from a person talking about Korea as if it were a 3rd world country. I was ticked off anyway. So, when I saw the Jong-Il comment and the MASH references, it bugged me. Parodies are great, but I wish that the general audience had some respect for what was being parodied (does that even make sense?
). I thought of some of my more clueless friends/family watching this only to poke fun. That being said…the video is hilarious and it is done with respect on Colbert’s part- it is an actual parody of a Bi video (they took the time to copy it!), and he even knows what bibimbap is!! I can’t say that about anyone in my extended family. heehee The exposure for Bi is wonderful, of course. Regardles, I love your blog javabeans, and if you say it is ok, then I will relax! You are awesome girl!
Oh my god, it was funny and in very good taste. I don’t understand the big fuss, it was the funniest thing I seen in awhile…when I think about it now, I’m just laughing. gosh people just need to take a chill pill..hha.
Exactly. Stuff on Colbert is pretty mainstream- they should treat it as a compliment.
And hey, free publicity!
The fact that so many Americans are Non-It-Getters show that Colbert isn’t universally appreciated, even in his own language. Satire is sophisticated. And I have to remind myself every time I get annoyed with the Korean mentality (my parents and I used to argue profusely about stuff like this) that Korea may be overly defensive, but it’s understandable why. They’ve only been a first-world nation for a short while, and have centuries of oppression and occupation built into their national psyche. So they’re very protective of their national image — I get that, even though most of the time I forget first.
The fact that Korean reports are focusing on the Korean-centric “slurs” show that their insecurities are still very raw — all the news reports dwell on the fact that Colbert made mention of the terms “Hyundai,” “kimchee” etc. as though they were used pejoratively. It’s like you don’t get why people are laughing in your general vicinity, so you assume they’re laughing AT you. Some have even seen Colbert throwing the TIME magazine through the glass pane as “symbolic” — because the magazine had Rain’s face on it. They didn’t see that it was a silly, harmless gesture just designed to parody Rain’s window-breaking video scene.
I just hope they see that Stephen Colbert, for all his bluster and cheekiness, is a good-natured guy and this segment was really done very respectfully. He clearly put a lot of research into accuracy. And it was funny! Best of both worlds.
I totally agree ~ you can easily tell from just watching it that he is definitely not mocking Rain in any way or fashion. I didn’t even realize there were people that were offended by it, I thought it was totally amazing ~ free publicity for Rain! I don’t know how well his US debut will go but I totally think that this is positive for him…I’m sure JYP understands haha. And yes for the commentesr above^^ that bibimbab line still kills me lol.
i personally thought it was a compliment when someone as notorious as colbert decided to do a segment on rain. but my question is, was rain even insulted by the segment? i mean i haven’t heard him say anything about it, but really, if rain isn’t upset, why should everyone else be?
however insulted some people are, it’s as you said java, satire.
I adore RAIN… Colbert, I have never heard of before but my curiosity was peeked so, I viewed the clip.
The man was funny and his skit was funny.
It’s all about advertising people. Web-sites, my space, forums, youtube; wake-up, advertising in any shape or form rules!!!
You could be the most talented ‘popsicle’ in the world and it wouldn’t mean jack if people do not know your name. And, dare-I-say; RAIN baby, you just got plugged…
Javabeans– very nice post. I thought the Bi paraody was pretty funny, and I’m actually surprised that there was such a strong response in the korean media. Anyways, before I read your post, I had no idea what Stephen Colbert (the character) stood for or and didn’t have a clue as to who he (the character and the man) was… Anyways, your explanation of him piques my interest! I’m checking him out XD.
When i first saw da vid on that… i personally wasnt even affected…. even tho. i am a huge rain fan… and yahh as u said.. da only thing dat bothered me was da kid jong il thing.. but yeahh ppl shud calm down… =]
I thought it was GREAT publicity for Rain. It was hilarious. I was even hoping Rain’s people would ask for a guest spot on the Stephen Colbert Show.
I read from another open forum that Rain wasn’t affected by Colbert at all. He was quite tickled by it actually. hmm..don’t know how true that is..I don’t follow Rain’s news.
