i feel like i’ve been WAITING for the other shoe to drop wrt people’s opinions about watcher for this very reason. not that i think the reaction is completely not understandable but the greater the parasocial relationship, the greater the fallout as soon as public opinion shifts. you don’t have a relationship with these people they’re just content creators, chill

Had the grand misfortune of seeing your posts in the BTS tag and I am concerned with amount of rage you have. Yeah, it's normal and alright to have different opinions from others but the way how you state your opinions is dripping with hatred. Idk why you believe that every single Army stupidly ships them with each other - maybe some do it for fun but obviously the ones who are dead serious are delusional. Some "fans" do that with every single group - ship the member with each other as if they can't all just be friends. And why are you shitting on people for having BTS as a source of comfort or whatever? It's better than having Taylor Swift or Justin Beiber or anything other plain ass artist. At least BTS constantly speak up on Mental Health, actually care for their fanbase and provide a lot of content for them. Is that such a crime now???

“Grand Misfortune” that would make a great title for a book or a movie. It’d have to be series or franchise film. “Amount of rage” “dripping with hate” you’re really aiming for the punchlines here anon. Still, it’s nothing I haven’t heard before so check the #boring tag for more responses. I made it specifically for you anons who love grasping at straws.

“Why are you shitting on people for having BTS as a source of comfort or whatever”…. or whatever? You should’ve been more specific anon, but I’ll bite... hold on to your seats and don’t read the rest of this ask if you’re not interested in me shattering the delusional views of BTS or whatever sense of comfort you’re clutching on to.

Also, I hate repeating myself but it has to be said: I’m not here to say things people would like to hear or wouldn’t like to hear. I’m not an unpopular opinions blog. I’m simply here to state my opinions and you’re always free to disagree. Just don’t disagree so callously (especially in my replies or inbox) because I won’t spare your feelings. As for the whole “BTS is my comfort” thing. It’s weird. It’s weird to seek comfort in 7 men you don’t know who all likely have fabricated personas. What’s even weirder is being so invested in their lives. There’s a word for it you know: Parasocial Relationships. I know I just linked an article to Teen Vogue, but the writer did a decent job of highlighting both the positives and negatives. And I didn’t want to link a scientific journal and get too technical on you all.

“It’s better than having Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber”. Is it really though? You only think it’s better because you believe BTS share a “different”message (loving yourself, mental health, vaccinations lol). But what if I told you it was all fabricated? All company-driven narratives and the members are simply puppets on a string in the grand scheme of things? What if I told you everything they’ve ever said or done was for marketing purposes to grow the fanbase and increase company profits?

Okay maybe that’s a stretch, but you’d probably scream blasphemy. “You’re wrong. BigHit or BTS would never do that. They view us as people, not walking cash cows. BTS are genuine. They’re not like other kpop groups and BigHit isn’t like other kpop companies. They’re different. They’re not like other girls. The reason there’s new merch released every week is to provide fans comfort not to increase revenue streams. Bon Voyage and In The Soop are vacations for BTS, not to give ARMYs more ship content and more nonsense to fawn over. BTS care about me so shut your mouth”. Lol, sorry I was only stating some arguments I’ve heard. There’s more but I think that’s enough.

Did you know that back in 2017 BigHit conducted a marketing survey on the fandom to gain a better understating of which direction they should head in with BTS’s overall music and message? Hence, the sudden shift from the rag-tag hip-hop group of guys to the soft “love yourself, love myself” mental health crusade. It wasn’t a coincidence or a sign of “growth” on the members’ part. No. It was all a purposeful, aggressive marketing tactic to garner new fans and build closer bonds in this entire fan economy. And guess what? It worked. Kudos to Bang PD.

Bangtan Sonyeondan: here today, gone tomorrow. I just hope the most talented members are able to jump ship (go solo) before the whole thing actually sinks. A bottle of alcohol would provide you more comfort because at least that’s never going anywhere. Haha jk. All forms of addictions are concerning. Anyway, for the past year+ now HYBE has been investing in ways to ease the burden that BTS and ARMYs are their biggest cash cows (acquiring other groups/companies, real estate, tech acquisitions, all that good stuff). They want to ensure that even after BTS stops promoting the company will be here to stay. It’s not personal, it’s just business. HYBE was able to grow this big thanks to BTS. They were able to go public thanks to BTS. Bang PD is able to do everything he wants to do now all thanks to BTS. Yet what does he give them in return? Less than 2% of ownership in the company, zero official promotions for their mixtapes and solo releases, restricted schedules full of burnout, and most importantly he has created hierarchies between the members, a toxic environment within the fandom, allowing akgaes to run wild. Well at least BTS have earned lots of money from it, and pretty trophies, and chart positions, and get to do what they love (music). Also ARMY loves them and would consume anything with their faces on it, so I guess it’s a win-win….right?

This ask took a turn. I probably could’ve left things at “I think it’s weird to find comfort in 7 men who don’t even know you exist” but where’s the fun in that? :)

***For further insights this individual sums things up well and includes all the nitty-gritty details I was too lazy to add. This post too. Keep in mind I don’t know this person. I’ve never spoken to them in my life. I simply came across their posts on this public platform called Tumblr, so don’t bother sending your hate boners in their direction. xoxo.

Side note: I’m not saying the members don’t actually care about you loving yourself and your mental health. They’re good people. Or at least most of them are. But you’d be a fool to think their company (BigHit) hasn’t played a huge role in the direction of their music, messages to fans, media play, and basically every single piece of content they’ve released since the day of their debut.