MARK LEE AND HIS "VINTAGE SHIRT"
thought i'll make a post about this since a lot of you know how much i like nct, and with this i also want to spread awarness.
first and foremost : what is the topic? so, if you haven't seen it before, today these pictures got posted around social media, via Instagram
i've seen many people who were confused about why people are hating on mark and what is this whole thing about : it's about his shirt, and the flag on it.
for those who doesn't know, it's the confederate flag.
in 1860-61, eleven southern states seceded from the United States to protect the institution of slavery, forming the Confederate States of America and precipitating the Civil War. during the war, the Confederacy and its military forces used a variety of flags, but the flag that became most associated with the Confederacy was the so-called "battle flag." organizations such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans adopted the flag as a symbol of Southern heritage but the flag also served as a potent symbol of slavery and white supremacy, which has caused it to be very popular among white supremacists in the 20th and 21st centuries. this popularity extends to white supremacists beyond the borders of the United States. because the Confederate cause was rooted in the preservation of slavery and white supremacy, the battle flag became a powerful tool for resistance against the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century. Today, it is widely classified and recognized as a hate symbol by organizations.
in conclusion : this flag stands by slavery and white supremacy.
and even though it was made in the 20th century, it's still used today, as a hate, racist symbol.
but why did mark wear it? did he not know what it means? — there's absolutely no way he didn't know what it means. i just can't see a man who's pushing 30 look at a shirt with a flag on it and think "even though i don't know what this flag means, i'm going to wear it and post pictures of it!"
if the case is that he really didn't know what it means, then that just means he's extremely uneducated on black history or on history in general and he's a dumbass. that's something to be ashamed of.
in his apology (or his label's apology) he mentioned it's a "vintage" shirt, which i found ridiculous, because as i said the symbol is still used today, and his shirt doesn't look old at all.
mark lee, born in toronto canada, lived in new york city for a while, doesn't know what a confederate flag means (which was created in the united states)... hm... sounds believable, sure!
a little bit of what's going on my mind, my own opinion:
i will fully stop supporting mark's future works and career, because even though he put out an apology, it's something that never should've happened in the first place. if you are going to support him after this, you should think about your own morals for a few moments, is it really worth it to support and defend a random man that you only know by media put out by some evil company?
i thought mark is going to find himself through his solo career and his new label, and even though his label focuses on the Bible and Christianity which i'm somewhat against and don't stand by, i wanted to give it a try. i know this isn't the first thing he has done which was controversial (Coca cola and McDonald's ad — both brands supporting israel), but this is just something that you cannot look by.
if you still defend this random kpop man, you have to wake up. slavery is way more serious and important.