~2:41

I have chosen this video because this person brought up Don Quixote’s relevance today as a parallel to reality television, video games, and celebrity culture. I had not realized this connection until I watched this video but now it seems so clearly obvious. Pop culture encourages people to idolize and become obsessed with these famous figures that we see on television. An extreme example of this parallel would be K-pop fans. Many K-pop fans are very young, some still in middle school, which makes them very impressionable. They are easily carried away by ideas and their devotion to idols is unlike any other I’ve ever seen. Most fans spend hundreds, maybe even thousands, of dollars a year on merchandise, including multiple versions of the same album, clothing, and novelty items. Not only do they spend a lot of money, but they also spend a lot of time. K-pop is appreciated globally so fans on the other side of the world will stay up until early morning just to watch live videos or wait for the release of a new music video or album. As one can see, this obsession affects these fans’ daily lives, and so many of them being young children, it isn’t good for their health. Actually, there are some fans that are so delusional to the point that they try to hurt the idols in order to get the idols to notice them — these are called “sasaeng” fans. Idols or idol groups hold fan meets in different cities in Korea so they can engage with their fans, which makes sense, but can also be dangerous because of the sasaeng fans. There have been multiple instances where idols have been poisoned or given disturbing gifts, such as messages written in blood. These fans are like Don Quixote because they are so obsessed with the idea of the idols that their perception of reality is actually distorted. I would also like to point out that K-pop culture is a huge industry in Korea. Entertainment companies train children from as early as eight years old (maybe even earlier) to become idols and actors so it’s no wonder that kids so young are obsessed with this. These companies use the idols and actors to exploit fans. They aren’t just selling entertainment — they are selling a fantasy. Idols and actors live for the fans; everything they do is for the fans. The fans know everything that the idols do in their daily lives because they post videos and pictures.  The companies basically control their lives, and this is because of the fantasy that they’re selling. These celebrities are usually prohibited from dating. Idols can’t date because they are “dating their fans,” or at least that’s what they have to say because if they don’t, the fans will get jealous and angry as if they really were dating them. This example of the parallel between Don Quixote and modern day pop culture shows how Miguel de Cervantes’s thoughts on idealism surpass time and space and is able to still be relevant today.