But…this was so funny! He should not be mad at all…because this is free publicity.
If you want to be successful in a different culture, you’ve got to take everything about the culture and adapt. That includes “Sense of Humor”…Ahh…but why is the US market so important to break into? Everybody’s doing it. Should go to CHINA! =)
I agree with everyone! Publicity for Rain and Colbert’s hilarious! Thanks for the clarification though.. sure some people needed that!
I LUVEEEDDDD the parody. i personally thought it was GREATTTT advertisement & i think the media is being REALLY stupid about it. Even though I admit the kim jon il part was a bit ehhhh, I think the rest was great parody. He was jabbing at Rain because Colbert was “jealous” right? Good grief, I think Korean fans get WAYYY too defensive about their stars. even though i really like Rain, It never crossed my mind that this was racial. I think reporters need to learn that Colbert makes fun of EVERYONE not just koreans. all in all, Rain should be happy. More recognition=more success.
if that’s the case i hope he does the same for se7en~ give him exposure~
wow, i had NO idea they were attacking Stephen Colbert’s segment on that, but they definitely need to listen to and understand what he’s saying.
at first i was a bit scared, actually, because i thought Rain might be getting bad publicity.. but when i watched the video of it i laughed and was glad that Rain was getting some good-humored publicity that would only benefit him. (i even sent the link to my brother, who literally called me this morning to tell me how funny it was) *sigh, korean fans really do need to cut the defensiveness.
Now if only all of the big Korean newspaper websites can link to this page so they can understand Stephen didn’t mean any harm or was being disrespectful -_-.
As usual, javabeans, big fan of your summaries.
It’s sad to see that the Korean media has blown this wayyy out of proportion. If they only understood how GOOD it is for Colbert to be doing this–how much recognition that this will give Bi/Rain in the younger American audience. Maybe they need someone to explain it to them, because from my experience (mainly my mother) some Koreans don’t really understand satire and sarcasm. Haha..oh well :].
Anyways, I thought that the parody was HILARIOUS as did many of my other Korean friends. Like you said though..the only thing I didn’t really like was the “Kid Jong Il” reference. =/ But hey, it was still pretty funny. Hopefully the Korean media will lighten up about this and Bi/Rain look at it as an insult and see it as a positve thing that helped him gain more recogintion in the U.S. =]
oh my gosh, when i saw the Colbert clip last week, i fell down laughing watching that thing. Colbert is so clever and witty in the things that he says. i watch him when i have the time, and i enjoy it everytime.
i’m surprised that the Korean press is going insane over this segment…i mean, it’s seems so obvious that IT’S ALL A JOKE!!! i think koreans should be proud or at least amused at the fact that Colbert took time in his extremely well known show to do a five-minute segment on Rain. if i was korean, i would be sorta glad that the korean culture has sparked some hype or interest in the american culture. it’s nice when two cultures intertwine…and it’s even better when it’s Colbert doing it. haha.
my favorite parts were when Colbert acted surprised that the #1 most influential person was RAIN…”At #2…What! Who’s at #1? It can be?! My old nemisis, 24-yr-old R&B pop sensation Rain.” and when he mentioned a title of a Rain song…”Now sure he’s got some good songs like ‘Ne gah neu wot dong chim dei’…haha.
To be honest, i was rather surprised that the korean media took colbert’s piece on rain the wrong way. It was obiously satirical and widely funny. It was in fact pleasant to see a korean star like Rain actually getting metioned in the US media plus colbert’s attempts in speaking korean were hilarious!!! lol
I was SO elated when I saw the Colbert parody. What a positive, funny piece. Thank goodness, it’s about time especially after these last couple weeks. Plus Free marketing for Rain! As I’m pretty sure 90% of Colbert’s viewers had no idea whom Rain is and most of them will end up goggling him for more info. The next day at work, after the Colbert piece aired, at least 5 co-workers came up to me asking Who Rain was? After a brief bio of Rain, a few of his videos, a couple of downloaded mp3s, a clip of his latest movie “I’m A Cyborg But It’s Okay” Rain had 5 new fans. So seriously, this is a very VERY positive thing.
wow thanks for this sarah.im so behiind. ive been out. you gotta admit this was hilarious.thought not everyone would think so, icant really blame them. lol. but really, first time to watch the colbert thing.and i thought the daily show with john stewart was hilarious. hahha im glad u cleared this up for many. im pretty sure, rain just got a popularity boost in the US. if not for being funny maybe they saw something too. hahahhaha maybe koreans arent as used to american humor…not everyone can really.
