# data[].attributes.headline
'Dufu is busy'- kuso as fun or as resistance to cultural hegemony?

# data[].attributes.subject
'Dufu is busy'- kuso as fun or as resistance to cultural hegemony?

# data[].attributes.body
Since March 2012, there was a 'Dufu fever' online, sweeping through online media, micro-blogs and social networks in China.

People using the original picture of the very famous traditional poet from highschool textbook, redraw or collage it, mixing it with various elements from known anime, manga, singers, footballers etc. Hundreds of pictures are created.

At the beginning of this fever, stuff of Sina micro-blog invited a lot of known mangaka to join in this kuso fever.

As traditional culture and mainstreams in China have never been challenged and kusoed like this, it really asks us to think: is this just for fun of as a resistance to cultural hegemony?

*Bottom left is the original one on highschool Chinese textbook.

# data[].attributes.headline
*   ’kuso’ culture- its origin in Japan and its spread to China

# data[].attributes.subject
*   ’kuso’ culture- its origin in Japan and its spread to China

# data[].attributes.body
The root of 'kuso' was from Japan. The word kuso-ge is a portmanteau of kuso and gēmu (ゲーム,game), which means, quite literally, "shitty (video) games." The introduction of such a category originally was to teach gamers how to appreciate and enjoy a game of poor quality—such as appreciating the games' outrageous flaws instead of becoming frustrated by them. This philosophy soon spread to Taiwan, where people would share the games and their (oft-satirical) comments on BBSes.

Because kuso-ges were often unintentionally funny, soon the definition of kuso in Taiwan shifted to "anything hilarious," and people started to brand anything outrageous and funny as kuso. Parodies, such as the Chinese robot Xianxingzhe ridiculed by a Japanese website, were marked as kuso. Mo lei tau films by Stephen Chow are often said to be kuso as well. The Cultural Revolution is often a subject of parody too, with songs such as I Love Beijing Tiananmen spread around the internet for laughs.

Some, however, limit the definition of kuso to "humour limited to those about Hong Kong comics or Japanese anime, manga, and games." Kuso by such definitions are primarily doujin or fanfiction. Fictional crossovers are common media for kuso, such as redrawing certain bishōjo anime in the style of Fist of the North Star, or blending elements of two different items together.

The kuso culture runs deep in Taiwan, as some call it a remedy from stressful times. People engaging in a kuso conversation on the internet would refer specifically to various items of kuso.

In China, earlier kuso works consisted of images edited in Adobe Photoshop. An example of this would be the Little Fatty internet meme. The word kuso became popular online in China since a kuso video was posted online by Hu Ge ridiculing Chen Kaige's film The Promise and CCTV legal system program in 2006. The title of this kuso video is A Murder Caused by Steamed Bun(as shown below).

It makes people laugh for 'blending totally different elements with seriousness' and 'making "nothing" meaningful'.

# data[].attributes.headline
Kuso about CCTV news program- chanlleging the mainstream authority as a resistance? 

# data[].attributes.subject
Kuso about CCTV news program- chanlleging the mainstream authority as a resistance? 

# data[].attributes.body
CCTV news program is regarded as the mouth piece of China's communist party. Its reporting style is so formal and so serious and speaks of every party central leader' speech as 'very important'. The typical scene it uses to portray an important conference is like: some leader speaks of 'our key problems is...so next year our object is to..', followed by people at the conference applauding.

This is a link to the 'real' CCTV news program on 6 Jan 2014: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3j83Yd9X-8

The clip below is a kusoing version by a famous Kusoer- Hu Ge. It uses the symbolic music, studio backgroud and news presenter' posture and accent etc. of a CCTV news program, but in an informal, kusoing way.

# data[].attributes.headline
“My father is Li Gang”- kuso culture focusing on social issues

# data[].attributes.subject
“My father is Li Gang”- kuso culture focusing on social issues

# data[].attributes.body
The seemlingly illogical sentencing pattern used to make fun of

celebrities(eg. top left in this padlet wall)is used by online Kusoers

to satirize China's current social problems as well.

