Throw together singer IU and Ze Ze, the main character of the Brazilian novel, "My Sweet Orange Tree", with a pair of fishnet stockings and the result is a major obscenity scandal. As with any such case, the biggest criteria as to whether the results are truly obscene are as much about the views of the majority and standards of decency as they are about freedom of expression, and individual consumers being given full discretion regarding their choices. Currently, it is deplorable to observe the online discussion about the subject which is turning into a witch hunt.
The 23-year-old singer posted an apology on the Facebook, Saturday after a growing number of netizens were calling for a ban on the online sale of her music files.
It all started last month during a new album launch interview, in which the singer said that she wrote the song on the basis of her fond memories of reading the Brazilian novel and described Ze Ze, a small boy and the main character, "sexy." "Chat-shire," a mini-album on which the song is included, features a photo with IU wearing a young girl's outfit and fishnet stockings. One scene from her music video shows the singer with graffiti in the background stating, "We are all mad here. Down the rabbit hole."
The lyrics also add to the controversy, as included in them are the lines, "Ze Ze, come on up the tree quick and kiss the leaves, don't be naughty and don't hurt the tree, come up the tree and get the youngest leaf … you are innocent but shrewd, transparent but dirty and there is no way of knowing what's living inside."
The Korean publisher of the novel criticized the singer for distorting Ze Ze's innocence for commercial purposes, saying, "We regret the way the five-year-old character is portrayed as a sexual object." An online petition is also circulating, seeking deletion of the music file. Tens of thousands have already signed this. Online opinion leaders have also joined the fray. Dongyang University professor Chin Jung-kwan, who has a popular twitter page, said, "Even the authors should keep their mouths shut after the books are out…on what grounds does the publisher have to meddle in the controversy except to sell more books?" But novelist So Jae-won said, "There are taboos even in the literary world. The writer would curse anybody to his death for using one's work to violate the sanctuary!"
In response, IU denied that Ze Ze is a Lolita song or contains any pedophiliac intentions. Perhaps, the best comment was offered by novelist Lee Oi-soo, when he tweeted, "Would you touch a work of art with the "Don't touch" sign in front of it? This should be an intimate decision so let it be made intimately.
The 23-year-old singer posted an apology on the Facebook, Saturday after a growing number of netizens were calling for a ban on the online sale of her music files.
It all started last month during a new album launch interview, in which the singer said that she wrote the song on the basis of her fond memories of reading the Brazilian novel and described Ze Ze, a small boy and the main character, "sexy." "Chat-shire," a mini-album on which the song is included, features a photo with IU wearing a young girl's outfit and fishnet stockings. One scene from her music video shows the singer with graffiti in the background stating, "We are all mad here. Down the rabbit hole."
The lyrics also add to the controversy, as included in them are the lines, "Ze Ze, come on up the tree quick and kiss the leaves, don't be naughty and don't hurt the tree, come up the tree and get the youngest leaf … you are innocent but shrewd, transparent but dirty and there is no way of knowing what's living inside."
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The Korean publisher of the novel criticized the singer for distorting Ze Ze's innocence for commercial purposes, saying, "We regret the way the five-year-old character is portrayed as a sexual object." An online petition is also circulating, seeking deletion of the music file. Tens of thousands have already signed this. Online opinion leaders have also joined the fray. Dongyang University professor Chin Jung-kwan, who has a popular twitter page, said, "Even the authors should keep their mouths shut after the books are out…on what grounds does the publisher have to meddle in the controversy except to sell more books?" But novelist So Jae-won said, "There are taboos even in the literary world. The writer would curse anybody to his death for using one's work to violate the sanctuary!"
In response, IU denied that Ze Ze is a Lolita song or contains any pedophiliac intentions. Perhaps, the best comment was offered by novelist Lee Oi-soo, when he tweeted, "Would you touch a work of art with the "Don't touch" sign in front of it? This should be an intimate decision so let it be made intimately.