I didn’t realize this piece was taken in such a bad way until recently, but then personally I’ve loved Colbert since Day One and sometimes don’t realize satire doesn’t fly the same with everyone. But actually, I felt like he said nothing offensive at all about Rain, it was more like he was bringing out his good qualities while at the same time making fun of his own (Colbert’s own) “conservative” or naive remarks. The Colbert Report goes so much further than just the usual stuff and I think Stephen Colbert makes us look at things in a healthier light by not using vulgar, crude humor but smart, albeit sometimes silly satire. I just made a post on my own blog the other day because I was so pleased that K-Pop and especially Rain are truly in the limelight–I mean I’d rather see Stephen Colbert bring out a good k-pop song and parody it smartly then see the same old caricatures of Koreans and Asians that MadTV or some other shows pull off. Those, in my opinion, are offensive and stupid, and just perpetrate stereotypes.
If anything, I bet a lot of Americans discovered Rain and K-Pop after that airing! And I’m sure JYP was delighted, who as an international producer must definitely realize this well meaning ribbing means big exposure, I don’t think they missed the well meaning point, and thats why we haven’t heard anything from Rain’s camp. If Rain’s going to make a US debut and make an actual impact, there will probably be a lot more American satire to get used to in the time to come–AND its a GOOD THING
I’m glad you wrote about it too Javabeans!
sad to hear the korean media has completely misunderstood Colbert’s parody. I guess i dont blame them in a way because it is understandable that satire can be lost in translation, but i just wish they were more open minded, or at least investigate before jumping into conclusions too quickly. I agree with those who say that this will only help Rain’s crossover to the US because so many ppl watch Colbert, especially young ppl…which is his target audience. I bet there were many ppl who saw the show that day and wondered, who the hell is this kid named Rain? and googled him up…..
i just hope that he will be an “it-getter” and explain to those in the korean media ad fans who are not, that this was simply for FUN and it is something that American Entertainers do ALL the time….they mock ppl with no harm intended…
***Sighs***
Wow, this has been blown out of proportion. My opinion is, this is a big exposure for Rain,
if he really want’s to get into the US market. This Colbert show had already acknowledged
Rain being more popular than him, and I think what should be done next is for Rain to
appear on the same show, however that would be asking for too much since Rain doesn’t speak
decent english yet.
Korean’s need to chill out big time, they were being acknowledged as SOMEBODY to reckon with
already, and their reaction is like one big step backward.
[...] Korea, Calm Down. Stephen Colbert Doesn’t Hate Rain. [image] [image] . Oh, good lord. Rain fans (and Korean media) need to calm waaayyy down. SONG OF THE DAY [...]
well said Sarah! I was feeling the same way about Korean media and I was going to blog it tonight but you’ve done a wonderful job here that all I need to do is direct our readers to your blog.
I think overall, our fellow Koreans are still a little sensitive and insecure about how the world perceives Korea. Also, based on my personal experiences, sarcasm is rarely used in Korea because it’s considered impolite, which might explain why many Koreans took a lot of jokes literally, finding references to “hyundai” “bibimbap” etc offensive and mean.
However, I’ve read some articles in Korean that points out that Koreans, especially netizens are somewhat overreacting, which is a good sign and a relief. It looks like some people can take a joke after all - or at least try to.
As for Rain, if he can befriend Colbert, it will do wonders to his popularity.
I agree Colbert doesn’t hate Bi, but he did mock a little bit, not on Bi, he mocked mostly Americans, well, and English readers in general.
