Unravel Unravel The FALL of Kpop
Contents Contents Contents 01 02 03 04 AI Art and the Death of Creativity BROCKHAMPTON: Tragic Victims of Gatekeeping Kpop Part 2: The Fall Food Review: Kc Chee Chong Fun The Importance of Heartstopper ' s Queer Optimism Fish Can Critiques: Middle Eastern Food ÿĀ ÿ5 ÿ7 ĀĀ Ā5 Ā9
Hello dear reader! Welcome to Unravel, where we unravel all the mysteries you have about the world. As a newbie at AISM in 2022, the level of diversity I’ve experienced is incomparable. Our group at AISM, however, is undeniably encompassed in this small bubble of privilege, which sometimes, covers our eyes from seeing issues and topics surrounding us. Through Unravel, I hope that anyone who comes across it will benefit from the interesting articles focusing on literally anything in the world, written by my peers and I. Unravel will (hopefully) widen your worldview, and inspire you to learn more about your surroundings. "The world becomes a wider place, with but a little learning" - Susanna Kearsley Editor's Editor's Editor's Note Have something to say? Email us now! [email protected]
A I A N D T H E C R E A T I V I T Y D E A T H O F A R T C r e a t i v i t y h a s b e e n a l o n g s o u g h t a ft e r t a l e n t t h r o u g h o u t h u m a n h i s t o r y , w i t h t h e a r t s a n d s c i e n c e s b e i n g o u r g r e a t e s t a c h i e v e m e n t s a s a s p e c i e s . L o n g h a v e a r t i s t s l a b o u r e d t o s p i n t h e i r t a p e s t r i e s , t h e i r p a i n t i n g s a n d s o n g s , t o c r e a t e s o m e o f t h e m o s t i c o n i c a n d l o v e d p i e c e s i n h i s t o r y . B u t n o w t h e a r t w o r l d i s u n d e r s i e g e f r o m a g r e a t t h r e a t . T h e b i z a r r e w o r l d o f A I a r t , a n d t h e d e a t h o f i t s c r e a t i v e s o u l . I t ’ s i m p o s s i b l e t o n o t h a v e h e a r d o f A I a r t b y n o w , s i n c e t h e w a l l s o f s o c i a l m e d i a a r e a w a s h w i t h v i r a l n a m e s : M i dj o u r n e y , D A L L - E , S t a b l e D i ff u s i o n , a n d t h e c o u n t l e s s i m a g e s t h e y ’ v e c r e a t e d . B u t u n d e r n e a t h t h e fa n t a s t i c a l a n d v i b r a n t i m a g e s l i e s a s i n i s t e r u n d e r t o n e . T o u n d e r s t a n d p a r t o f w h y A I g e n e r a t e d a r t i s s o c o n t r o v e r s i a l , w e m u s t f i r s t l o o k a t t h e p r o c e s s i n w h i c h i t ’ s c r e a t e d . A I a r t i s t r a i n e d o n a d a t a s e t c o n s i s t i n g o f t h e w o r k s o f a r t i s t s , t h e n u s i n g a n a l g o r i t h m t o g e n e r a t e a w o r k b a s e d o n s p e c i f i e d p r o m p t s . S o fa r s o g o o d r i g h t ? W r o n g . T h e n a t u r e o f t h e s e p r o g r a m s i s e x t r e m e l y m o r a l l y q u e s t i o n a b l e , a s t h e y t a k e w o r k s f r o m c o u n t l e s s a r t i s t s a n d s c r a m b l e i t i n t o s o m e t h i n g n e w . T h i s r a i s e s m a n y q u e r i e s a b o u t c o p y r i g h t a n d t h e n a t u r e o f s u c h p r a c t i c e s a s , u n fo r t u n a t e l y , t h e a r t i n d u s t r y i s n o t o ft e n a ffo r d e d c o p y r i g h t p r o t e c t i o n s t h a t a r e a s W r i t t e n b y : R e e s e K a m , E d i t t e d b y : I s h w a r y a K r i s h n a , L a y o u t B y : I s h w a r y a K r i s h n a 1
e x t e n s i v e a s t h o s e o f , s a y , m u s i c . T h e r e fo r e , c o m p a n i e s e x p l o i t t h i s l o o p h o l e a n d p r o c e e d t o r u n t h e s e a l g o r i t h m s w i t h a n y b o d y ’ s a r t , w i t h o u t n e e d i n g p e r m i s s i o n o r k n o w l e d g e o r c o n s e n t . T h e s c a l e o f t h e s e d a t a b a s e s a r e m a s s i v e t o o , o ft e n c o n t a i n i n g m i l l i o n s o f p i e c e s b y t h o u s a n d s o f a r t i s t s . I t i s s o b i g t h a t c h a n c e s a r e , i f y o u ’ v e e v e r p o s t e d a n a r t p i e c e o n l i n e , i t i s i n t h a t d a t a s e t . E v e n p i c t u r e s o f y o u r s e l f , o bj e c t s y o u s h a r e d — e v e n y o u r h o u s e m i g h t b e i n o n e o f t h e s e d a t a s e t s . C o m p a n i e s l i k e M i dj o u r n e y a r e a l s o i n c r e d i b l y o p a q u e a b o u t t h e i r d a t a c o l l e c t i o n m e t h o d s a n d t h e d a t a s e t s t