PSY Hates America, and I Hate Him for Ruining Gangnam Style

Culture

I have a confession to make: I love "Gangnam Style." At least, I used to do it until it surfaced that PSY participated in a 2004 anti-American concert where he sang about "killing American soldiers."

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but you just don't sing about killing American soldiers and then end up years later performing in front of them. I am aware that there's something called the First Amendment — and I honestly commend President Obama for attending PSY's Christmas performance. I'm also aware of the inherent free nature of art, and the fact that it's tricky to take works of art literally and hold them accountable for their supposed messages. But still, PSY kind of ruined "Gangnam Style" for me. 

Although, on second though, maybe the revelation of PSY's "previous" anti-Americanism was the best way to kill "Gangnam Style's" absurd virality once and for all (I mean, the thing reached the billion plays mark on YouTube and it ain't stopping despite PSY's "golden-face" anti-American rant). The performer himself had said he was already tired of it, hinting perhaps that American audiences should look beyond the parody of the trendy Seoul "disco boy" and into some of his other works.

And, boy, he did. Applying the "shock and awe" doctrine, PSY reinvented himself in front of American audiences to go from a K-pop sensation — all the way to the other side of the spectrum — becoming an artsy, obscure and underground protest act (or was it the other way around?).