The way he emphasized over and over, “he sings in Korean, he sings in Korean”, every American understand that he’s saying:
“Time’s readers, what are you thinking? Bi sings in Korean, and you even understand it to vote for him? Almost all of you know Korean now? Nah, all TRUE Times’ readers, you don’t even give a damn about the vote, and let Bi’s fans do whatever to what used to be the world indicator of power. If America and the world turns into such a show, I can turns into a better singer than Bi”
That’s the message, but given Koreans’ sensitivity towards anything represent their nationality, and their unfamiliarity with the language and “American way of humor”, certainly they ticked off.
And all this it’s just sad, it only gets harder for Koreans in the US, they have enough after Virginia tech already, they don’t need to be in more confusion about what Americans think of them.
Colbert should be more tactful next time, I think
i personally really enjoyed the parody it was amazing
the media is really over reacting by reading all things on the surface value instead of checking up the background of colbert’s comedy!
it was a good laugh (:
[...] found this excellent article on Javabean’s blog, which attempts to explain the character of Stephen Colbert to Korean Rain fans who have never [...]
the REAL stephen *is* present sometimes-geez! one could easily make the case that traces of his true self show up on a regular basis actually.
[...] As usual, Koreans are over-reacting to Colbert’s piece on Rain because they don’t understand Colbert and what it means to be sarcastic. Javabeans [...]
Javabeans, i am i love with Rain, not only his performances, but his acting, but you explained everything with logic, so i am cool. But i am curious about the only thing you found: “mildly discomfiting was the reference as Kid Jong Il”
Would you please explain that to me?
Thanks!!
I seriously don’t believe there’s any intention to compare Rain to Kim Jong Il — it was a silly pun that I didn’t find particularly funny.
I’m Korean and I found the Steven Colbert parody of Rain hilarious.
Steven Colbert ROcks!!
All my friends also thought it was funny…
JYP Entertainment, Rain’s management company, also stated that Steven Colbert’s parody was not an attack.
It just shows that Bi’s starting to be more well known…
He’s worth making a parody out of.
FUN.
this was all well said *applause*
I have seen the video and I must say that I was really amused~ altho when I watched the video and heard Kid Jong Il, Hyundai and Kimchee~ I know there were going to be violent reactions, I knew it.
Well, I guess they have just to be openminded and not be so defensive and accept what satire really is~ true satire is cutting and brilliant but satire can also be too frank and edgy and over the top, but satire is satire its never meant to offend but then it cant help to offend ^^
[...] Though I’m not particularly familiar with what transpire after Colbert made the video and I seemed to be the last person to know that we, Rain fan, should be offended by it. If you asked me, I’m not familiar with Stephen Colbert, his show and thinking I might incline to be biased, I didn’t even watch the clip. If you’re one of them that got caught in the angry ride, how about another perspective? Read the article here. [...]
I tink pple should really take it with a pinch of salt.. Just laff it off like any joke.. its good publicity, now more pple in the US will sit up n know abt Rain. At least he is famous enuff to get onto the show.
JYP prob laffing it off as a joke too. I m a big fan of Rain but i still laff it off as a joke. If the media n fans are gg to be so uptight abt this, then Rain breaking into the US market will b harder than wat wat it is now..
Thanks Sarah for this..
As for the “Kid Jong Il” thing — I don’t find it particularly funny, either, but I assumed it was meant as a parody of the equally-unfunny racist remarks many pundits make.
I think you’re overreacting a bit. ~_~;;
The news articles you posted, only like 1 or 2 of them said anything about it being an attack to Rain. The others were just stating the fact that he made the parody. I don’t know.
I mean I’m not disagreeing with you about the Korean fans taking it overboard. But the whole Kid Jong Il thing was a bit harsh… ._. It’s never funny to get compared to him. He’s a crazy man. -___-;
But other than that, that section was funny. XD
I kind of don’t like that fact how Korean fans are all stuck together. @_@ I’m a Korean fangirl but I’m not crazy, obsessed, I’mgoingtogostalkthem. I guess the views of American society and Korean society are just too different. -___-;
I laughed my ass off when I first saw it (and sent the YouTube link to all my friends, heh).
