I have been following BTS since early 2018. I started out as a hardcore fan and have since become casual as I got more and more busy with life. I recently came across a youtube channel called Boracity Magazine. This channel makes long form video essays generally touching upon the discourse surrounding BTS, kpop, western industry, fandom culture etc. and since the person behind this channel is an army the videos are mostly from an army perspective. I think this is fine. Nobody is ever without bias and when I click on a video by a channel called the boracity magazine I am not expecting an unbiased perspective anyways. I am also not interested in the age old discourse of “but you are discrediting my faves” conversation.
Some of the discourses covered by this channel focused on how BTS are disrespected by fandoms, western industry etc. Some of the better videos for me centered around Hybe where the person was a little critical but also pragmatic that this is the label behind their faves so a lot of people are also needlessly weird about it.
But I noticed some things. It’s that this person and the comments mostly talk about BTS from a victimized perspective. The discourses are regurgitated from the site that shall not be named. Regurgitated from 2018 in fact. And the fans… they are heavily invested in the myth making, the “lore” of it all. I don’t get it. What is the purpose of this channel. Is it to “historicize”? To radicalize the new fans against the industry? To foment resentment within fan communities? What’s the point of constantly talking about the same stuff again and again? “BTS were disrespected when they were young.” Yes we know but why do we keep talking about it again and again? It’s almost as if the fans don’t feel like fans enough without the oppression olympics. They need to constantly recharge themselves. To keep feeding their savior complex.
Some washed up TV show host ignored BTS in the Inkigayo bathroom in 2013. Some random kpop event that is struggling to sell tickets disrespected a BTS member. Some struggling freelance kpop journalist is writing puff pieces about BTS and kpop when kpop is gradually losing steam not only in the west but also in SEA and Korea. Some random, narcissistic, has been idol that hasn’t been relevant since 2016 behaves as if the world revolves around him. And armys care about all of this. Why?
Fans will defend themselves by saying that BTS still get disrespected but I don’t think the disrespect they get today is similar to the disrespect they got back in the days. Today they are not taken seriously due to their status as pop idols. It’s the Justin Bieber syndrome. Back then it was classism. Sure we have racist people making hate tw**ts about them but mind you this site is also ridden with the most heinous online trolls and right wingers. I think at some point one needs to talk about more things. Different things.
submitted by /u/aprilsower
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