Now that I have gotten back from my K-pop break, I have been diving deep into communities to see what's going on. Lately, I have slowly been re-entering BTS's fandom, ARMY, spaces on TikTok. Earlier this week, there was buzz surrounding a journalist who made some unflattering remarks regarding her experience at one of BTS's Tampa shows earlier this month. Usually, when demeaning and defamatory remarks are circulating online, I like to do my own research, as things can get misconstrued or misinterpreted. Since some ARMYs have avoided mentioning this person's exact name to avoid giving them more views, I had my work cut out. Within 24 hours, after searching three social media platforms, I found the video link.
When I first heard conversations about the situation, ageism and classism were the most prominent themes that were mentioned in the video. To preface, I follow older ARMYs on TikTok who are between 25 and 60 years old.
At first, I just wanted to watch it to see what was truly said verbatim, but the 11-minute video was so layered that it was impossible to ignore or sweep under the rug. Like ARMY, I will not share the name or link to the video, but I will paraphrase and quote what was said.
Introduction to the Chaos
The journalist briefly went over BTS's economic impact on the Korean economy and their role as a source of soft power.
Learning Corner Side Note: For those who are not familiar, in international relations, there are hard powers and soft powers. What a country contributes to society on an international scale can affect how your country is perceived. For example, during World War 2, Japan was seen as a hard power because of its military, war crimes, and weapons; however, with the rise of technology, anime, and kawaii culture, Japan's image shifted to that of a technologically advanced country with a vibrant, neat aesthetic. This has reduced Japan to a soft power with no imminent threat, but it still leaves an impact on international relations. Usually, anything that attracts tourism and helps to improve the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. K-pop, K-dramas, and Korean companies like Samsung and LG help Korea become a soft power.
For this part, it was a normal video with an assortment of odd metaphors and vocabulary. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Races in Places
She then discusses the crowd's demographics. When I first heard about the video, not many people discussed the implications made regarding the race and ethnicities of the concertgoers. The journalist noted that most of the crowdgoers were female and predominantly Latina and African American. Everything was fine until the following sentence was said:
"Significantly, most of them were also working class or lower working class."
Without a doubt, the majority of BTS fans are self-identifying women, although I have seen a major rise in male fans over the past decade. The issue lies in how the conversation about race and ethnicity led her to insinuate the financial status of the fans.
Each stop on the BTS tour will naturally have overwhelming demographic differences. In Texas, you might see many Latina, Hispanic, and Indigenous fans. In California, it might be a mix of Black, Hispanic/Latina, and Asian fans. All of this is to say that the crowd makeup is heavily influenced by the state's geography and the United States' proximity to other countries.
So, for Tampa, we must understand that the demographics were largely Black and Hispanic/Latina because of Florida's proximity to the Caribbean and Central America, not to mention those whose families have roots in Florida dating back generations due to the transatlantic slave trade.
I think this conversation made me uncomfortable because this individual immigrated from a country whose colonial history had devastating impacts on Indigenous populations and socioeconomic structures. From there, I knew her implicit biases toward marginalized communities would continue to surface throughout the video…and they did five seconds later.
Underpaid, Overworked, and Overpriced Tickets
"You saw essentially the Mexican teenager who works extra shifts at Wendy's, the school lunch lady and her family…the front desk clerk at a community college somewhere in Ohio or Texas."
She then explains that there was a sense of community within the crowd. While I understand that this could have come from a place of endearment, let's be honest: it was microaggressive.
Are there people with these job titles in the crowd? Absolutely. And there is no shame in how you make your money, honey. However, discussing race while simultaneously speculating about the economic status of people you do not know is insulting. It carries the undertone of:
"These lower-middle and lower-class people spent all their money to see this group, even though they have more important things to spend money on."
Although it was not overtly said, I am very familiar with the dog whistles and microaggressions used against Black and Brown people, especially in this political climate.
We also need to have a transparent conversation about finances while living in the confines of the United States today. While I will not get too political, I will say this: it does not matter whether you work part-time at a fast food restaurant or full-time in engineering; the continuous rise in rent, groceries, gas, medical bills, and childcare costs is kicking everyone's butt more than ever.
To live comfortably in a major metropolitan city like Philadelphia or Boston, a single-person household often needs an annual income ranging from approximately $60,000 to $125,000. Finding a job that pays that today feels like finding a water well in hell.
As someone who works a reputable job in a major metropolitan city, I should be making double what I currently earn. Yet, I am still considered low-income regardless of my title and educational background.
I also found it strange that she assumed predominantly Black and Latina audience members were community college clerks, cafeteria workers, and fast food employees. Are we not good enough to attend universities?
Throughout the video, she repeatedly uses terms suggesting that the audience is mostly teenage girls, failing to realize that BTS has one of the most age-diverse fandoms in K-pop today. Tickets are given as gifts for quinceañeras, weddings, birthdays, and even retirement celebrations.
