BC I NEED TO RANT (warning: long post ahead)
You wanna know why ARMYs are so annoying???? Let me tell your salty asses something. BTS’ success is a monumental feat other artists can only dream of achieving. Many of the most popular Kpop acts right now come from relatively large companies who have other well-known artists to help catch the eye of the public – BTS didn’t have that luxury. They came from a management so small and unknown that they had to use staff as extras in music videos because they couldn’t afford to hire real actors to play miniscule roles. They debuted at a time where no one gave a single flying fuck about their existence and pretty much everyone thought they would be lucky if they lasted a year or two. Also, the boys were so poor that the 7 of them lived together in a tiny ass apartment where one member constantly had to borrow his mom’s kitchen supplies for cooking because they struggled to afford going out to eat or even simple shit like ramen.
Other Kpop groups get famous simply because of the company they come from, but since BTS’ management didn’t house other famous artists, they really had to rely on their talent to propel themselves to fame. Kpop is no doubt a highly manufactured industry and I get why there are so many criticisms towards it because so many groups are literally robots who just do whatever their company tells them to do. It’s very uncommon for artists to write/produce their own music, but BTS is one of the very few musicians in the business who are heavily involved in the creation process of each track of every album. Not only that, but the songs they write and produce aren’t just restricted to love; from the faults in the education system and consumer culture, to female empowerment, to mental health, the struggles of youth and loss, BTS has written several socially conscious lyrics and are never afraid to tackle important topics that aren’t discussed enough within the public.
Along with their hard work in the creation process (including the immense time and effort they put into perfecting their intricate choreography), they are just genuinely kind and humble boys who are incredibly passionate and have a bond that can only be described as brotherly. BTS have and continue to be involved in various charitable organizations, most recently they partnered with UNICEF and created the #LoveMyself campaign to help put an end to violence. However, BTS is known for always, literally A L W A Y S, staying connected to their fans even though it would be in their best interest to keep their personal lives private. Yes, some people in this fandom are genuinely crazy and unfortunately BTS has encountered “fans” who have no self-control and respect for other people’s personal space. Despite that, though, the boys still regularly interact with fans through social media and they always find a way to tell ARMYs that they love us and are forever grateful for our support – a claim in which they never fail to prove. Almost every interviewer in America has asked the boys to discuss the most insane things their fans have done to them, but each and every time they continue to reinforce the fact that unlike what many people may think, we aren’t all your average teenage girls whose only dream is to marry them someday; they always make sure to put reporters in their place and they continuously defend us even when they’ve had various unfavorable experiences in the past. Even in person BTS are all extremely kind and respectful: from fans who’ve had the chance to meet them outside of their schedules to people who have actually worked with/for them, literally no one has anything bad to say about the group other than antis or people who are too ignorant to look into them.
And finally BTS is just a group of stupid idiots who have a bond closer than family. Each of them is a meme in their own right (some more than others lmao), but on a more serious note, they each have a distinct bond with one another that it’s hard not to get emotional because their friendship is truly genuine. They constantly praise one another, celebrate each other’s flaws rather than degrading them, and even when they’re on their separate vacations they always talk about how much they miss each other and how much they feel lonely when the other boys aren’t around. Let’s also not ignore the fact that the older 6 members!!!!literally!!!!raised!!!!!Jungkook (the youngest) from a shy, insecure 15 year old into the playful and confident adult he is today. On numerous occasions, each of the boys have said that BTS saved them and they can’t imagine spending every single day with any other group of people. They’ve been with each other through loss, depression, the brink of disbandment, through everyfuckingthing you can think of and while there have obviously been hardships, their bond has only grown stronger as a result.
Each of them have grown immensely and overcome various obstacles both as a group and individually. They’re set apart through the fact that they each possess different personalities and different concerns, but fundamentally they’re all the same in the sense that their passion for music and love for their fans enables them to put 150% into every performance and makes all the injuries, long hours of nonstop practice, and exhaustion from constant traveling worth it. After all this massive success, they are still the same silly boys from 2013 who have never forgotten their humble beginnings and still feel overwhelmed over every award they receive. Every milestone is seen as an opportunity to improve and release better content; they have never settled for “good enough” and they never intend to, and personally I think their fame is an inspiring message to everyone in the world that no matter how much the odds are against you, success will always be attainable as long as you remain humble and put in the hard work and effort to get there. A few years ago these boys could barely fill small venues in their own country and they would get excited over having 200 retweets… fast forward to 2017 and they are exceeding the boundaries of Kpop, reaching global success, performing amongst world-renowned celebrities, and are making massive achievements in an industry in which English is the dominant language and Asians are highly unrepresented.
After everything they’ve been through, everything they’ve sacrificed, they deserve this recognition more than anyone else and enthusiastically voicing our excitement for them is the least we can do to express our gratitude. So yeah, sorry that we freak out over every little mention of BTS in American media. Sorry that we never seem to shut up about them. Sorry that our fandom is so “annoying”, but we aren’t going to apologize for loving, supporting, and taking pride in a group that has truly changed lives through their music and passion.
