defending KATSEYE (long post bc wtf)
i feel like hating KATSEYE should be an immediate red flag just in general, but especially in k-pop spaces. that should be means for immediate expulsion from fandom spaces, okay? right off the bat, probably a kboo. you don’t have to like their stuff, but if you’re one of these people who despise them/participate in the online hate train, there is smth deeply demented happening and my tingling spidey senses scream fetishization.
there is not a single scandal between Manon, Megan, Lara, Sophia, Yoonchae or Daniela (that’s six whole people to slip up over the years, and they haven’t!). not only are their demeanors very sweet, OT6 is ridiculously talented and dedicated to their craft. they’ve all been dancing like pros since childhood. they’re all gorgeous in their own lovely, unique ways. not a single bad singer or dancer. charisma 9,000. the only argument i’ve heard against KATSEYE is essentially that they aren’t all East Asian, which is gross for so many reasons.
1) they aren’t k-pop, j-pop, mandopop, or cantopop. they’re a global English-speaking group that uses the methods made by the k-pop industry. neither the girls nor HYBE Labels x Geffen Records have claimed the KATSEYE project as anything other than that.
2) we saw the same reaction to VCHA. people freaking out mostly over KG and Savanna, although i doubt the people complaining even knew the girls’ names. the moment an artist doesn’t fit their “uwu unnie/oppa” ideal, they get mad. as if the idols who do fit that standard are obligated to and as if that isn’t them outing themselves as kboos. every member of VCHA is qualified to be in VCHA and w recent accusations made against JYP-USA by former-member KG, they’ve clearly endured a lot of abuse to stay where they are… mind you, KG and many of the remaining members are minors and they were still subject to literal torture. any harassment atp of idols (particularly minors) needs to be dealt w swiftly. we know the industry won’t protect them, so we’ve gotta do smth.
3) these weirdos will hate on a group regardless of if they sing in Korean, like BLACKSWAN, who still are largely ignored and purposely overlooked despite their immense talent and great chemistry. all they see is no Koreans and a Black leader. they’ll also whine regardless of if they have mostly East Asian members, like NCT, whose Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, and American-born Korean members are given far less hype from fans and less promotion from their own company. this is mostly directed at the Zennies who treat Nakamoto Yuta like he is invisible. Johnny is given the shittiest lines possible and he is treated like a joke bc of it. Yuta, who has been waiting for his own solo for several years, barely got any promo that wasn’t a consecutive effort on the part of Ai (his fandom). WayV, whose members are mostly Chinese and Taiwanese (Ten is Thai) are continuously neglected by SM in ways a Korean unit would never be.
4) they are weird to mixed idols. you have likely seen it before, they’ll ostracize them for not being a “superior full-blooded Korean,” w a special credence saved for half White idols bc apparently hating on Wasians fixes the racism a lot of White people have. (so smart! wow!) TXT’s Hueningkai, Pristin’s Kyla, NWNJ’s Dani, and SVT’s Vernon. what makes this worse is half-Korean people in South Korean (labeled ‘halfers’) are almost always bullied as children. we’ve seen how bad Korean bullying can get, and it doesn’t usually change once they’re adults. in Vernon’s case, he was born in Manhattan but he moved to S. Korea when he was 5. he is culturally Korean. he speaks Korean more confidently than English. he even dropped his American citizenship and will be enlisting in the S. Korean military. he could have easily dodged mandatory service if he remained an American citizen, but he dropped it. he is Korean. he’s also been the most vocal about how he was bullied for having a White American mom and had to drop out bc of the ostracism and loneliness. yet people still other him, dilute him to either the “weird meme guy” or “hot guy w no thoughts,” when he’s arguably the most philosophical and socially conscious member. they still call him a White boy, in FAN SPACES. Carats generally do not correct this behavior. i only ever see Dolly (his fandom) shutting it down and we’re always met w “it’s just a joke” as if it isn’t just eugenics in sheep’s clothing.
5) it. does. not. matter. it’s fine to have preferences. every human being has them. nobody is saying you can’t prefer Koreans. what’s weird is singling out a race/ethnicity as your only option, projecting a message that they’re superior, and putting them on a pedestal as if they aren’t just people like you and me. toxic positivity is real and fetishization is dangerous. it’s just racism in different wrapping paper. a group should be judged on their talent, charisma, chemistry, manners, and personality. their ethnicity/race/nationality should be embraced but don’t make it weird. listen to fans from their same countries when they point out creepy behavior. they know better than anyone.