In October 2010,a 22-year-old young man struck 2 women on campus

in Hebei Province, China and tried t o speed away. Security guards intercepted him, but he was undeterred. He warned them:"My father is Li Gang! (who is the local deputy police chief .)"

After that, the word "My father is Li gang!" became popular online. Thousands of pieces of kuso sentences were posted on Sina and Tencent micro-blogs, using this word to satirize powerful officers and their trouble-making second generations’ worship of bureaucratic power.

For example of these kuso sentences:

a very famous piece of milk advertisement was adapted to as "Not all milk is called The Deluxe, not all fathers are named Li Gang".Pushikin‘s poem was also adapted by a Kusoer as "Don't be dismal, my father is Li Gang".

*the picture below is a kusoed one, showing North Korea leader King jong-un saying:“ My father is not Li Gang”

# data[].attributes.headline
Cosplay-boom in China, together with 'cosplay business

# data[].attributes.subject
Cosplay-boom in China, together with 'cosplay business

# data[].attributes.body
Cosplay are becoming more and more popular with young people in the past 5 years in China. As the viedo below shows(2013 Chengdu Rainbow Market 6), a lot of cosplayers can be seen in comic-con. Together with the boom of cosplay is the business selling wigs, costumes, accessories etc. On the other hand, online game companies are holding cosplay contests/shows as a selling point in ACG(Anime Comic and Games) market, which in turn also push cosplay forward to some extent.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2013 ChengDu Rainbow Market 6 Cosplay FANVIDEO 【by 弱光双子】

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Video from the convention Rainbow Market 6 Taken place in ChengDu, Sichuan, CHINA on 2013-2-24 Produced by : 弱光双子 E-mail Adress: kevinzhaoxu@qq.com weibo.com/kevinzhaoxu

# data[].attributes.body
An introduction to one of Japan's most popular art form of manga

and its consumers, among which there are a special group of people

called 'Otaku'.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Alternative Source: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvjuf9_manga-mad_shortfilms An introduction to the pop culture history of comics and animation in Japan, particularly adult comics, and the obsessive fantasy world of comic & animation fans, called 'otaku', their media mecca, cybersex paradise, Akihabara Electric Town, and the world's largest comic market, Comiket.

# data[].attributes.headline
Miley Cyrus and moral panics? What is the media's role?

# data[].attributes.subject
Miley Cyrus and moral panics? What is the media's role?

# data[].attributes.body
Young pop star Miley Cyrus is always portrayed as a threat to morality by the media. But while we are criticizing her, we are in the same time keeping her influencing the wide society by media coverage. That is the media.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I didn't watch the Video Music Awards last night, but this morning I noticed that Miley Cyrus is getting all the attention.

Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC's Morning Joe gives voice to the moral outrage that many are feeling. She just couldn't stop lambasting Miley for her performance:

That was really, really disturbing ... That young lady, who is 20, is obviously deeply troubled, deeply disturbed ... probably has an eating disorder ... That was disgusting and embarrassing ... I feel terrible ... That was really, really bad. They [MTV] should be ashamed of themselves ... She is a mess ... I don't want to see that ever again on this show ... It was pathetic.

Well, Mika's vehemence intrigued me, so I found the video on YouTube and watched it. It's bad. Awkward might the best word I can find to describe her performance, and it only became more awkward when Robin Thicke joined her onstage. Then it became awkward and demeaning. And I was instantly reminded of why I don't watch the VMAs.

I don't watch the VMAs because I expect this very thing. For example, back in 2011, the Ryan Seacrest Blog stated that, "The MTV 'Video Music Awards' have always been a must for millions of people waiting to see the latest and most outrageous moments on television." Do you remember when Dianna Ross fondled Lil' Kim's breast in 1997? Or when Madonna and Britney Spears kissed in 2003? Or when S acha Baron Cohen dressed as a scantily clad angel and landed in a sexually explicit way on Eminem in 2009?