h e y t r a i n o n , f u r t h e r a d d i n g t o t h e i n c r e d i b l e u n c e r t a i n t y a n d m i s t r u s t s u r r o u n d i n g t h e s e p r o g r a m s . E v e n w o r s e , s o m e p e o p l e t a k e i t f u r t h e r , b y u s i n g t h e n a m e s o f s p e c i f i c a r t i s t s t o e m u l a t e t h e i r s t y l e s . T a k e a r t i s t G r e g R u t k o w s k i . A c c o r d i n g t o r e p o r t s , h e h a s h a d h i s n a m e u s e d 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 t i m e s i n p r o m p t s , a c r o s s v a r i o u s p l a t fo r m s , t o g e n e r a t e a r t . T h e u s a g e o f A I t o e m u l a t e t h e a r t w o r k s o f p o p u l a r a r t i s t s o p e n s a P a n d o r a ’ s B o x . N o w , a r t i s t s t h a t p u t t h e i r w h o l e l i fe , t h e i r s o u l a n d p a s s i o n i n t o t h e i r w o r k s , c a n n o w h a v e i t r i p p e d s t r a i g h t f r o m t h e i n t e r n e t i n o r d e r t o t r a i n t h e s e m o d e l s , w i t h o u t t h e i r k n o w l e d g e . H o w ’ d y o u fe e l ? U n d e r s t a n d a b l y , m a n y p r o m i n e n t a r t i s t s h a v e s p o k e n o u t a g a i n s t t h i s i n t e n s e m a l p r a c t i c e , w i t h f i g u r e s s u c h a s S a m Y a n g ( S a m D o e s A r t s ) a n d S a m u e l Z a p a t a h a v i n g m a d e t h e i r o w n e s s a y s o n t h e r a p i d l y e n c r o a c h i n g n a t u r e o f A I a n d i t s d e s t r u c t i o n o f t h e w o r k t h a t r e a l a r t i s t s h a v e w o r k e d s o h a r d t o c r e a t e . A r t i s o n e o f t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t t h i n g s t h a t w e h u m a n s t r e a s u r e , a n d n o w t h e s e m a c h i n e s a n d t h e c o r p o r a t i o n s b e h i n d t h e m s e e k t o s l o w l y c r u s h a r t i s t s , r e p l a c i n g t h e m w i t h t h e i r A I m o d e l s s o t h a t t h e y ’ l l n e v e r h a v e t o p a y fo r a r e a l a r t i s t a g a i n . A ft e r a l l , w h y w o u l d y o u p a y t o c o m m i s s i o n a n 2
artist when you can just type something into the machine on your computer to produce something in mere seconds or minutes? A common argument for AI art is that it’s a tool to help artists, but these companies don’t promote their AI programs as a tool to help artists, but rather a tool to replace them completely. Take Stable Diffusion as an example. One of the phrases that they promote the AI with is “You can see some of the amazing output that has been created by this model, without pre or post processing, on this page.” The language implies that they absolutely do not want artists in the picture anymore, you’ll never need to retouch or edit it or do any of the other things that you’d need to pick up your pen for. Instead you’ll be shoved away as best as possible, so no one will need you anymore. They want to promote the idea that anyone with no talent, can make the same thing on day one, as an artist who’s trained years and worked on for countless days, in seconds. Despite most of these programs being in their infancy, the capabilities of them are already more than good enough, for most people. Now imagine them in a few years. Then truly will their promise come true. The advent of these programs is slowly eroding the world of artistry, ripping off the talent, blood, sweat and tears of real people and shoving it into a soulless robot, to create a horrific Frankenstein of thousands and thousands of plagiarised works. And the worst part isn’t the AI itself, despite how messed up its system of data collection is. It’s the companies behind them and the people who champion it. A disturbingly common sentiment among many of the people who support AI art is a lack of empathy towards artists. For many of these artists, they’re fighting an uphill battle, as their livelihoods, their jobs hang in the balance, and yet many of the people who support their machine replacements see absolutely no problem with it. They don’t think like artists, only like businessmen. After all, who cares about throwing thousands of people under the bus if it saves you some of that sweet, sweet money? Some might argue it’s simply an inevitable consequence of our march of progress, such as the transition from carts to cars, or mail to email, or automation in places like factories, but the scenario is