The Solo Regiment

http://knowyourmeme.com/system/icons/580/thumb/Picture_1.png?1249061004

http://knowyourmeme.com/system/icons/580/square/Picture_1.png?1249061004

2009-07-31T17:23:25Z

DC Inside

2003

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= active non-english, image macro, singles, bachelors, tongue-in-cheek, anonymous, korea

The Solo Regiment <div align="center"> <p><img src="http://knowyourmeme.com/i/7201/original/notalone-1.jpg" alt="" /></p> </div> <h2>About</h2> <p>Solo Regiment (솔로부대 / a.k.a People’s Party of Loneliness) is a modern Korean slang playfully referring to an anonymous, ad-hoc group of single bachelors and bachelorettes on the web. First coined in 2003 by a group of users at <a href="http://www.dcinside.com">DCinside</a> (a Korean equivalent of 2Chan, 4Chan,etc), the term was initially used in DCinside community to humorize the lonely, loveless lives of twenty and thirtysomethings and quickly spread across other forums, inspiring a handful of internet memes.</p> <h2>Colloquial Usage of “Regiment”</h2> <p>The popular use of “Regiment (부대)” as a unit to describe any specific demographic (ex: <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/madam-kim-김여사">Madam Kim</a> regiment, Necktie Regiment) can be attributed to a strange lingo/culture bred through S. Korea’s all-male mandatory military service. Somewhat inevitably, <a href="http://cfs14.tistory.com/image/28/tistory/2008/11/28/14/12/492f7dbddfb48" title="by seniority">a military rank system of the Solo Regiment</a> was introduced circa 2006 (According to Naver.com), further spreading the lulz.</p> <h2>“We are the Invincible Solo Regiment”</h2> <p>Among the earliest (and perhaps the greatest) lulz to emerge from the Solo Regiment campaign was an image macro meme. Under the tongue-in-cheek slogan “We Are the Invincible Regiment of Solo,” dozens of <span class="caps">WWII</span>-era propaganda posters were modified into over-glorified images of lonely, loveless single across the country. More in the photos section.</p> <div align="center"><img src="http://knowyourmeme.com/i/7197/original/soloarmy1.jpg" alt="" /></div> <h2>Find the Hidden Solo!</h2> <p>“Find the Hidden Solo” is a series of textbookish watercolors featuring a lonely single hidden amongst merry couples a la Where’s Waldo. Originally uploaded by a Korean children’s book illustrator on her <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyworld">Cyworld</a> page, the images first became popular through sharing in the network and later surfaced on popular image boards and <span class="caps">BBS</span> sites. More in the Photos.</p> <div align="center"> <p><img src="http://knowyourmeme.com/i/7172/original/Picture_20.png" alt="" /></p> </div> <h2>Black Day & Raids on Monthly Couple Holidays</h2> <ul> <li>According to Wikipedia, Black Day (April 14) is a South Korean informal tradition for single people (a.k.a. Unit Solo/Solo Regiment, lee: 솔로부대) to get together and eat Jajangmyeon (white noodles with black bean sauce). The idea is that those who did not give or receive gifts on Valentine’s Day (February 14) or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Day">White Day</a> (March 14) can get together and eat noodles while commiserating their singledom. Basically, it’s a second chance day.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>There is a similar equivalent in the West called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singles_Awareness_Day">Singles Awareness Day</a>, which is celebrated by singles on February 14 as an alternative to Valentine’s Day.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>As an anonymous online collective, those identifying themselves with the Solo Regiment conduct mass pranks and raids on popular websites, especially on couple-oriented holidays like Valentine’s Day and Christmas Eve. In some East Asian cultures, Christmas is popularly recognized as a romantic holiday and there are many other made-up “couples gift-exchange day”, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepero_Day">Pepero Day</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_day">White Day.</a></li> </ul> <h2>People’s Party of Loneliness</h2> <p>As the Regiment’s popularity continued to grow, a small group of the Solo Regiment reportedly split and started another ad-hoc organizaiton called “People’s Party of Loneliness,” as an obvious parody of the Communist Party. The purpose of the party is detailed in their “Soloist Manifesto.”</p> <h2>Additional References:</h2> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.dcinside.com/webdc/lecture/study_list.php?id=541&code1=50&code2=60&s_mode=title&s_que=%BC%D6%B7%CE&page=1">DC Inside Meme Lesson #54</a>&</li> <li><a href="http://www.unmarriedamerica.org/solo-essays/Singles_figh_%20back_through_Internet_humor.htm">Unmarried America – Singles Fight Back Through Internet Humor</a></li> </ul>

2009-11-11T06:22:17Z

580

http://knowyourmeme.com/system/icons/580/original/Picture_1.png?1249061004