Maybe army is a double edged sword?
thinking about the statement that BTS made about not planning to submit to the Grammys THIS YEAR, how it could have been intended, and the probable fallout and I have some thoughts that I wanted to share. These might be upsetting for fellow army but it might be helpful for us think about. Please share your thoughts; this is one possible interpretation of recent events but even if it’s not wholly correct I think it is worth considering.
Why was the statement made on IG?
bts is very aware of fandom narratives of company mistreatment. They’ve made reference to this over the years multiple times, including during this comeback. They’ve decided not to submit to the Grammys but they are aware everyone expects them to. So they need to make a statement. If they don’t make a statement, it’s “the company is sabotaging BTS”, so something must be said. If a statement was put out on Weverse, that might read as “the company isn’t pushing BTS” for these fans, and could cause a maelstrom of backlash against the company anyway. And so, IG statements are decided on. These are their personal accounts not managed by social media staff, which indicates that this was THEIR decision, not the company’s. To drill that message in, they all release the same message to convey a united front.
Army can NOT be chill.
army sees the beautiful, succinct message: not this year, love our music as is regardless of region or language. Army hears: BTS said fuck you to the Grammys forever we are finally FREE.
an avalanche of social media posts go up lauding the boys. Rightly so: they saw something they didn’t agree with, they took a stand and withheld participation (possibly in hopes of inciting some kind of change). They don’t directly call out the new racist category but the implication is clear. That’s laudable. News agencies pick this up because BTS is always newsworthy but also there is a fervor for discussion of the topic on social media. The discussion online doesn’t maintain the same tone that BTS posted with: ARMY is in full on bridge burning mode. The press reaches out to the Grammys for comment.
Grammys and Grammy reps comment (poorly) and army reacts (damagingly)
this is the part that i want to discuss the most. ARMY, in protection mode and elated at the prospect of not having to deal with the Grammys anymore, as well as thrilled that BTS has taken such a principled stance, rips Grammy&reps to shreds. No mercy. I have loved the takedowns and think pieces and responses, btw. but I think we as army may have forgotten about the “this year” part of the communal post, as well as missed the point of using such circumspect language that is free of finger pointing. BTS made the statement bc they had to (or the company would face backlash for not supporting them by submitting their work for consideration); they needed army to know they weren’t submitting. but their statement also didn’t preclude the possibility of future submissions, hence “this year”, and the indirectness of the statement may have been meant to give them room to submit in future if things changed with the recording academy. the problem is that army’s response was so intense that it has necessitated a response from the academy bc they have been so extensively put on blast (honestly fuck them). If there wasn’t beef before, the recording academy sure has reason to have beef now. Effectively, army’s response has nerfed BTS’s chances of getting a nom, let alone an award, if they ever decide to submit again. I’m not convinced that future submissions were in their plans but I also don’t think that their statement was made in a way to declare that they would NEVER submit again. i highly doubt that when BTS made that statement, they expected that this media shitstorm would be the outcome. They probably expected press. I doubt they expected that all future chances of Grammy recognition would be flushed down the toilet. Even if the above isn’t entirely reflective of reality, there have been other instances (none that I am aware of on this scale) of army behavior intended to be supportive or protective resulting in harm instead.
I think of replies to social media posts using BTS’s music by ppl who aren’t apparently army or strong fans, bitching them out for using the music. Primarily those are the examples that are coming to me now, but I’m sure there are other small moments like this that have happened before.
anyway, that’s what I wanted to discuss. In general I think we are too quick to react to any news about the tannies in general. In this case I think that there has been actual harm done to BTS—not that their reputation will suffer from this (except among people who don’t understand that segregation isn’t actually good, kpop stans, and antis) but that the possibility of future recognition by the recording academy has been materially damaged bc of the behavior of fans online.
I am very much in the camp of “not that BTS should have to care about the recording academy or their recognition since it means shit and they’re fucking racists”. But I am wondering: do we have a right to burn BTS’s bridges for them?
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
