Author Archives: eungihon

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

Nationality: British
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Chichester, United Kingdom
Performance Date: April 25th 2016
Primary Language: English

“Every cloud has a silver lining”

This is a British proverb that means: In every unpleasant situation still has a positive aspect to it.

The informant is a childhood friend of mine of British descent. He claims to have heard this proverb multiple times throughout his life. This proverb is poignant for being a very ‘British’ proverb, for lack of a better word; at a literal level, the fact that a cloud refers to an unpleasant situation is very apt when considering the British obsession with weather. However, the most moving part of the proverb for me was that it was a message of hope – in hardship the person has to endure it, for there is hope to be found somewhere.

Gachimuchi

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Performance Date: April 27th 2016
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin, Japanese

Context

Gachimuchi refers to the originally Japanese style of Internet meme originating from the Japanese video streaming website Nico Nico Douga. Initially beginning with the submission of a gay pornographic wrestling video with a deceptive title circa 2008, it eventually evolved to take the form of a mash-up, where specific sound clips originating from said pornography were extensively sampled to cover existing musical pieces or create new sounds. This style of trolling later spread to nearby countries of South Korea and China, and recently Europe and the Americas through video streaming communities such as Youtube and Twitch.

As more of these videos are made through existing video samples, there is a regular cast of characters, and inside jokes have formed around many of them. Billy Herrington in particular achieved international stardom, visiting Japan and China multiple times, “thanks to the unexpected later success of his pornographic work”.

Analysis

At a fundamental level, Gachimuchi is very much a misunderstanding of homosexuality, just in the opposite direction than usual, at least in the case of Asia. Gay men are typically seen as feminine by Asian cultures at large, but the widespread popularity of Gachimuchi led to a warped view of homosexuality – although gay men were no longer seen as effeminate they became part of an internet joke on an international scale. This is definitely one of many growing pains in Asia’s struggle in achieving social justice.

On the other hand, Gachimuchi showcases the creativity of its own folk group; content creators like HIWIRE reached a point of musical refinement where their take on Gachimuchi resembles electronic dance music productions (taking influences from various genres of house) rather than poorly sampled mash-ups of gay pornography. With the resurgence in western listeners and attention, this meme has been, and will be on the rise for a while.

Yorick walks into a bar…

Nationality: South Korean
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Performance Date: March 20th 2016
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean

Joke: “Yorick walks into a bar. There is no counter”

Context

In the online video game League of Legends, five players play against another team of five players. Players choose a specific character to take into battle before the game starts, Yorick being one of them. The original meaning of this wordplay is that it is impossible to counter Yorick – at least at the time.

The Informant

The informant is my younger brother. He is an avid player of the game, playing on a daily basis. He said the joke in self-deprecation after a losing a game against a player who used Yorick. When I asked him where the joke was from, he said that he first heard the joke in game back in 2012, when Yorick was a strong character to use. He added that because the joke got very popular around the game’s community, it is still used when complaining about characters that are too strong.

Analysis

The example presented is pertinent as the joke was powerful enough to create other variants, such as:

“Jax walks into a bar. There is no counter.” (another character that was very strong at one point)

The meaning of the message is quite clear: The performer of this joke acknowledges that a certain character is too powerful through the use of witty language. Unsurprisingly, the joke is now commonly referenced throughout the community whenever something seems too strong. As a joke that has reached idiomatic levels of acceptance in its folk community, its influence is well demonstrated.

Hot Coke as Medicine

Nationality: Hong Kong
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Bath, United Kingdom
Performance Date: March 15th 2016
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin, Cantonese

Context

In Hong Kong, the use of hot coke – a local delicacy – as a cold remedy is widely practiced throughout the region.

The Informant

The informant is a Hong Kong native, and we first met in high school. He used to tell me how hot coke “does wonders for your cold”. This was taught to him by his mother during childhood. He personally heats the coke with no additions and drinks it, although he did say that “some people add ginger or brown sugar” to taste. The informant claims that hot coke should be consumed for medicinal reasons instead of reasons pertaining to taste. He believes that hot coke is “the way coke was supposed to be drank”.

Analysis

As folklore, hot coke is pertinent for its overlap between food and folk medicine. Although within the United States and most of the world coke is consumed cold, in Hong Kong it takes on a cultural meaning as the coke is heated to form something uniquely cantonese.

“Can’t Be Stuffed” to “Ceebs”

Nationality: Taiwanese
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Shanghai, China
Performance Date: 16th March, 2016
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin, Taiwanese Mandarin

The Informant

The informant is a Taiwanese overseas student currently a senior in an American high school in Shanghai, China. The informant told me that the word “ceebs” is so popular across his school, yet he feels a “lack of authenticity”, since the word comes from Australia, “yet nothing else [from Australia] is in use.”

Context

“Ceebs” comes from the abbreviation of “can’t be stuffed”, a predominantly Australian slang used to describe apathy about a subject, i.e. “can’t be stuffed to study tonight”. This was abbreviated to CBS, and was later pronounced as if it was an actual word, hence ceebs. Despite its Australian origins, the word has been in circulation within Shanghai’s international students for years, even within Shanghai’s American schools where the use of Australian slang is otherwise nonexistent.

Analysis

In this example, folklore leaves its cultural boundary (Australian) to reach other cultures (American), in the process becoming more closely linked to the region (Shanghai) than a particular culture. In that sense, Shanghai is a melting pot of many different ethnic, national and folk groups across the globe.