Please have some compassion:
Ever since the Poet | Artist MV came out, I’ve seen posts from other Shawols shaming the fandom for the video’s low views. While I understand where those feelings are coming from and the desire for this song/MV to have a stellar amount of views, I want to take moment to address why it hasn’t gotten the views that a lot of the fandom feels this MV deserves.
By now, we are all well aware of the connection this song has to Jonghyun. We’re even more aware of how this comeback was dedicated to him. It’s been known since before the MV was released. I appreciate SM’s effort to make this known prior to the comeback and MV release because, as I will go on to explain, it’s helped prevent those still affected by Jonghyun’s passing from getting triggered.
For those that aren’t aware, there are those in the fandom that are still grieving. Yes, it is real and still on-going, even after 7 years. Yes, IT’S OKAY to be one of those Shawols, and no, you should NOT be ashamed for doing what is best for your mental health.
So, to explain it simply, the reason behind the low views on Poet | Artist is because we are a fandom that is still trying to HEAL. It’s not because we don’t care or are lazy. We WANT Poet | Artist to have millions upon millions of views but it’s hard to accomplish that when a song you love and cherish so much also hurts you and makes you cry every time you listen/watch the video.
In due time, Poet | Artist will earn a viewership that makes the fandom proud. It’s just going to take longer to get there because we have to heal along the way. Who knows - this song might even help those still affected by their grief, but what won’t help is calling out the fandom and shaming them for not streaming the MV. All you’re doing is giving these grieving Shawols another reason to distance themselves from SHINee.
That’s why I ask that SHINee World please stand united. Whether you are old or new, Pre-2017 or Post-2017, show your fellow Shawols some compassion. What happened affected us all in some way, and there is no time limit on how long it takes to overcome grief.
There’s no need to worry about the MV views for SHINee’s sake. They understand better than you’re giving them credit for because they’re not going to look at the low views and think nobody liked their song/MV/comeback. They’re going to look at it and know that they’re not alone for still grieving the loss of Jonghyun. They’re going to see that their fandom is as much in the healing process as they are, and it’s going to help them just like it helps when we see/hear SHINee talking about Jonghyun.