vastly different. Much of these replacements were more easily accepted due to the dangerous nature of some of the jobs that were automated or concerns of personal safety. But art is not something that has to be seen as something to stamp out or replace. It’s a key characteristic of us. AI is a strike at the heart of the human soul. But these people don’t see it that way. Instead, take a look at what they say. The sentiment expressed by this commenter is unfortunately a highly common one shared amongst these individuals who support AI art in the context of replacing artists. The condescending tone, lack of empathy, it’s all there. If you saw this person talk about anything else like this, you’d hate them too right? First of all, their assumptions are grossly incorrect. Art isn’t a “Walled garden only for those who were born lucky” like this commenter believes. Art is not being “gatekept” like this commenter so haughtily assumes. Art by nature is inclusive. Art can be done by anyone, as long as they pick up a pencil or pen and set it to a piece of paper. And the beauty of art comes from the years of practice, years of honing one’s skills to unleash the unlimited creativity of the mind. The great artists of years past were not born as talented as they were, they honed their craft for years and dec- 3
or even their entire lives. They trained it just like one might train their athletic ability or culinary prowess or linguistic skills. There is no being born with innate talent in the field of art, all that it takes to enter art is a pen and some paper. If you do it for years, you might even become a master of it. But yet this person wishes to leap past all these trials and experience. If one wishes to only take the easy way out, wanting to create a masterpiece without the hard work of an artisan, maybe they don’t deserve to be an artist. Because they can’t even be bothered to pick up a pen like we all did once upon a time. 4
TRAGIC VICTIMS OF GATEKEEPING Loved. Hated. Mistreated. Brockhampton were wildly successful. And they paid the price for it. Representing an internet-raised frustrated generation of lost teenagers, the group packed forktongued angst, jarring social commentary and tear-jerking vulnerability into a colorful candystore of damn good music generating a cult-like following in āÿĀ7. But as the streams went up, their fanbase pummeled them down. Brockhampton ' s discography is a multilayered sandwich of pop, hip-hop, R&B and alt-rock, a distinctly spicy offbeat sound that has retained its quality of ripping boundaries to shreds, raising conversations surrounding LGBTQIA++ oppression, misogyny, drug abuse, heartbreak and toxic masculinity within clever lyrics and flamboyant instrumentals. Churning out the iconic "SATURATION" trilogy on an independent label, they were among the most consistently talented independent musical acts of the āÿĀÿs. written & designed by evann 5
...Then why did so many fans turn against them? After being signed to a major record company in āÿĀ8, Brockhampton went from a widely-respected collective to a laughingstock of contemporary music— upon blowing up in the mainstream pop scene, their reputation was brutally executed for the crime of becoming famous. "SUGAR" , a hit off their new album, branded them a poster-child of 'Tiktok-ification ' in the industry, and calling them your favorite band became a oneway ticket to embarassment. Within a year, they transformed from the hottest name in underground circles to the most disrespected in mainstream discourse. And it wasn 't even their fault. Their successive records dwindled in plays. and the culture of gatekeeping caused fans to turn their backs on the band, which many say was the catalyst for their breakup. As a long time fan, this saddened me. Despite their talent, the band suffered the curse of most niche indie acts — fans who want to feel special at the cost of their favorite artists receiving publicity. Was their breakup a textbook case of wasted potential? Or a natural fulfilling end to their short-lived career? That' s for you to decide. 6
