the BTS coronavirus tweet 

I am gonna leave it here.. BTS is keeping me going with a smile on my face. Coming from an ICU doctor.

another thing that plays a huge part is the fact that majority of bts’ fans are woman, and of course, young female enthusiasm has always been put down and looked down at. No one can deny that such thing exists since it’s too obvious to miss, even in little things like wordings, young males being described as “dedicated” for their infatuation with a certain sport while young females get called names like “obsessive” “crazy abt ...” and etc for their love of a certain artist or even with other stuff, it’s always them that get linked with words of that sort. it’s sickening, really.

The fact that billie's fans could boo another artist in her presence shocks me to this day and also shows that they don't respect her like armys could never boo another artist in front of bts also this topic died in a few days imagine if It was armys that did this like this topic would be everywhere

I feel like the reason some armies are so quick to attack anyone who even slightly disrespects bts is because armies have been so repeatedly disrespected and made fun of it’s hard for them to not snap or be protective. This of course does not excuse their actions, but it does give an explanation for some of them.

"I'm so tired....." I really felt that. Not in a physical way.

fun fact: the stereotype bout the fanbase consisting of 'young' women is very wrong. even according to the statistics, 24% were 10-19 year olds, 26% were 20-29 year olds, 19% were 30 to 39 year olds, 27% were 40-49 year olds and 4% were 50 plus.

my aunt is a front liner and she literally told me that bts makes her day better, idk why people pick on bts & army so much ://

This man is just a blessing. You help armies who’s voices haven’t been heard, we aren’t crazy, we aren’t “crybabies”, we are people. We are people you see walking down the streets, in stores, school, jobs, etc. just because we support kpop doesn’t mean you get the right to clump us up into a group and label us all crazy. You’re not allowed to take out rights from us just because we support a group of artist that write moving songs about real life problems. At this point I’m done with the racist comments, Everyone. Is . Human. Everyone . Is . Different. We shouldn’t look at peoples differences and shame them. We should look at their differences and admire them. No one should be afraid to be themselves because they will get criticism. Everyone should love themselves because they are different, unique. Support each other, love each other, be KIND to one another. Little steps at a time, and doesn’t it feel good to do something for someone? A little compliment could make someone’s day. And they will pay it forward, a never ending cycle just be kind, please.

Amen. They don't see us. They only look at a few, or only look at part, and BOOM! They've got it all figured out. They don't see ME> a 60 yr old, who BTS inspired to get out and start working with local charities. They can't or won't see past a label. And that's on them.

THIS IS THE ONLY CHANNEL FOR KPOP INFORMATION WORTH GETTING RECOGNIZED. THATS IT.

I really dislike how close-minded most people are about BTS and other kpop groups.

Those people “attack” kpop fans then get “surprised” when fans respond. Like what did you expect?! They treat us like immature children yet they are the one who need to “triggered” a fandom in order to get clicks

You made me tear up... I'm so glad we have such a well spoken person in our fandom, one who can write these organized and effective video essays... you really know how to put ARMY's collective thoughts into a concise and well-written video, and I thank you so much for this. Thank you Elliot 💜

Oh gosh. I wish people would just be kind. That’s it. Let’s Just be kind and understanding to each other and have hate and fights stop with US.

I hate how me coming out was easier than me admitting that I'm a kpop stan

It's actually really funny how the BTSisoverparty hashtag was used to raise $20,000 for a charity, but on the same token it bashed on millions of people all over the world. He did more hurt than healing, and I don't even think he realizes the grand problem to that. If he would've been a decent human being and idk used a more supportive hashtag like BTSforkids then he would've not only been recognized for being a good person, someone who respects culture, someone who is smart enough to hit two birds with one stone (that being helping the donations and supporting a popular group); he would've also raised millions of dollars instead of just 20,000. See how that works? 🤨

I'm black, when I was a child I heard a lot of "jokes" about how I had ebola and I didn't even know what ebola was cause 1) again, I was a child, and 2) I live in Brazil, we didn't have many ebola cases here. So, yeah, this tweet Froste made wasn't amusing to me, because I know how that feels. Also, thank you for this! Love watching your videos about BTS

I remeber that day when h3h3 did that "joke" like it was yesterday. It was such a disheartening day on twitter, everyone was attacking us for no reason and honestly i cried a lot. It was tough. I know the army community is so more than what they tell us we are. They see what they want to see and they believe what their "idols" say, like sheeps. I was so angry, not because they where attacking me as an individual, but because they attacked the whole community that consists of such amazing, inspiring, intelectual, caring people. And they attacked the reason we are so united and enpowering, BTS. It was a bad day and i really hope it doesnt repeat. As you said,we are tired of these attack. Attacks for no reason, attacks that hurt and attacks that have weight. They dont support bulling (one of their reason they hate the communitu) but they are the bullies. They are hypocrites.

To all the Frosty stans that have found their way here, it amazes me that y'all can't see the irony of coming onto this video that calmly and eloquently explains one side of an argument to throw childish insults when this is apparently the type of behaviour in fandom culture y'all claim to hate, god forbid people have valid criticisms of a tasteless joke and everything that surrounds it.