Wait, you don't watch the VMAs either? Well, fortunately many websites have provided us a list celebrating the most scandalous moment at the VMAs, including not just gossip websites like Celebuzz, but more serious websites like the Huffington Post and CNN.

The truth is that we love feeling morally outraged by scandals, especially sex scandals. I love to blame celebrities, politicians, and star athletes when they get caught up in these scandals - I especially like to blame them when they are obviously guilty, which is one reason that the VMAs are so popular. Every year the VMAs provide us with a live, juicy scandal, where guilt, shame, and attempts at sexual excitement are projected on a television screen for all of us to see.

Our response of moral outrage is totally understandable, but mimetic theory helps us understand something deeper about these scandals. Scandals are about scapegoating - blaming others for our cultural problems. As James Warren points out in his recent book Compassion or Apocalypse? A Comprehensible Guide to the Thought of René Girard, whenever people blame others, "They are able to occupy the high ground of conscience because they have a scapegoat to blame, to mock, to gossip about, to cast aspersions upon" (246).

It's easy to take "the high ground of conscience" toward Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke for their hyper-sexualized performance at the VMAs, but it won't solve the bigger sexual problems facing our culture. Sex scandals and blame will continue with each of our cultural rituals. Who will scandalize us at the next awards show? Who will scandalize us at the Super Bowl halftime show? Who's the next politician to have an affair? Who's the next celebrity to attend drug rehab? I don't know, but I do know that we will love feeling morally outraged and enjoy taking the "high ground of conscience" as we imitate one another in uniting in animosity against whoever is caught up in the latest scandal.

If we are honest, we will admit that Miley isn't much different than the rest of us. Whether positive or negative, we all crave attention, which is exactly what Miley is getting from us right now. Here we see that scandals are always relational and we are each responsible for our role in them: They create a co-dependent relationship between the offender and the offended. Miley needs our attention and we need her scandals to feel morally superior.

But, it doesn't have to be that way. I hope that Miley and Robin will take responsibility for their actions, but we all need to take responsibility for a culture that breeds these kinds of scandals.

Now, you might be asking, "Isn't talking about scandal just innocent fun? I mean, are we really supposed to stop gossiping about celebrities, politicians, athletes, and our neighbors?"

The biggest problem with our addiction to celebrity scandal is that scandals can start to consume our lives. Talking about celebrity scandal can seem innocent enough but, like a contagious disease, it will soon spread to other areas of our lives. We will start gossiping about our family members, friends, and neighbors. And once that happens the relationships we actually care about threaten to be destroyed.

Maybe the answer isn't in getting caught up in moral outrage, but rather to move away from feeling scandalized and towards feelings of compassion.
Some questions I have: Instead of outrage, is it possible to feel compassion for Miley Cyrus? Why hasn't much attention been paid to Robin Thicke's role in this scandal? What would happen if you started feeling compassion for someone who created a scandal in your neighborhood? If you began to love your neighbor as yourself, would you start a scandal? Adam Ericksen blogs at the Raven Foundation, where he uses mimetic theory to provide social commentary on religion, politics, and pop culture. Follow Adam on Twitter @adamericksen.
Image: Miley Cyrus at the 2012 VMAs, Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Miley Cyrus, the VMAs, Sex, and Moral Outrage

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I didn't watch the Video Music Awards last night, but this morning I noticed that Miley Cyrus is getting all the attention. Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC's Morning Joe gives voice to the moral outrage that many are feeling. She just couldn't stop lambasting Miley for her performance: That was really, really disturbing ...

# data[].attributes.headline
BBC talking about young people's web addiction

# data[].attributes.subject
BBC talking about young people's web addiction

# data[].attributes.body
Nowadays many young people are online 24/7 a week spending time on facebook, online games,etc. Researchers are finding the problems of keeping long time online, as one researcher said: “When these people come off-line, they suffer increased negative mood - just like people coming off illegal drugs like ecstasy.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22966536

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Internet addicts can suffer a form of cold turkey when they stop using the web - just like people coming off drugs, according to research.

