Mr Simple

hey everyone

this note is specifically targeted at my international friends or just those whom are interested in korean culture

now when you think of korean culture, what comes to your mind?

i am almost certain that the neutral connections your miniscule brains are conjuring up are concerned mainly with kpop, kdramas, kmovies and such

and thats cool, korean entertainment is becoming an increasingly integral of what makes korea so unique and vibrant

but,

it goes much deeper than that,

and ill try to explain it through using kpop as it is the only platform you simpletons can really comprehend. true?

recently, super junior made a song called Mr Simple

and since the majority of you people cannot understand korean you undoubtedly neglect its occasionally meaningful lyrical content

so ill translate it for you

the basic gist of the song is all about encouraging you to be happy the way you are and that if life gives you lemons, make lemonade instead of jumping off the Han bridge.

the song expresses that it doesn't matter if your grades are high or low, you must be content because that's life and you cant control everything

these lyrics resonate strongly with most koreans because with korea its all about achieving perfection

perfection in terms of education, results, sports and even appearance/beauty

this strive for success has unquestionably led to massive economic advances with Korea being able to transform their economy from the ashes left by the Japanese colonization and the civil war to it being the 15th largest gdp today

yet as always, there are costs, there are sacrifices, seoul wasn't built in a day

we must also take into account the lack of natural resources and the perpetual threat of war from the culturally identical north

Consequently, in order to survive, in order to thrive, korea has had to work hard

due to this mentality of "continuous improvement" that has been fostered and honed for years now, many koreans are finding it hard to cope with the steep expectations of society resulting in one of the highest levels of suicide and depression, highest working hours per year etc

with children as young as 10 studying 14 hours a day

even kpop is a mirror image of korean society, few have any idea how hard those singers and dancers train to achieve the fame they have now

that is the sad reality for many koreans

overall, im glad super junior made this song, (even though personally in terms of its musicality i think my farts are more appealing)

im glad they're advocating a more relaxed, chilled out attitude for not just koreans but hardworking people in general

im glad they're taking stock of what is important such as the dangers that permeate korean society,

these danger which insidiously alienate the youth and contribute to a myriad of stress-related diseases,

im thankful that not all kpop is irrelevant jizz pudding about broken hearts, love and repetitions of one syllable over and over again .. i.e. (GEE, GEE, GEE, HOOT, HOOT, OH , OH)

the sad thing is, this song in the grand scheme of things will play a very little role in changing the deeply ingrained attitudes held by most koreans or anyone else who strive for success at a detriment to their sanity/wellbeing

in essence, what Im trying to imbue to you readers today is that sometimes you have to be a Mr Simple

and you mustn't fret if life doesnt go your way, theres always a way and even if you can't see that light at the end of the tunnel, you have to try, you have to have hope

moreover, people must understand that korean culture is more than just marks, i mean kpop**

yea the kpop thing is kinda advantageous cos some asians are instantly attracted to me due to that association with my heritage

but i, much like korea, have alot more to offer than the bullshit that spews out of SNSD's succulent mouths

btw, if your interested in the lyrics of superjunior's "mr simple," check out the link, it has english subtitles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1nLiFk4OXs