Agua

Credits to the original owner of this video.

I’m reposting this because it perfectly captures Jimin’s beautiful humanity. While everyone else was busy leaving the performance venue, he was happily being "held hostage" by his biggest fans, not glamorous celebrities or overzealous shippers, but a crowd of excited children.

jimin & borzoi (russian wolfhound)

I agree. It's pretty straightforward if you read the lyrics for the song as well. I think because he mentioned growth in the interview, criticism became the focal point of everyone's interpretation but I think the main point is that they're seven regular humans and everyone idealising them or hating on them for not being these idealised versions, stifles them (maybe professionally, maybe in their personal lives).

I can totally see how the criticism point some people brought up - about it meaning he doesn't receive honest feedback anymore - could make sense in the context of the interview and it's possible Jimin might have had it as a supplementary interpretation but within the context of the song, I feel like this interpretation is most likely not the original intention. I also think what some armys have said that it's about fans who hate it when BTS do anything new or different are also missing the central point - it's more about overreaction as a result of idealisation, not about getting criticism itself. Because the alternative, which is everyone loving everything they do with zero criticism (which is what these armys are indirectly telling us would be the ideal scenario), is also not what Jimin is advocating for I think.

I think Jimin just wants people to treat them normally. Not as infallible beings who can't receive criticism (including for their music) but also not as people who should receive a thousand times more scrutiny and critique for the mistakes they do make

It's completely unsurprising to me that Jimin would write a song based on this feeling. He's know for always saying he wants to improve and in this same Rolling Stone interview he's asked about being a perfectionist and he says that he doesn't think he's a perfectionist and it's more that he has the desire to do well and that to him letting go of that desire feels like wanting to quit all together. So it's not that he's a perfectionist or that he's too hard on himself but that he understands that if you think you're already perfect and you don't acknowledge you weaknesses you can't grow and become better.

I even think that this is at the root of what he was trying to express in that livestream he did after the first day of the tour. He has a very high standard when it comes to his work and if things don't measure up to those standards he will be disappointed and frustrated. Even if whatever is wrong isn't entirely or even at all his fault, he's still putting his name and face on things fans are paying money for so he will not try to escape the responsibility he has to make sure those things are up to standard.

But I don't think fans properly understand this. Whenever he's apologetic and expresses regret and disappointment with his work fans always default to saying that it's never his fault, that he's perfect and has nothing to ever feel sorry about. Fans don't realize that isn't really what he wants to hear and that instead of feeling happy and relieved hearing these things he probably just feels frustrated that fans don't understand why he says what he says and why he feels the need to say it. He might feel like fans don't understand him they way they might think they do, i.e., they don't know 'bout him.

I think this is such a relevant topic considering how armys have been aggressively against any and all cristiscm for this comeback to the extent they don't just reject criticism towards the members but even towards anyone else involved in any part of the comeback. And I myself was thinking that fans don't seem to realize how this behavior just prevents an artist from becoming better either because some artists let the endless praise and lack of criticism get to their heads and stop trying to improve or because even though they do want to improve, from their place in the inside it can be hard to know what isn't working and they need those on the outside, especially fans, to let them know what needs to change or be done better which is impossible if fans act like it's a crime to say anything even remotely negative.

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