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Pyongshin Sangja
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Location: I love baby!
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 Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 9:39 pm Post subject: Discover the New Gloom |
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Home> Culture/Sports
Updated Feb.1,2007 09:01 KST
Harassed Trendsetters Discover the New Gloom
It was a hectic schedule again this week: dinner with colleagues on Monday, business trip on Tuesday, overtime on Wednesday... On Saturday evening, the 30-year-old leaves home to catch a Michel Gondry movie in a small art-house cinema in Jongro, Seoul. She has been meaning to see it for a long time. Listening to what others say while watching movie is the last thing she wants to do, so she didn't mention it even to her boyfriend. While watching it, she has a blueberry muffin and cafe latte. After the movie, she walks along the Cheonggye stream by herself. Listening to �Year of the Rat� by Badly Drawn Boy, she walks down to Gwanghwamun and has a look-around the Kyobo Bookstore, then takes a subway to go to "Behind", a cafe in Sangsu-dong. She orders a cup of coffee there and starts to read a novel. She occasionally scribbles down her impressions while reading the novel. Already the clock says 4 p.m.
As society moves faster and human network get more and more complex, more and more people are discovering the pleasures of gloom.
Constant interaction with others sometimes makes you feel the need to be alone. You may be fed up with all the hassle or you may simply love your own company. Such solitary people are not necessarily obstinate or cranky. They just find comfort in a slight depression, a little gloom. As society moves faster and human network get more and more complex, more and more people are discovering the pleasures of gloom. From schools to communities and offices, you have to deal with a constant stream of other people. It�s only natural that you want to have a little space and time of your own.
Han, a civil servant, decided last July to have lunch on his own every Monday and Wednesday in the first and third week of the month. Previously, he felt he wasted precious time talking with people he meets every day about nothing in particular. Working overtime, he didn't have time to read. "On my lunch day, I go to a cafe in the Ganghwamun area and read a movie magazine or novel while grabbing sandwich with a cup of coffee,� he says. �If it�s not too cold, I go to Starbucks on the fourth floor of a building there and have a bagel and coffee on the outside terrace. Having lunch alone is a simple way to get away from your everyday routine." Han also goes and has a drink by himself once a month. He goes to a small, cozy pub to pour himself a few bottles of beer on his way from work or enjoys his own third-round party after two rounds with his colleagues to have a bit of time to himself before he goes to bed.
Around Sangsu subway station a few minutes walk from the bustling streets around Hongik University, small cafes are opening where customers can enjoy a cup of tea and read books in a cozy atmosphere.
Yoon Ju-young, who works for an interior design firm, enjoys traveling by herself. Every weekend, she hits the road and goes somewhere beautiful to take photos or sketch. "I feel extremely alone when I go to places where nobody knows me. In Seoul, you are stressed out from dealing with lots of people, so sometimes I�m glad to feel alone," she said. "I always watch movies by myself, but I don't go to theaters packed with people. If I want to see a blockbuster, I go early in the morning at weekends." Jeong, a company worker, also likes to go to art-house theaters with fewer people like Cinecube in Gwanghwamun or Sponge House in Apgujeong-dong. Watching low-budget independent films or movies from developing countries that no mainstream theater would show, she feels pleased to have her own cultural life. Sponge House, with its mere 80 seats, is popular with devotees of gloom since it is cozy and allows customers to bring in food.
"The Cut", a beauty parlor for the solitary. With good music and a sophisticated interior, the place has only one hairdresser and two chairs. Customers must make reservations because only one customer is admitted at a time.
Brit Pop, with its suggestions of shabby streets and gloomy weather, makes the perfect soundtrack to the gloomy lifestyle as followers travel alone or walk down the road on a rainy day. Lee Hye-won from cultural marketing firm NStory says, "Brit Pop as represented by Radiohead, the Verve and Oasis sounds melancholy and emotional. You can't say they appeal to mass audiences here, but they increasingly strike a chord with young people who seek gloomy and low-spirited music, so some groups like Starsailor and Hacker have given concerts in Korea." Trip hop with its subdued, dreamy sounds, also appeals. Also called the Bristol sound after the multicultural port city in southwest England, its most famous proponents are Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky.
Another characteristic of gloom in Korea is that while followers enjoy being alone, they share their solitary experiences on blogs or mini homepages. Kim Sang-woo, a company worker who likes to travel by himself, said, "I wanted to share how I felt during my travel. So I took photos with my digital camera and posted them at an online community. I feel more comfortable with online communities than offline since you don't need to worry about what others like or get along with people you don't like."
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kat2
Joined: 25 Oct 2005
Location: Busan, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 9:50 pm Post subject: |
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This was suc ha funny article! I read it this morning and just couldn't stop thinking "where do they come up with this stuff?" And the Chosun Ilbo is usually good on translation!
Being alone really is a horrible thing I guess. Korea is such a groupthink place, I could see how they might decide wanting to be alone must mean something is wrong with you. |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap
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| Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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"Gloomy" jumped into the konglish repertoire of my students this year, I think there was a movie or drama featuring the word. Not so dark as we use it in english, it seems to suggest the melancholy of a romantic loner.
I think theres something in a growing number of Koreans, especially younger ones, that is starting to resist complete subjection to the herd.
Ironic if the newest groupthink is a trend to solitariness. |
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princess
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: soul of Asia
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| Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 10:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah, why is being alone called gloom? I can be gloomy surrounded by people, that is, people I don't like all that much. geez! I love traveling alone, so if that makes me a freak, I guess I am one. I liken going out with friends, usually one-on-one, but I also like to go have drinks alone, eat alone, etc. Many times I have ben asked by Koreans if I am lonely or if I have friends. When I say I have friends, they will say, but you are here alone. Last night, I went to Beer Cabin in Chongno 3 Ga alone while waiting for a friend. I got there an hour early, so rather than freeze outside, I went in there. The hostess asked me, hongja(alone)???? I said yes and proceeded to order. She looked at me like I was a leper. When I met my friend last night, I told her I may take a trip this weekend. She said oh no, by yourself? |
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