Aside from the nature of the show/character, the whole thing was so obviously tongue-in-cheek that I’m kinda surprised at the negative overreaction. I mean, come on. D’oh.
Hope it’s true that Bi isn’t bothered by it. He should be flattered. Free publicity, y’all.
Props for posting about it, javabeans. ^_^ I friggin heart Colbert.
I don’t think Bi was annoyed nor irritated by it at all. In fact, I don’t think he even has the time to bother about such things.
Anywayz, I also didn’t expect the Korean Media to act all fussy about the matter. Maybe it’s the language barrier. We know it’s nothing to get all itched or irritated about, but the korean viewers or whatever could have been swayed by just looking at the report and not understand the jest within because of the language.
I saw the vid and I laughed my a*s out! It was soooo hilarious.. and as an avid follower of Rain for 3 years, I didn’t feel the least annoyed or ticked off. And I agree it’s good for Rain too.. to have been discussed and talked about in an American TV Program, he’s gotta be SOMETHING other than just a normal person.
I’d just say..calm down Korea! (follows Sarah’s call)
“You know what? I like Rain/Bi. He has a nice voice, he’s a great dancer, and he’s a hard worker. I don’t particularly think he’ll succeed in the US market but I wish him luck anyway.” Even though I’m an avid fan of rain, I really don’t think that it is anything wrong with what Colbert said, cuz he might be right. The US market is tough, and don’t they have enough RnB/Hip Hoppers from before? We’ll just hope the best for Rain anywz…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg4Imx-3Wkc
Rains Promotion Clip for Atlanta on youTube
but thats what you call fandom. even the smallest critics can get them so defensive of other people, its no wonder that they would be so defensive when it comes to critics that are screamed to their face. Maybe its also the fact a huge portion of Rain’s fans are koreans or asians that never live in an english speaking country to sense the heavy sarcasm. But I thought it was blatant sarcasm.
I’m never a Rain fan, maybe thats why I found it heaps funny. I thought the mocking was completely hillarious, and it really shows on the quality. the phrases sent me to laughing to no end.
I actually think that it is giving Rain publicity over in the US. By the looks of it, Stephen Colbert looks like a really famous person over there, and for him to be speaking about a Korean singer, i think its free publciity on Rain’s side. I even have one of my classmate asking be ‘how big was rain in HK?’ after the stephen colbert episode. I dont know how he got to confuse hong kong and korean, but at least he’s curious =P
thanks for writing an article about this btw =)
Yeah, actually I thought it was good publicity for Rain, by showing others what he does; by making it seem the other way around
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2007/05/162_3247.html
Girl, you’re good!
Your summary was really interesting.After reading this i looked up the Rain’s original video and then Stephen Colberts segment. My first reaction, “That was horrible! *then wipes away tears from laughter*. Though I’m not a die hard fan of Rain I do support him (after seing Full House,IJUKSA) and I enjoyed the segment. The “He’s singing in Korean” line particulary tickled me
I enjoy k-pop culture and have basically been hooked on the dramas/ actors and actresses within them. Full House was one of the first k-dramas I watched and I’ve been following Rain since. I’m in an odd position because I only know one other person who’s actually seen some of the dramas I have (people can only ask, “What in the…why are you watching stuff in Korean??” the fact that I’m not asian confuses them even more) so whenever something from the korean pop culture pops up in my american one I get really excited. Rain in Times top 100? I was estatic. Reading this article and finding out he was parodied on the Stepen Colbert’s show? I was like, “NOO WAY! That’s awesome!” because it means that Rain has enough importance to be recognized on such a show.
If all the stuff about Koreans not understanding satire is true then I can understand the overreaction, but honestly- this is a good thing. I know people upped and googled Rain after watching- in fact, if you google “rain” his picture will come up along with the photos of H2O droplets. Congrats for Rain on this free publicity- I definately hope he’ll be an “It Getter”
I laughed to tears when I saw the video. The first thing to come to my mind after watching it: Wow, Rain is going to be more recognized in the US after this show. I see it as a good thing for Rain. He should’ve expected this thing coming (not necessarily from Colbert) if he were to break into the US market.