I think that one of the most frustrating things is the absolute illogical idea that they know _more_ about your interest than you do. That after you've dedicated countless valuable hours of your life to enjoying and understanding an artist, they, who'd not ever bothered to extend enough respect to research or listen to the artist with so much as an open mind, now think that _they_ can tell _you_ the _truth_ about the artist. If you tell them that the songs are meaningful, they'll tell _you_ that you can't understand them anyway and that it's all just white noise. If you tell them that they work hard, they'll tell _you_ that they're just plastic, talentless dolls. If you tell them that they changed your life, that they saved you, that that make you happy, _they'll look at you like you're crazy._ At the end of the day, you're made to know that the thing that _excites_ you, the thing that you're _passionate_ about, the thing that you're _actually educated_ about, is subject to be reduced to the ideas of someone who doesn't realistically know a _thing_ about it. It's this patronizing, painful exchange of: "Their lyricism is incredible." "You know most of those people don't even write their own songs, right?" Speaking directly down to you. Rather than even any sliver of open-mindedness ("Don't most of them not write their own songs?" - inquiring your insight), simply the absolute minimization of your education on the subject, as if you don't even have the mental capacity. It makes you feel like you're not a human because you're not being treated as one. You're being seen as a fool. A brainwashed zombie who has to be reminded that they're brainwashed. An intellectual degenerate of the human race who isn't evolved enough to pursue quality or coherence. For what? For liking an artist? But the reality is, _they're_ the brainwashed ones. Conditioned to believe in a certain set of ideologies. They're the ones on the bandwagon: the hate bandwagon. They're the ones who are under-researched and who claimed a stance without any information. No matter what you say to them, no matter what perspective or evidence you give them, they will not receive, research, verify, or even demonstrate a willingness to change their minds. They will warp _everything_ into their narrow space of comprehension. _That is being brainwashed._ But the hypocrisy is unbearable. What you said here really sums it all up. We're tired. We're so _tired._ When something has such a profound, positive impact on you, _you want to tell the world._ But the world has been turned against you. It's an inexplicable pain to be unable to share in something so intricately significant to you for fear of being entirely dehumanized by even those closest to you. To be fitted to a box for the very thing that makes you feel free. To be seen as only your label instead of the immense internal change. That's just the thing. They think that the dark patch is a phase, and when you suddenly start to come out of it, it's just the phase ending. If you tell them that the sudden happiness and alleviation came from a K-Pop artist, you're a crazy fan and that's a phase, too. Yes, your actions speak for themselves, until somebody else decides to speak for your actions. Thank you so much for this organized, articulate, informative, and honest video, where we can all find comfort and understanding. This perspective and empathy is very much needed in this community, and I'm so grateful for your voice for us in this matter. First video, and I'm subscribing. I hope only the greatest things for you in the future. ARMY, fighting. 💜 P.S. I'm sorry about the essay, but this theme, to me, is very prevalent and I wanted to articulate it to the best of my ability.

This sparks two thoughts inside my brain: 1) multiple BTS members are gamers, kinda sad to see a gamer turn against our own kind 2) liking BTS isn't a personality trait, why judge someone for it? As a music nerd who doesn't feel like they're a full blown army: their work is just interesting and they have a lot of good takes in songs like Ugh, Baepsae, spinebreaker... And I love that one linguistic song too, Satoori rap. Ignorance is such a sad thing, anyone can learn a lot from BTS.

You know what the worst part is? Those people you talk about in the video are probably never going to watch this video because they are just that ignorant and mean

If you poke fun at a group of thousand of people constantly, do you expect them to stay there and do nothing ? Of course, some of us (ARMY) react too much, but it’s bound to happen for every single fandom ever, not just us. Stop making fun of us and say afterward that “They’re crazy and overreacting” if your not ready to receive the backlash from your joke. We’re just tired of being made fun of, so if you want a kind response to your “jokes” (this apply to everyone), go somewhere else. This video is a blessing, I’m very happy that you’re part of our fandom !

99% of the time, the people who hate on BTS/Army acknowledge that they are ignorant but still choose not to change that. It’s honestly sad. Great video though, I’m glad you’re apart of the fandom.

Thank you for making me proud of being an army again. Being an army, i often suffer from self doubt and the endless amount of criticism eventually gets to me and i start to question if being an army means I'm a bad person. I know that when i became an army i made an effort to understand myself which has been a great challenge my entire life. I know that when i became an army i learned about so many thing i would've never been interested in learning otherwise. Armys' diversity made me see and look at how people think and live beyond what i know. I hate when people around me who don't expect me to be an army, say "yeah but you're not crazy like them" or "yeah but you only like the group not the fandom right?”. I like it. I like being an army.

