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| Psy presses a button to speed up a treadmill to cause a woman to fall off it in this video capture from his music video "Gentleman." |
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Psy is anything but a gentleman in the video of his new single "Gentleman." He yanks a chair out from underneath one woman and speeds up a treadmill until another falls off it.
The video has stirred a debate on whether it is offensive to women, leaving viewers poles apart over the answer.
Some voiced concern about the music video, saying Psy went too far.
Kevin Cawley, a professor of East Asian Studies at University College Cork in Ireland, said the music video is "sexist and offensive to women."
"Clearly it was made with fun in mind and not to be taken too seriously….(The music video) highlights the inferior position of women in Korean society who are supposed to be beautiful and fulfill male desires," he said. "In addition, most K-Pop videos portray women as sex objects and that includes all the female K-Pop singers and groups, too. Many who have plastic surgery and who dress and dance provocatively yet who are still expected to adhere to outdated Confucian norms about sexual conduct in their private lives while men can do as they please."
Lim Cheol-soon, an online columnist, said he was embarrassed and felt intrusive while watching the Gentleman video.
The retired journalist said he was concerned about some Koreans' numbness to Psy's "violent and rude" behavior. He said he was afraid that their acceptance of such behavior could play a role in shaping public opinion that such deeds are acceptable.
Missy USA, a popular online community for Korean women living in the United States, was divided over the abuse allegation.
Some members thought the Gentleman music video "demeans women." Others countered that allegation, claiming critics were overreacting to Psy.
Women's groups here have been silent about the issue but a staff member from a women's rights group said there has been a pros and cons debate over Psy's treatment of women and the abuse issue has been discussed.
"Women's groups are actually divided over the issue and no consensus has been made regarding the matter," she said, asking not to be named. "Some say Psy is an artist and he deserves freedom of expression. But some claim freedom of expression is one thing and the singer's abusive treatment of women are another."
Criticism, however, has yet to constitute the mainstream view about Psy's music video. Steven Choi, the executive director of the New York-based advocacy group Minkwon Center, seems to think people are overreacting to the video.
"I only first saw it about a week ago, and I haven't heard a lot of people criticize it for being ‘abusive." My sense is that he is poking fun at ‘gentlemen' who instead act very ungentlemanly," Choi said.
The rapper's fans said the Gentleman video is fun and enjoyable. Some Internet users have tweeted that Psy is sexier than the women in the video.
In the YouTube video titled "Teens React," 14-year-old American teenager Bryson said he liked the Gentleman video. "The music video is amazing," he said. The Teens React video had more than 3 million views to date.
Jade, 18, agreed with Bryson but presented a slightly different opinion. "The video is kind of fun but I don't want to listen to the song again."
Many teenagers said they had fun with the Gentleman music video, but they preferred Gangnam Style and thought the music video was disappointing.
That explains why the "Gentleman" is not topping the unprecedented success of "Gangnam Style," although it's also a massive hit.
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