I am not sure whether this assumption comes from the tendency to associate musical phenomena with teenage audiences. Still, BTS's fanbase is much broader and more diverse than that stereotype allows.
I also wanted to note that many people today look much younger than their actual ages while still holding down degrees and careers and even raising children. It is important to recognize that you cannot assume someone's financial status based on their race or age.
"You're in a cult, girl."
The journalist further described BTS as countercultural outsiders whose expansion was made possible through social media and, you guessed it, marginalized groups. Of course, it was never said overtly, but she followed this up by stating that the percentage of the fandom she observed did not possess much social power in America, but did online.
Let's move on.
While dissecting more of her video, I noticed she frequently used a hodgepodge of random political metaphors and odd phrases to describe the concert experience as though it were some cult-like anomaly.
She used the word "militant" to describe the experience and even suggested that it was somehow connected to BTS's overall concept. It appears that very minimal research was done to properly understand the environment she was entering.
If you are into K-pop, you would know that most groups use lightsticks. However, BTS's ARMY Bomb was described as an "orb." She also mentioned that her husband turned to her and said:
"This could be a rally during a cultural revolution."
The jounalist then slightly agreed by stating that the environment was more so "Mass devotion. Billy Graham. More evangelical than Mao Zedong."
Again, the tone, combined with her word choices, could easily lead non-K-pop fans to still believe this was some bizarre, cult-like worship situation, when in reality it resembled any other large-scale K-pop concert.
It Goes Downhill From Here
While still trying to process the concert experience, I kept receiving backhanded compliments. The journalist stated that she expected to "grit her teeth" while listening to the album before the concert, but found herself "inconveniently" liking it.
I am not entirely sure how it is inconvenient to enjoy something you willingly spent hundreds of dollars to experience in person later. Wouldn't that actually be convenient?
She further explained that the musical structure of K-pop was a "weird mix on paper," even though it sounds structurally similar to many genres we already hear on iHeartRadio, just with Korean lyrics.
Another phrase used to describe BTS's new album, ARIRANG, was "Korean cultural confidence" and "very foreign."
In many ways, the purpose of the album, particularly songs like Body to Body, was to reintroduce BTS and reconnect with aspects of their cultural identity. However, the way she framed it came across as deeply rooted in national individualism, seemingly unaware that many K-pop fans are first- or second-generation Americans, immigrants, or simply people who enjoy learning about cultures outside of their own.
From there, most of ARMY's criticism began.
The journalist used phrases like "American kids" before describing BTS as:
"Seven androgynous skinny Asian men."
She also commented on how they changed their hair more often than she did.
From ageism to xenophobia to emasculating commentary, every minute of the video began to feel longer than the last. By that point, I honestly wanted to quit watching altogether so I could finally go to bed. Unfortunately, there were still five minutes left. Ugh.
She then described BTS as a group expected to:
"Churn out the sausage machine of hits."
And while awkwardly discussing their military hiatus, she added:
"They didn't go to rehab..."
No one was thinking that.
Rolling Down the Hill
Classism strikes again.
While discussing how fans willingly learn Korean culture, language, and references through K-pop, she essentially described the audience as well-educated, even though they had never set foot in Korea. Keeping in mind her earlier observations about the demographics of the audience, she then made the following remark:
"Statistically… I'm being generous here. Not many in that audience would have a passport. That demographic will probably never leave the USA. Most will certainly never go to Korea. They probably never made it to New York and never will. "
She then proceeded to discuss the spending power of the" lower half," meaning minorities and working-class people.
At this point, it almost sounded like she believed that music could serve as a distraction for people trying to momentarily forget the realities of collapsing systems, systemic racism, failing educational institutions, disappearing reproductive rights, and economic instability.
Maybe music does help people escape "negativity" for a few hours. And honestly, what is wrong with that?
My Jaw Physically Dropped
I am writing this in real time because I genuinely could not believe what I was hearing.
"The Americans who were around me probably lived in trailer parks, certainly on the outskirts of small towns. Their parents and they were probably living month to month on wages. They probably don't have much insurance. They're certainly making minimum wage, but still they have enough disposable income to afford a BTS ticket, a lightstick, a branded T-shirt, and a trip to Tampa, Florida."
I am not even going to unpack this comment further or her attempt to tie it back to American capitalism.
Yes, many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. That reality, however, does not mean people should deprive themselves of joy, community, or experiences that make life feel worthwhile. People are allowed to save up for concerts. People are allowed to enjoy things. And quite frankly, Afterpay and Klarna exist.
Overall, I was genuinely surprised by how crass this video was, especially considering it came from someone with such an extensive background in journalism. Giving backhanded compliments while reinforcing stereotypes about an audience you barely understand ultimately damages your credibility.
Don Lemon would never.
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