📂 - this is just a rant and I didn't know where else to really air out my grievances
I'm sure many of you are aware of the sehun bubble post recently, but if you aren't: he posted a photo of himself beginning to read a self-help book by the notorious Jordan Peterson. Jordan Peterson is a man known for his polarizing takes and controversies. he spews dangerously concerning material, most often on misogyny and manosphere content.
anyways, this was in the beginning when he first posted it and I was curious and translated what was shown on the page and found the book. someone had commented, asking what he was reading, so I dejectedly informed her. and this was on a smaller social media app, nothing big like twitter and Instagram. but it breached containment and became a whole talking point. and I panicked thinking I did that before I learned it was already blowing up on twitter.
but nevertheless, that momentary panic of, "did I cause this?", quickly morphed into, "oh god why this of all things?" and it's just such a sucky situation.
I'm a sehun ult. I have been for nearly a decade now. no one has ever been close to contesting sehun. he is my #1 always. but then this happens and it has me spiraling. I try to console myself naturally as I am saddened by this. like I heard it's a gift from suho (that's a whole topic for another discussion), so there's that small shred of hope that maybe he is unaware of the implications made by his reading this book. maybe he's never heard of Jordan Peterson. maybe he's just reading it because it's a very innocuous looking book (I do admit of Peterson's works, it is the least volatile in that it does not outright proclaim these ideologies he's known for, but nevertheless, it had excerpts that are commonly used in "red pilled" communities to prey upon men's insecurities and encourage them to seek solace among men in these misogynistic communities online). maybe he's not even reading it, maybe he's just presenting it as if he were well read. these are all possibilities.
but then there's the other route that he is interested in this content. that he's read up on Jordan Peterson and actually enjoys his content. that this isn't a stepping stone, but a path he's already well traveled on.
I don't like thinking in the latter perspective, not only because he's my bias, but because of the blatant hate he's suddenly getting. nobody ever talks about exo, especially sehun, and the one time they suddenly show any attention to them is when they're in a sticky situation. and it fills me with such dread because many of their talking points are valid. it is incredibly disappointing for sehun to be subtly promoting a book with these themes interwoven in the text. obviously he's a man in a position of power and wealth, entrenched in an incredibly conservative and patriarchal country, so obviously that's going to impact the way he perceives himself and concomitantly others.
idk. I'm not delusional enough to defend him blindly and fight in nonsensical fanwars. but I can be sad for the potential of what's brewing beneath. obviously, as this isn't a big scandal, nothing will come of it. we'll never know if he read the book with gusto and intent. we'll never know if he holds ideologies akin to Peterson's. it'll just remain a faded stain upon his reputation, used in future discourses to discredit any accomplishments he may achieve. I know it's silly to be so worked up over an issue like this, but in the current political climate we're in, I feel like it's a valid concern to have when debating on who one should waste their efforts on.
blakekathryn
snowghoul
origamiaround
dededos
prguitarman
