| Mass culture is like a litmus test of the sanity of a society. Otherwise, mass culture is like a mirror. But it seems to me that Korean society is very sick, especially when it comes to mass culture. The so-called Korean sickness is a syndrome comprised of such things as adolescent rebellion and frustration, provocative mass media, the generation gap, loss of mutual affection and admiration, loss of education, loss of authority, breakdown of the family and morality, loss of middle class ethics, and the absence of alternatives.
Our society's mass culture is anarchistic and it is well known that a society based on insane minds is very risky. But in our society, acceptance of crisis is urgent. Anachronistic ideologies of a sane society and sane mind are devaluated and threatened by new generations. Cultural revolution in our society began with sexual discourse in the 1990s, and traditional Confucian values and chauvinistic authoritarianism were strongly challenged by youngsters and rebellious women trying to break social taboos. I reviewed issues such as popular songs, mass media, the Internet and advertising in terms of sexuality. Pertinent screening institutions are needed to block imprudent input from the negative aspects of Western culture.
In my view, one-sided Westernization of culture is not true globalization. |
