So this statement sort of reminded me of a quote from Twin Peaks (the television series by David Lynch that aired in the 90s), when Dale Cooper says of the Great Northern, "This must be where pies go when they die." So I guess for the concept of irony, they all die in Korea and then go to the Northeast of the USA.
But it is true, things are not done out of ironic intention. Last week I went to a bar near the back gate of Kangwon University (KNU) called the "Milwaukee Bucks." There's a picture of a buck on the street awning. However inside, the bar isn't decorated with anything related to its name. It just looks like a normal, un-themed bar. And this isn't funny, at least to Koreans. To Americans this is completely not the case of course.
At first I thought that this would lead to some definite issues with my personality, being of an incredible sarcastic nature. However on the other hand, I've noticed that Koreans seem more sincere. And it also leads to unfettered wackiness. Instead of getting hung up on things, they just do it. And so this leads to an amazing amalgam of contrasting visuals and the whatnot. An example of this being in the noraebangs (where you sing karaoke), where they show clips from random movies while you sing. So you could be singing a sappy love song and on the screen could be some guy getting bloodied from a dramatic fight. It really is amazing.
can non-ironic intention and ironic reception be reconciled without the stipulation of a heterogeneous culture (or subculture)? It is sort of an interesting postmodern question... are we one of the last generations living in a world of cutural exchange where where cultural semantics and symbols can be transposed without incurring the irony of critical perspective?
ReplyDeleteMaybe the owner of the bar is a big fan of the Milwaukee Bucks (NBA team)? I took a closer look at the photo (you seem to be grimacing!) -- the logo is identical to that of the NBA team, with one exception: the word "Milwaukee" is missing. Maybe he (or she) did this to avoid a lawsuit. But if you're going to take an American professional basketball team's name and logo and hang it outside your bar, why the Bucks? Definitely not one the NBA's traditional glamour teams.
ReplyDeleteI was about to suggest that maybe irony is a uniquely western quality/condition. But then, I can think of any number of occurrences in my family's history that have been read as being ironic. But then again, maybe I was the one who imposed such an interpretation, and with my hyrbid consciousness, I am not exactly a reliable narrator!
I believe the separation of art from practical endeavor in the West has resulted in a loss of sincerity. Irony makes a great coping mechanism, but with a fully developed sense of it you will never be able to invent Pokemon, or even Pokemon's subordinate brother, Digimon. Possibly this has something to do with why the Japanese live longer and make better cars than us. Korea is in Japan, right?
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