Sarah,
Rain commented on this issue. He GETS it..
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200705/200705250015.html
yes… here is his quote:
Asked about the recent parody of his music video on the popular U.S. satirical show The Colbert Report, Rain said it was an honor. I’ve watched the program. I was surprised when I saw the show host imitating my music video. He chooses only world-class celebrities as his topic.
I love Colbert - I thought the parody must’ve been great publicity for Rain and I’d no idea the backlash on that was so strong! Andand man he really was singin’ in Korean hee o_O
The first time I watch Colbert Show talking about Rain..to me, it was funny. Colbert can actually make fun on Rain but in the other hands, he is helping Rain to promote and get him recognized in the US market.
But first thing comes to my mind was, someone will make it as a big deal and create news about accusing or critic their idol and Colbert is getting into troubled. Within a day, news start to spread here and there, and people that couldn’t catch the joke thought that someone is trying to criticized their idol, but never think properly what is actually really going on..
I love Rain too, and part of Rain fans. And we should be happy that someone is trying to making fun on Rain but is making Rain to get recognized in US market. Besides, Colbert show is really a great show..!
It is such a bad impression for the Korea media to jump on conclusion that Colbert was attacking and mocking on Rain.. It is a shamed to Rain although media or fans are caring and concern about every movement or news about Rain. But they should make things clear first before jump to conclusion..
We as fans of Rain or Media people, should think rational and find out the truth before making thing mess and troubled. Think for Rain, think for his market in US.. open your heart, think rational, think widely.. No matter what, we should be proud that this is some sort of the publicize that this is the first step Rain is getting recognized in the US market.
No just Rain should prove to be “It-Getter” ..I guess everyone that loves Rain should prove to be one of “It-Getter” too..
Well said, well said.
Someone should translate this into Korean and distribute it widely.
This was just truly funny. As a Korean myself I can honestly say that this was absolutely funny. I definetely agree with you here. Korea needs to seriously calm down and take in the joikes. I think that maybe it’s all the attention that shifting towards Korea lately that’s kinda freaking them out.
Ever since the World Cup 2002 Korea’s been getting “known by the world” so to speak. If we recap… there was the famous “boom” of Korean dramas (died down a lot now), the Korean guy that became some important figure in the U.N., the V-Tech thing… and the rise of many K-Pop singers (including Bi) in the U.S. so I guess I can kind of understand them. [not necessarily in chronological order]
But the things that the “hot-blooded” Koreans don’t understand is that everything is just a joke and that life (or anything else for that matter) shouldn’t be taken so seriously. Steven is a friend (I love his show) and is doing more good than bad here. Remember… This is his character and therefore he acts completely different from his real self. His real personality is very smart and witty. To prove it… Watch this behind-the-scenes video on and listen very carefully at what he says (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfiL2hpnmZ0&mode=related&search=). Case Closed.
Koreans are a very dumb people. Too bad the japanese lost the war. Koera would be nice.
Facts:
1. The Korean media is a giant, unprofessional joke. They make the National Enquirer look like the Wall Street Journal. As a whole, they’re constantly searching for any instance or event that they feel is an “insult” to the country or people, and they’re more than willing to misinterpret, misrepresent, or flat-out lie in order to guarantee coverage of yet another “Koreans as victims” story.
2. Koreans in general don’t understand sarcasm, parody, self-deprecation, irony, or satire.
3. The Korean public eats up the victimhood stories like side-dishes, so the press keeps dishing them up, regardless of whether they’re true or bullshit.
1 + 2 + 3 = The ridiculous farce of a “story” this has become.
As for the “farce” of the story, take a look at the post dates of all these reports. Koreans were upset, mostly got informed as to the error of their initial reaction, and calmed down. They’re over it.
Facts aren’t racist.