Written by: Denyce Ng, Editted by Ishwarya Krishna, Layout by Ishwarya Krishna K-Pop has once again crept into the walls of AISM, have you noticed the Year 12 boys putting on their own incredibly entertaining version of Boy In Luv by BTS? I definitely noticed the resemblances a certain someone had with Jin. Behind the facade of flashy dance moves, perfect-looking idols and crazy vocal ranges, it is not always glitz and glamour. The K-Pop industry can be credited as the source of a handful of fashion and beauty trends we see today, and it has the capacity to reach thousands, if not millions of fans globally. However, this 7
also means that whatever is put out by these idols, can alter the life trajectories of millions, no matter good or bad. “It’s all plastic surgery!” There is this common assumption among the older generation that K-Pop stars must have work done to ascertain the perfect image they have. Though not entirely untrue, the K-Pop industry has managed to make completely ordinary-looking people transform into their glamorous alter egos without going under the knife. The secret? Crazy diets and excessively editing pictures. This constant spotless presentation, however, has immense downsides. The flawless selfies and hourglass physiques that plague K-pop fans ’social media are repeatedly brainwashing fans into thinking that THIS is the beauty norm. I, myself, was a victim of this. I still remember the shame I felt from my acne when I was just 13, aspiring for the poreless smooth skin of K-Pop idols as they were all I saw on my feed. You cannot have poreless skin. I found that out a year later. But the damage had already been done. The narrow-waisted hourglass physiques are problematic as well. For years, the news has broadcasted the brutal diets undertaken by K-Pop idols to maintain their slim figure. 8
The IU diet consists of an apple for breakfast, two sweet potatoes for lunch, and a protein drink for dinner; The Somi diet with only one banana for every meal. Sure, these methods were highly effective in slimming you down, but at what costs? K-Pop idol Ashley Choi of Girl Group Ladies’ Code revealed in a past interview that in her lengthy process of training to become an idol, extreme dieting to adhere to the strict weight limits for being a K-Pop trainee has stop- ped her period. These extreme diets set your body on a path to life- threatening medical conditions. It is said that it is in a K-Pop idol’s job description to look perfect, but it is this exact perfect portrayal that creates these impossible standards of beauty, exacerbating the already illogical beauty exp- ectations of our world today. “I miss the old BTS” The next time you scroll past a BTS Tiktok, take a peek at the comment section. My bets are that t here would be a few comments saying the same thing: “I miss the old BTS.” And to be honest, same. BTS used to be at the peak of K-Pop music. However, as their fame surpassed Asia, their promotions focused more and more on western regions, as too their songs. After BTS shot to fame in the US, they started to release more westernised music, with some of their hits released in recent years being songs fully in English too. Of course, ‘Permission to Dance’, ‘Butter’ and ‘Boy in Luv’, all English songs of BTS have charted well, but some fans have begun to think these songs are too generic, and just don’t “serve” as much as their older songs such as 9
“Blood Sweat Tears” and “Fire” anymore. In short, it’s just not giving. Other groups such as Twice and Blackpink have also followed in BTS's footsteps, and released full English singles such as ‘The Feels’ and ‘Love to Hate Me’. Considering this, it will not be surprising to see more K-Pop groups start to hop on this trend to cater to a more international audience. Though this might bring more fans into the niche, this does spark an interesting question: Āÿ
THEN I'M SUDDENLY ON A ROLLERCOASTER GOING DOWN WRITTEN & LAYOU EDITTTED BY: ISHWA 11
which canteen food would you miss the most? UT BY: DENYCE NG ARYA DEVI KRISHNA 12