A study by Swansea and Milan universities found young people had "negative moods" when they stopped surfing the net.

Heavy internet-users also tended to be more depressed, the research found.

Internet addiction is said to be a clinical disorder marked by out-of-control internet use.

Swansea University said around half of the 60 young people it studied spent so much time on the net that it had negative consequences for the rest of their lives.

When these people come off-line, they suffer increased negative mood - just like people coming off illegal drugs like ecstasy
Prof Phil Reed, Swansea University

The results are part of a study looking at the negative psychological impacts of the internet.

The university said over the past decade internet addiction had became widely debated in medical literature.

Its research said the so-called addicts' web usage was varied, but it was common for them to gamble and access pornography online.

Prof Phil Reed, of Swansea University's college of human and health sciences, said: "Although we do not know exactly what internet addiction is, our results show that around half of the young people we studied spend so much time on the net that it has negative consequences for the rest of their lives.

Drugs or alcohol

"When these people come off-line, they suffer increased negative mood - just like people coming off illegal drugs like ecstasy.

"These initial results, and related studies of brain function, suggest that there are some nasty surprises lurking on the net for people's wellbeing.

"These results corroborate previous reports regarding the psychological characteristics and traits of internet users, but go beyond those findings to show the immediate effect of the Internet on the mood of those who are addicted."

The study explored the immediate impact of internet exposure on the mood and psychological states of internet addicts and low internet-users.

The 60 volunteers, made up of 27 men and 33 women aged in their 20s, were given psychological tests to explore levels of addiction, mood, anxiety, depression and autism traits.

They were then given exposure to the internet for 15 minutes and re-tested for mood and anxiety.

The research found the mood of high internet-users suffered after internet use compared to low internet-users.

Scientists said this could possibly trigger them to log back on to the internet to "remove these unpleasant feelings".

Research into internet addiction has also been carried out in China.

Last year experts there said web addicts had brain changes similar to those hooked on drugs or alcohol.

They scanned the brains of 17 young web addicts and found disruption in the way their brains were wired up.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Internet addicts can suffer a form of cold turkey when they stop using the web - just like people coming off drugs, according to research. A study by Swansea and Milan universities found young people had "negative moods" when they stopped surfing the net. Heavy internet-users also tended to be more depressed, the research found.

# data[].attributes.body
Media were known to be a way of 'old people' criticizing the young in the past. The worst part of it was that young people did not have a voice. Interestingly, it was also the media that bring tattoo to everyone's view. And now more and more people get their tattoo under the influence of the media- as said in the documentary.

Also, in the Web 2.0 age or more, young people are gradually having a choice to speaking for themselves and having a chance to let others understand them more (like this documentary itself! : )

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Skin Deep - A Youth Culture Tattoo Documentary

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Skin Deep is the second instalment of Thinkhouse's 'Youth Culture Series' - a documentary series that explores various youth cultures across Ireland. In this 8 minute documentary Thinkhouse, the youth communications agency, turns its cameras on some of Ireland's best regarded tattoo artists - and those whose bodies exhibit their work - to analyse Ireland's changing tattoo culture.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Kuso sub-culture in China- an example

# data[].attributes.subject
The Kuso sub-culture in China- an example

# data[].attributes.body
Chris Lee- very famous in China as a young female pop star always dressed as a young man. Since she became famous in a talent show in 2005, her nickname—"Chun Ge"— which means ’Bro Chris‘ has been seen a lot in all kinds of media. Following that, young people including her fans(usually aged from 11 to 25) were creating kuso slogans and faking pictures of her in a joking way. For example, as shown below, the slogan in the picture means "Believe in Bro Chris and be immortal". However the most famous and the starting one is "Believe in Bro Chris and you'll never fail in school" is so famous that it is referred to by the mass media frequently. Even the very conservative news agency in China—People.com borrowed the slogan as a title "If the government website is not going to be shut down, believe in 'Bro Chris' "(link: http://leaders.people.com.cn/GB/13776171.html).