Sensitive Do you think idols should speak about politics or humanitarean issues? (1 Viewer)

[seungfloral]

I found this discourse on twitter that an idol i follow should've adressed catastrophes happening right now. And while i do agree it would be a good gesture, i find it weird if ppl are demanding idols to adress these issues, cause then they are bound to be criticized if they miss to adress other similar issues.

(Also the company that the said idol is from already donated a big amount for relief efforts)

 

[uarmyhope]

no

 

[Myth]

honestly, I feel like it's so easy to not like, word yourself properly, be misunderstood, or say something stupid so it's like... better to be quiet.

But yk, freedom of speech and all that.

 

[seungfloral]

honestly, I feel like it's so easy to not like, word yourself properly, be misunderstood, or say something stupid so it's like... better to be quiet.

But yk, freedom of speech and all that.

Yeah, reminds me of the incidents with foreign members. Even just mentioning their home country or congratulating their new government got them into backlash. Ex. Sana, Tzuyu, Jackson ...

It is sometimes better to not say anything.

 

[Abeamus]

Asking celebrities their opinion on foreign political scenarios is a slippery slope that is best avoided all together as even in the case of the Ukraine war some people were like "daddy Putin 😍" at the start.

 

[the101]

Eh they're just people - allowed to have their opinions and allowed to not want to say anything unless it is something they're specifically involved in (like they have a clothing line and there are human rights violations happening in that city). Also people forget that idols may have done or said something in private - like provide a donation or efforts to help a situation.

 

[velvet]

Many people see idols as an escape from the real world, talking about something political would be pretty awkward. But all power to idols who do speak out about these things

 

[BlingyBlinger]

If they were made to address every issue and just happened to miss one, they'd get crucified

 

[ichigohon]

No because I gurantee y'all wouldn't like someone like Chen's opinions. I love him so much but he's a very Catholic guy so I doubt he'd like the idea of a gay fanboy but that hasn't stopped me yet.

 

[Yelena_Belova]

I agree with pretty much everything else said here so far. If they do, and they want to and their company allows it, I suppose it’s fine, but I use K-Pop almost as a form of escapism, and hearing about politics reminds me of reality too much and how messed up the world can be. Plus, there’s a lot of nuance to a lot of political matters, even in cases when it seems pretty straightforward, and I’d be worried about the idols either unintentionally miswording something without realizing it. Also, we all know how bad fanwars are. Imagine if immature fans took seriously issues that affected countless people every day and used them in fanwars? I don’t know, I feel like that would boil my blood so much, and the worst part is that I can sadly imagine something like that happening if idols become more open about their beliefs. Long story short, I’m fine if they do it, but there’s going to be consequences of doing so and not all of them are going to be good.

 

[Myth]

Yeah, reminds me of the incidents with foreign members. Even just mentioning their home country or congratulating their new government got them into backlash. Ex. Sana, Tzuyu, Jackson ...

It is sometimes better to not say anything.

This is a bit smaller scale, but I think of the en members saying something dumb or something that comes off as ignorant (I think one of them got in trouble for saying "Korean history is short and that's why he likes world history better" recently, and like, are these kids being malicious? no. I think they are young and maybe not the best at expressing or say things without thinking.

But nonetheless, people have understandable reasons for criticizing things like that so like.. idk stepping back, thinking before you speak, or keeping some things off camera can honestly go a long way.

 

[eclipsoul]

they shouldn't have to but if they want to at least amplify the voices of those who are more educated on a certain issue than they are, they should be allowed to do that without being forced to stay apolitical. with that being said, people shouldn't use celebrities as a moral guidance and celebrity activism seems very performative sometimes so i'd rather have them do something quietly than act like jaejoong who lied about having covid to "spread awareness" or that boy group who used george floyd's last words as a sample in their song.

 

[Selfmate]

idols are human and humans have opinions - they can speak if they want
they can remain silent if they want

they will get criticized either way so it's up to them to decide if they want to do it or not

 

[Pirioca]

Since environmental pollution is a humanitarean issue, my ult group already did.

Watch Dreamcatcher Address Global Environmental Crisis in Latest Release 'Maison'

Accompanied by a music video, the track leads the group's sophomore LP 'APOCALYPSE: SAVE US'

rollingstoneindia.com

Dreamcatcher Call for a Peaceful Tomorrow in Their Latest Music Video 'Vision'

The single leads the group's seventh EP, 'Apocalypse: Follow Us'

rollingstoneindia.com

But we can't expect thematically harsher songs like 'America' by Motionless In White in K-Pop.

Motionless in White (Ft. Michael Vampire) – America

A-M-E-R-I-C-A is the third track on the album Infamous, as well as being the third single that was released from the album. The deluxe edition of Infamous features a Celldweller

genius.com

After all K-Pop sets other priorities (the average problems of the young South Korean audience) and don't want to be too offensive. If you search for political statements in today's music, look in the modern US-Metal and Rap scene.

 

[Moguri]

idols are human and humans have opinions - they can speak if they want

Idols give up that freedom, together with many others, when they sign their contracts

 

[Pirioca]

Idols give up that freedom, together with many others, when they sign their contracts

Yep, unfortunately. While South Korea's Indie Pop/Rock scene is still vanishingly small.

 

[Selfmate]

Idols give up that freedom, together with many others, when they sign their contracts

ahhh well they have to abide by the terms of their contract - doesn't mean they give up their freedom of speech
they just aren't free from the consequences of potentially breaching that contract...if there are terms in that contract that prohibits one from certain conduct or certain words

 

[Pirioca]

ahhh well they have to abide by the terms of their contract - doesn't mean they give up their freedom of speech.

Nope, but they often give up their independence beyond the contractual clauses. While western music labels normally don't interfere in the songwriting process of the artists.

Maybe Dreamcatcher is the most independent popular K-Pop band, because DC seems to be one of the most tolerant companies in the industry. But to certain degree even this group is bound by the K-Pop norms.

 

[Selfmate]

Nope, but they often give up their independence beyond the contractual clauses. While western music labels normally don't interfere in the songwriting process of the artists.

Maybe Dreamcatcher is the most independent popular K-Pop band, because DC seem to be one of the most tolerant companies in the industry. But to certain degree even this group is bound by the K-Pop norms.

then that's a choice they make when entering such a contract within the stipulations of being a kpop idol
you mentioned kpop norms and I'll add korean culture as well -the CJK countries are known for their collectivism as oppose to their individualism so the idols just choose not to do or say certain things...

then the question becomes what is "freedom"??? let's say one is bound by a contractual term in a contract to not speak about certain issues - sure that's limiting the freedom but that's a choice one makes when entering such a contract no?

 

[Pirioca]

then the question becomes what is "freedom"??? let's say one is bound by a contractual term in a contract to not speak about certain issues - sure that's limiting the freedom but that's a choice one makes when entering such a contract no?

That's correct. No one forces the idols to sign or renew their contracts. They just give up a part of their freedom they'll possibly never miss.

Within the legal framework we have Freedom Of Speech in Germany (theoretically). But what percentage of the German artists really use this freedom? Most German musicians write songs about everyday topics anyway. Most people love there comfort zones, and they don't want to leave them - not even musically.