Address: Peninsular Hainan Coffee 7Ą, Jalan Hujan Rahmat Ă, Taman Overseas Union, Ą8āÿÿ KL. The stall is open every day of the week other than alternate Wednesdays from 7am to Ā.ĀĄpm. KC Chee Cheong Fun Yong Tau Foo Spending Ą years in my old school, a highlight for me was the chee cheong fun*. Every recess, my friends and I would run from our class on the 8th floor to the canteen across the school to queue up, if we are late by even a few minutes, that would mean no food for us, because the queue can go on well after recess. Sometimes, alumni would even come back to the school just for the chee cheong fun. Thankfully, I no longer have to go through crazy lines for a taste of this delicacy. The chee cheong fun stall left my old school this year and decided to set up shop in a kopitiam*** instead. On the day of my first visit (yes, I have since gone there several times), I woke up extra early. This proved useful, because their curry broth usually runs out after Ă to ă hours of opening. Getting to the location was not easy. A market nearby made the traffic a little bit congested, especially since it was morning, but not too bad that I couldn’t find any parking spots. Denyce Judges Food I'd come here again Thankfully, the kopitiam was not dirty and completely full like others that I’ve been to. The newly renovated corner lot was clean with glossy tables,floors and dry toilets (though cleanliness has deteriorated after a few visits, but it was still satisfactory). There are also both indoor and outdoor seating sections, equipped with air conditioners and ceiling fans 13 respectively, so there is no need to worry about it getting too hot.
glossary *Chee cheong fun: a Cantonese dish comprising rice noodle rolls. In Malaysia, chee cheong fun is often served with other sides such as yong tau foo** and porkballs. **Yong tau foo: tofu/vegetables filled with ground meat mixture or fish paste. ***kopitiam: a traditional breakfast and coffee shop found in Southeast Asia. On the right side of the kopitiam, I spotted it. The chee cheong fun stall:‘KC Chee Cheong Fun Yong Tau Foo’. It is definitely something you would not be able to miss. The friendly aunty manning the stall will give you a bowl to choose your sides, all of which are laid out on a pan : fuzok, fish stuffed okras and many more. For the first time, I ordered three pork balls and two fried wontons. The wantons weren’t as flavorful as I like them to be, but the pork balls’ made up for that because their texture was on point, with just the right amount of chewiness. If I threw these ping pong shaped balls on the floor, I am almost certain they would bounce right back up. The choice of sauce when it comes to chee cheong fun is the hardest decision I have to make in my whole life. “Clear broth…curry…chili sauce…sweet sauce…soy sauce… I probably should choose soy sauce…WAIT maybe curry…OR curry together with sweet sauce? So many options, so little bowls of chee chong fun. But, alas, I went with the soy sauce. And It did not disappoint. The soy sauce complemented the smooth, slippery, gleaming rice noodle rolls, with the occasional pork ball greeting my tongue. It was an attack on the taste buds. The saltiness from the soy sauce hit all the right spots as the smooth rice noodle rolls slipped down my throat. Then, to top it off, I put a pork ball into my mouth which only left me craving more. The chee cheong fun hit every peak and every valley of a roller coaster with perfect timing, blessing my taste buds with the best ride. Ever. One would think that a dish this exquisite would cost exquisitely too. But no. This is Malaysia. We all know the REAL good Malaysian food is in restaurants that are a borderline food safety concern (thankfully not this one) and dishes cost less than RMĀÿ. Criminally cheap. My plate of chee cheong fun costed approximately RM7, and I would say the portion was just enough to fill my tummy, not too full nor empty. I will revisit this place again. Considering the cheap price, good food, and friendly aunty who always give free sauce top ups, why wouldn’t I? And if you so happen to 'IF A MAN DOES NOT HAVE THE SAUCE, THEN HE IS LOST.' As Gucci Mane once said: 14 ever visit,you might just see the lone figure of a high school student sitting in the corner, licking their plate in utter glee
the importance importance of 's 15
When I first saw Heartstopper’s netflix trailer pop up in my recommendations on youtube, my initial thought was “not again”. I had yet to see the trailer at that point, nor did I know anything about the show, all I could see were two white, teenage boys staring at each other intimately. It is gay. That’s what it tells me. It is gay. Amidst the trend of companies jumping on “wokeness”, queer representation has always been…disappointing. The influx of sensationalists, trauma-induced queer characters bleed less out of authenticity and more in service of the heteronormative viewership in an attempt to ostracise queer people further. What’s worse is that, due to a long winded history of queerness being