If you’d like an encyclopedia of links proving #1, let me know. #2 is obvious to anyone that’s spent any time in Korea, and is further proven by the reaction to Colbert. #3 seems obvious by the presence of all the sensational headlines you see in the Korean media trumpeting every “insult” to Korean “pride,” such as a CIA website daring to use Sea of Japan, or Jay Leno telling a joke about a dog, or Wikipedia daring to use Takeshima instead of Dokdo, or any countless other examples of over-sensitivity followed by claims of wounded pride for generally trivial and inconsequential matters.
You wrote a good summary of the situation. Don’t ruin that by crying racism at those that point out the obvious. I didn’t make crude remarks about Koreans being dumb. I simply pointed out what led to this being a story in the first place.
i agree with you 100%, the media outcry was ridiculous but (hopefully) i think most koreans understood it as just a joke. Also, did you see colbert’s reply to the korean media? That was funny too, go check it out .
accusations of Korean “oversensitivity” on certain issues should perhaps be tempered with some understanding of their history, both recent and not. I’m not saying that the reactions such incidents provoke are always proper or positive, but they are understandable and comprehensible in context. And some of the matters are not inconsequential, especially to the parties involved.
besides, as the reaction (or in reality, non reaction) demonstrates, an initial surge of complaint turned into a trickle of discontent. And netizens are not exactly a representative group or majority opinion - simply a vocal set of internet users. Would you like the US judged on what its internet users say in chat forums? I’ve heard hardly any reaction at all from people here, and when I have it’s been mildly positive.
that said, humor is very culturally based, and what’s hilarious to Americans is incomprehensible to Koreans sometimes (and vice versa ) so while yes, the reaction reported in the Korean press seems inappropriate to us we should perhaps not be surprised that the exact meaning of a foreign comic utilizing a style of humor seldom seen in Korea could be misunderstood.
once again, not to say that the reported reaction was justified. And finally, Colbert was hilarious. And that’s no bulgogi!
Although I agree it was funny, it’s only funny here in America. It’s understandable for other countries to misinterpret as offensive not fun at all. There’s cultural barrier and for them to understand what satire is may never happen because of asian culture is by far more with respect and modest than US culture. I just thought the timing was bad for colbert to make fun of a korean star especially with anti-american sentiment going around the world right now. But then it only happens in America.
The korean media who took this the wrong way are basically idiots who deserve only ridicule. They are supremist scum with deep underlying insecurity complexes and its their job to shovel nationalistic shit at the mindless clones who read their moronic drivel.
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Gosh, I just found out about this Colbert, Rain thing and checked it out on youtube….dang. it was funny….sure it could be taken the wrong way, but you gotta know what scarcasm is! colbert was poking fun of rain just like he would any other american….if fans expect rain to become apart of the american market, they should expect american criticizm along with it just like the critisizm any other american star got….
Boy, was Colbert’s piece on Rain hilarious!!! I don’t think Colbert didn’t have the intention to be a “racist”.
Truthfully, Koreans have wayyyy too much pride…. They can’t take a little joke about a singer that Steve Colbert makes fun of because Bi got a higher position in Most Influential Person? Oh come on~~~ Wow gimme a break…. Anyway seeing a parody of Bi as I think hes a good overall person, made me laugh specially because Steve was actually speaking Korean… hahaha truly hilarious sight to behold….Thnx Java!
I think it good.
Why on earth would you call korean’s dumb? Steve Colbert, Korean people are not dumb in any way. For you to say that that would mean that you where raised by parents that are racist for you to be the same as them. I do not like people like you that diss people that are different from you and dont have your western upringing.
The video in question..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXFa1yc6zH0
Thank you java for uploading this, it clears up things now. I know this to far from the topic but can i ask if you a site where i could find the ost of full house? Sorry to asked but its just this year i watch the korean series because im really bz working here in Uk. Please could you help me find the ost of full house i really love the songs and the series. Hope to recieve a reply from you ,thank you very much god bless and more power.
#80 shizuku “a site where i could find the ost of full house? ”
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=06QMS6AS
ese ninio es mui beio me enamore la 1era ves q lo vi
jejeje bexox
I wonder how people misunderstand what Colbert was doing when he did the Rain piece. I mean it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t making fun of Rain…Making oneself look silly just to mock someone? That’s ridiculous. Nobody with good sense on their head would do that.
