# Oppa Gangnam Style - awesome Korean music video **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 9, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919 "2012-08-09T00:50:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/221 "2012-12-16T01:16:47Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > But they don’t look particularly similar… The main similarity is the chin, IMO, but other than that, you’re right. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/222 "2012-12-16T01:50:59Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > So Koreans look like Indians look like Turks? They’re all Asian. There’s no reason to go strawmanning here. There’s no easy way to describe the demographic group that he means, thus he tried to use qualifiers that would be descriptive, such as “orientals”. “Asians” to most Americans typically means southeast Asians\*, and not Indians, or Iranians, or Turks, or Russians. Whining that this is not technically accurate and overlooks large population groups that are also from Asia does not change his intent, and trying to twist his words just makes your position look weak. If you think he’s wrong, then argue the actual point, not some GD point that Americans are stupid for forgetting there’s more to Asia than China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. * * * \*And again that’s still vague, though at least a little better. But it really doesn’t isolate the demographic group very well or provide a good description of the group intended. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/223 "2012-12-16T01:53:21Z")
Geez, who pissed in your coffee this morning? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/224 "2012-12-16T02:43:20Z")
So my company Christmas party was last weekend. About 140 attendees. My company skews old. At 41, I’m clearly under the median age, which I would guess is around 50-55 outside of the IT department. Anyway, our company puts on a pretty big Christmas bash every year. It’s held at a really nice private golf resort, great food in a beautiful setting, wine, door prizes (nice ones) for every guest. And they hire the same DJ every year, a guy who clearly specializes in these sorts of events and knows what his guests want; people-in-their-50s music. YMCA is a big hit, for instance. Anyway, to my admitted surprise, at some point between “YMCA” and that Grease medley on comes… Gangnam Style. AND THE PLACE GOES FUCKING INSANE. Everyone, even the retirees, is up, and they’re all doing the horse dance. People I’d have sworn didn’t even know how to find a video on Youtube were riding imaginary horses. The President of the company, who is a really nice guy but a guy who keeps his dignity about him as befits his position, is doing the horse dance. Some people are trying to do the shuffle part of the dance. They’re singing “Heyyyyyy, sexy lay-dee!” It was bananas. And then the next song comes on and three quarters of the people sit down again. Song’s a goddamned phenomenon. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/225 "2012-12-16T14:00:00Z")
Ha! That makes me smile, RickJay!..I have a close relative, a stuffy conservative man of nearly 60, way overweight, who is obsessed with that Youtube video and can bust a ride-the-horse move like no one’s business! We joke if we can get him to dance several times a day it will help him lose some weight…and our morning TV weatherman has danced for our entertainment at least twice, maybe more. 😃 On Halloween, he showed up in a powder blue suit and had the news anchors dancing with him against a green screen. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/226 "2012-12-16T14:05:54Z")
I read somewhere (about telling one Asian from another) in an article, they asked a Chinese American woman if other ‘Asians’ all looked the same to other ‘Asians’. She said sort of, but if there was any question, she said you could get a clue from their last name. ‘Park’ - Korean. ‘Chin’ - Chinese. ‘Watanabe’ - Japanese. Which makes sense, if I met a blond man, I would guess by his last name if he was Danish, Polish, or Northern Italian. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/227 "2012-12-16T14:12:38Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I read somewhere (about telling one Asian from another) in an article, they asked a Chinese American woman if other ‘Asians’ all looked the same to other ‘Asians’. She said sort of, but if there was any question, she said you could get a clue from their last name. ‘Park’ - Korean. ‘Chin’ - Chinese. ‘Watanabe’ - Japanese. Which makes sense, if I met a blond man, I would guess by his last name if he was Danish, Polish, or Northern Italian. That only works if there isn’t intermarriage or adoption. And she was American. If one live in East Asia I think the differences would become more apparent. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/228 "2012-12-16T14:27:04Z")
**Leaffan** wasn’t talking about differentiating the nationality of one guy from another though. he is outright stating that the guys all look alike to him, because the factory settings have too little choices to distinguish one product from another. he seems particularly concerned that there aren’t a greater variety of colours to choose from. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/229 "2012-12-16T15:23:52Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I read somewhere (about telling one Asian from another) in an article, they asked a Chinese American woman if other ‘Asians’ all looked the same to other ‘Asians’. She said sort of, but if there was any question, she said you could get a clue from their last name. ‘Park’ - Korean. ‘Chin’ - Chinese. ‘Watanabe’ - Japanese. Which makes sense, if I met a blond man, I would guess by his last name if he was Danish, Polish, or Northern Italian. Kim is a bit of a wild card. Koreans sure, but also Vietnamese and even Cambodians. Some others too, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/230 "2012-12-16T16:13:21Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Song’s a goddamned phenomenon. Like the Macarena. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/231 "2012-12-16T16:22:49Z")
Can we at least agree that all white people look alike? ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/232 "2012-12-16T19:41:45Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Can we at least agree that all white people look alike? And we all smell like cheese ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/233 "2012-12-16T19:43:38Z")
And we can’t dance. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/234 "2012-12-17T03:42:38Z")
> [@Cinnamon\_Imp](#): > > And we can’t dance. We can dance if we want to. We can leave your friends behind. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/235 "2012-12-17T13:00:46Z")
'Cause your friends don’t dance and if they don’t dance Well they’re no friends of mine ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/236 "2012-12-17T13:02:09Z")
I say, we can go where we want to, A place where they’ll never find. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/237 "2012-12-17T13:23:42Z")
and we can act like we’re from South Korea and dance the Gangnam Style ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/238 "2012-12-17T15:58:32Z")
> [@Cinnamon\_Imp](#): > > And we can’t dance. Or jump. Onto a horse. But that’s only white men. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/239 "2012-12-17T16:46:14Z")
> [@Disheavel](#): > > And now the internet’s most beloved “comedian”, Mr. Bill O’Reilly does a [review of Gangnam Style](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpnu1DUpNbY&feature=player_embedded) in the most racially naive and insulting method ever. > > Some choice quotes: > “At least Elvis could sing, this is just some little fat guy from Yongyang, or somewhere like that.” > “This doesn’t even have intelligible words…” > “Maybe the entire point is that it doesn’t have any meaning.” > > He researched the song/video as much as he researches everything else. Just keep watching, it gets better and better the deeper he digs. Oh my. I love Billy. > [@Leaffan](#): > > Look, grumpy old men said the same thing about Elvis and The Beatles. These grumpy old men, without realizing it, also introduced some xenophobic comments. They can’t help it they’re grumpy old men. And they’re grumpy old Republicans. > > I never thought I would start to get as polarized as Americans on the Republican/Democratic dichotomy, but Jesus Christ the right wing in the US are really getting out of touch with reality, with globalization, and with humanity. Yeah, the opinions of two out of touch old guys represents the entire right wing party. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/240 "2012-12-17T16:47:30Z")
I hope Gangnam Style hits a billion views before the end of the world this Friday. Hell, this was probably the apocalypse the Mayans predicted! If this is our race’s lasting legacy to the cosmos…well, I won’t be that upset [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919.md?page=13)