☆ unpopular opinions! i do not think that i am alone though i believe that there are only a few who agree with what i am saying! basically i feel like especially younger army make the whole bts experience less enjoyable tbh?? idk if i make sense but i've seen multiple really disrespectful army insulting other fandoms and i can't identify myself w this fandom anymore. also most army are just over exaggerating about the popularity of bts and idk what i can do about this feeling?? 1
2 like i really want to enjoy bts and everything they do, i want to be a good supporter but i’ve seen myself drifting off in no time, anyway! i don’t want to bother you and i hope you’re having a great day!!!!
Admittedly, it is hard to give my own take and opinion on this because I feel like people will misunderstand, so I’ll do my best to word it out the best way I can and I apologize beforehand because I already know that this will probably turn into a long ass post.I truly understand where you are coming from, but it is hard for me to completely agree with you because I have seen “younger”/new ARMYs that are actually lovely people who do their best to support and love the boys, and I can see some of them already truly and genuinely becoming a part of our fandom. It is difficult for me to generalize the new fans because I personally believe that it doesn’t matter when you started being a fan, as long as you show equal amounts of love, respect, and support for both the group and the fandom; and of course the same amount of respect for other groups and their fans.But here’s the thing, I must say that right now the number of newer ARMYs who go about causing ruckus and disrespecting other fandoms is alarmingly huge and seems to take up the majority of the younger fans we have. I’ve also seen some where they just support their bias or only some of the members and completely disregard the rest of the boys, I mean if you check your twitter you’d probably see one right away, and that both concerns and saddens me. I think this is probably because some of them aren’t really ARMYs, if that makes sense. More of just “bandwagon fans” who decided to become fans of the boys because of their sudden increase in popularity. Which takes me back on what I said earlier about not generalizing the new fans, because we can never know right away if they’re really here for the boys and our fandom or just because BTS seems to be becoming the new “trend”. Let’s not be quick to judge.
As for you, I really do understand how this affects you because I have been in a fandom before where majority of the people were somewhat toxic, it wasn’t always like that but somehow as time passed it just became that way. I’m still a fan of that group right now but I just can’t seem to make myself feel any fondness for its fandom anymore and it did in a way made me drift off. And I am so sorry that you are currently feeling this way right now, my lovely.
I think the best thing we need to do as one fandom and as one family in regards to this issue is to guide the new fans. Make everyone feel welcomed and don’t be one of those who go “oh he/she is a new fan?” and instantly judge or look down on them. Be the mature one, educate them about how kpop culture works, especially if this is their first time becoming a fan of a K artist/group. Don’t fight fire with fire on this one, politely ask/request someone to take down or delete their post if it so happens that you come across one of the new ones, or even old ones tbh, that are being disrespectful to the boys, to fellow ARMYs, and to other fandoms and groups. If they don’t stop and replied crude words to you then the next step is to block and report their accounts because honestly, nothing will ever come out of engaging yourself into flame wars with people like that.
Being a fan and becoming a part of a fandom that sooner or later becomes your family is all about love and support. Let us not make it a bad experience or memory for anyone. Let’s not make things spiral out of our control even more than it already has.
And I think this is where I’ll end this long response for I have babbled on much longer than needed. To the anon who asked this, thank you for trusting me enough to share your opinion and feelings about this issue, I hope that my answer somehow appeased you and that you’d slowly find your way back into this fandom, if not and there are still things that bothers you or desire to talk about and pull out of your chest, then please do send me an ask again or go off anon and message me, I'd love to talk and chit chat with you! I wish you and everyone else who’d stick long enough to read the end of this post a great day. Love lots!