seen as inherently predatory, there are barely any queer shows for teens. And so, as starved as I am of any semblance of authentic representation, when I saw the Heartstopper comic on Webtoon, a user based website where people—not companies —can post their original stories, I caved. And it was not what I had expected. Its optimistically delightful gay romance felt sincere. As with its heartfelt storytelling. A series so touching in nature and irrevocably effortless in its portrayal of queerness. So obviously this show provides exceptional representation of queer youth for queer youth. It breaks the barriers held up by popular media on prioritising heteronormative reception and focuses on feeding the queers. 16 Written. Editted and Layout by: Ishwarya Krishna
On the 8th of March 2022, Florida passed the Parental Rights in Education Act, colloquially referred to as the Don’t Say Gay Bill. This legislation restricted “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels”. Similarly, around the same time, the UK government announced its intention to not ban conversion therapy for gender identity. Why? Because apparently queer people are unsafe to have around children. Or, in the minds of more backwards thinking people, they groom them. By allowing youth-friendly queer media that doesn’t demonise queer characters to exist, they are covertly warping their minds to think that they, themselves, are queer. In 1977 Anita Bryant, a former Miss. Oklahoma, spearheaded an anBut why is this show really important? 17 ti-queer campaign with such impact that it still echoes in today’s rhetoric. As a mother of four, she often said that she was speaking as “a mother and a Christian”. While the villainization of queer people was not new, Bryant took the idea of protecting children, and made it mainstream. Her campaign, and subsequently the “Save Our Children” political coalition, used the argument that “homosexuals cannot reproduce, so they must recruit”. Sound familiar? Bryant’s campaign allowed antigay bills, such as the ones mentioned above, to pass across the world. Anita Byrant's Campaign Anita Byrant's Campaign
18 This is why we need accurate and nuanced portrayals of queer youth for queer youth in the media. Heartstopper represents queer romance and the journey of discovering one's identity in a way that normalises LGBTQ+ culture, and treats its characters with the respect and dignity they deserve. Too many of the queer stories of past and (unfortunately) present portray a bleak and negative view of LGBT culture—making its characters constant victims of homophobic societies, and having them find their identity through unhealthy lifestyles of sex, drugs, and alcohol. While it is sometimes enjoyable to watch those types of shows, a show like Heartstopper which projects a lot more positive and optimistic depictions of queer romance makes queerness feel like an unexpected normalcy. A normalcy with the power to disrupt the status quo. Given time, I believe more shows like this will spring up and help turn the tides. Yet, for now, we’ll live off the much needed hope for queerness and its future. Though the times have changed, it seems her type of bigot has not. At every point of the globe, close-minded people are still fighting to restrict the rights of queer individuals. The pure innocence of Heartstopper’s success is a direct attack on this bigoted way of thinking. Queer representation seeks to promote and celebrate the existence of people—whilst bigotry seeks to limit and revoke the freedoms of those same people. One group wants to exist in peace, and the other doesn’t want that group to exist at all. Conservatives are successfully banning the existence of queer people from anywhere children exist. So a show directed at teens and preteens that shows queer characters as not only human beings, but normal human beings with normal problems and friends and families who care about them—gay teens, bisexual teens, trans teens, lesbian teens—is a powerful sentiment in the modern times. This sweet show about queer teens living their lives is inadvertently a direct attack on the bigots stretching their arms around the world.
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Unravel Denyce Ng Denye Ng Ishwarya Krishna Zara Yap Evann Gomez Nicole Bong Denye Ng Ishwarya Krishna Reese Kam Evann Gomez Evelyn Loh Cherish Wang Nicole Bong Ishwarya Krishna