Saw the thing and it was funny. I’m a Rain fan and I don’t see any malicious intent. People should chill and don’t take things at face value.
What you people all fail to see is the major cultural difference. In Korea political/pop satires aren’t very common. It’s so easy to insult someone even without intending to, so even the most “out there” media/shows/etc keep it to a minimum.
It’s very understandable that Koreans would get offended, it’s just not something that’s seen as a compliment. Colbert meant well, but he just forgot that it’s not the same audience.
I couldn’t find a link to see the actual Colbert/Rain parody… The one from the post is broken? Can anybody give it to me? Thanks!
bvhngj
Very well said.
Hi javabeans! I saw that episode many months ago… I thought it was hilarious. Most of all, I thought then that it was pretty good publicity for Rain. I mean, they wouldn’t devote a whole segment on him if he were a nobody.
i totally agree with you….
I think sarcasm, and Western satire are very much different from Asian versions of humor and criticism, so I think they often take such things exactly as how they are presented, not knowing the difference. The Korean reaction to Colbert is probably in large part due to this unique cultural difference. However, it is probably also due in part to latent anti-American feelings which the USA has created in that country, and which it does nothing to rectify. So Koreans are eager to explode in order to let off steam, make their feelings known, and shout back at the USA (as any of us would do in similar frustrated circumstances). Though the issue is seemingly over Rain, it really is also about 50 years of underlying USA-Korea relations, made hot since the Bush administration’s international mess.
RAIN is hot and Colbert is funny. Colbert was mocking RAIN BUT he was not dissing RAIN. Colbert didnt intend to make fun of RAIN because he stated that RAIN was #1 most influencial and he wanted to show his jeolousy making RAIN look good.
I wonder what RAIN thought about Colberts response. Was he offended or did he think that boosted his popularity??
i love bi so much n i dont want to hear something bad about her. He is a talented boy that i ever seen. lOVE YOU rAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
rain is the best
Quote ” Tim Says:
November 29th, 2007 at 1:00 am
The Korean reaction to Colbert is probably in large part due to this unique cultural difference. However, it is probably also due in part to latent anti-American feelings which the USA has created in that country, and which it does nothing to rectify. So Koreans are eager to explode in order to let off steam, make their feelings known, and shout back at the USA (as any of us would do in similar frustrated circumstances). Though the issue is seemingly over Rain, it really is also about 50 years of underlying USA-Korea relations, made hot since the Bush administration’s international mess”
I agree and I couldnt have said it better myself.
As someone interested in all things Korean ( I am from Singapore), i find the differences between the previous president and Lee Byung-mak too stark.
The former was viewed as somewhat xenophobic but LMB has openly courted the US to bring the economy out of the doldrums. He visited Camp David 6 wks (pls feel free to check my accuracy) after taking office and is eager to prove he wants to make the US his ally. His style is somewhat ” ruthless” , relentless and very business-like, which I am sure the traditionalists will disapprove of but the ambitious will embrace.
What I am trying to ask is - Is Korea divided on whether to be pally with the US or be self reliant ? I think striking the right balance is important, though easier said than done = )
hi. i want to thank you for putting light on both sides of this issue. i hope rain will make it big in this industry. it would be great to see him in more movies abroad, he’s a great guy. and i think you are a great person too.
[...] comes after something i was a afraid of — Koreans not ‘getting’ Colbert. But it all ends well, and i’m glad they figured out its all for laughs. Possibly [...]
i dont think that the korean fans understand Great American Humor…..thats it
i had watch ur videos. u made great changes to young ones who love songs, dances etc. well done and wishing success in days to come
i would just like to say, who the fuck cares about korea? its a shithole no one gives a fuck about.
Yes! Someone understands!
Everyone has been feeling bad for Rain and being mad at Colbert.
Rain is on the Colbert BUMP! YEAH!
Colbert actually on his show express how he think Rain is adorable!
(I think it’s cute!)
I’m just so happy Rain is getting publicity. ^-^.