"Because deep down so much good could happen if people just decided to see us." Thanks Elliot for another great video. I truly felt what you were talking about at the end of the video and even found myself getting emotional. I too have the same exhaustion, but I continue to do what I can for bts as 1 individual - 1 individual can become an army with millions. Excuse the corniness, but it's true - so many voices behind bts all saying the same thing: 'we see you and we hear you' @ the tannies & ARMY. Regardless of what anyone says, I'm forever thankful for bts and ARMY as their strongest supporters.

you know, i’ve met an actual hater and they get angry over everything, mostly over stupid stuff. she told me she was planning on ruining bts’s reputation by making fake facebook accounts and mass commenting on army’s pages and posts. she told me that, and she knows i’m an army. and it was over a post about bts being the better version of nsync/backstreet boys. that was it. and so i told her, the only people who post those types of stuff (comparing bts to other bands) are the ones who want to get viral by fighting other fandoms. they’re new to the fandom and are babies and immature. she didn’t like that i said that. short friendship over.

As a black Muslim army who BTS helped mentally get better I subscribed immediately Thank you for thinking positively and rationally

is it bad that i almost started crying when i watched this because i'm just so tired of people assuming stuff about our fandom and someone finally said it properly :")

This legit almost made me cry. I nearly forgot the reason we fight and stand up for ourselves, and nearly fell into the narrative that my sister kept telling me "armys are always overreacting", but you made me realize our reason again, thank you so much. I genuinely love both you and your content

Say it with me People who disrespect BTS without even knowing them are jealous of them.

Yet, we are the mean ones, we are the toxic ones. Yet, we are the one that can not celebrate our achivements because "BTS is a popular group, don't act that surprised", we are the ones that are called horrible things everyday. The whole kpop community it's full of hipocrisy, because they can call us names, they can say whatever they want, but expect ARMY to stay quiet. I've been with them since I was 10, (I'm 16 now) a mexican girl that didn't had an opinion online because " You are an ARMY, no opinion". Honestly I am just so done with everything that we endure. ARMY WE ARE STRONG AND POWERFUL AND WE WILL NOT STAY QUIET ANYMORE 💜

THANK YOU. The reason I want to push bts so high is because I genuinely want more people to hear bts’ message because it’s helped so many of us and can possibly help more if people would just give it a chance. Not cuz Taehyung is beautiful.

I'm not personally into kpop but I've found your recent essays defending kpop very enlightening and see the genre in a more positive way. ty!

As a former Kpop stan the reason why they tend to be so "sensitive" is most likely because they already get so much hate both online and in person

The thing that annoys me most is he knows how all of his fans are. He knows his fans are racist, xenophobic, homophobic, ableist, and so on. He can tweet whatever he wants about BTS and the comments will be full of hate. Frost tweeting about BTS is giving the green light to his fans to say whatever they want about BTS. I’m tired honestly

I would add one thing, and it's that it's not only because of the western glass ceiling that ARMY is overzealous. It's because since before their debut, BTS were attacked, relentlessly, by basically everyone. The Korean music industry tried every dirty trick in the book to sabotage them, the Korean gp treated them as, like Suga puts it in UGH, the "village drum" anyone can hit without worry, they were mistreated in variety shows, fucked over in music shows, betrayed by their former friends (RM mixtape is a great listen) , and subject of organized attacks by other Kpop fandoms alongside ARMY, who were at the time too small in numbers to fight back. Some things lightened up after their domestic and western success, but then others were added, like all the racist, insulting western media coverage. So ARMY is overzealous because at all times, and since always, BTS is under attack. I just wish they'd leave us be.

Idk what’s wrong with liking BTS who has amazing artistry and music and is clearly trying to do good in this world? Yh they look good but we’re past that. Alot of ARMY are not just young girls; older women, teenage boys, older men, toddlers, even Grammys and grandpas are fans of BTS, why must you glue your eyes in the literal 3% of the fandom that are teenage girls who are attracted to them? If ARMY isn’t being attacked by the locals, their being attacked by other kpop fans like we literally have no where to go. Then when an ARMY bites back at you you wanna go cry 🤡 it’s so funny and frustrating at the same time🙄 atleast I’m proud to say I’m a ARMY and I can’t wait for BTS to break another record because ARMY loves BTS and BTS loves ARMY despite literally everyone praying on our downfall 🥱

Them: ARMY are toxic ARMY: *REVERSE CARD* Them: REEEEEEEE

ARMY is one of the most welcoming and supportive fandom I have seen

Wow this was incredibly poignant. I’m not a bts fan and admittedly have not always been the biggest fan of bts fans but as a person into kpop in general (and tbh as someone whos been in fandom since i was a kid) i actually just relate to so much of this. Its annoying for genuine interests to be written off so often and by so many people around us. Great vid

I agree with what you said about people constantly talking about how BTS fans are toxic. Every time I hear it in a video I don’t react of course because I want to show that Army’s are not all toxic.

one thing i hate about being an army people will ask "are you army?" me: "yeah." them: "uhm.....it's ok you're a guy so you're not obsessed" ARGHHH i'm- anyways i really loved this video if people watched this they would actually yk be better

this is the worst hate bts has ever gotten and its just breaking me. if you're an "anti" reading this please stop. just stop. racism isnt okay.

I heard someone say the BTS gets hate more than Seungri and- that had me shook.

"Opinionated but I'm always spittin straight facts" - Mark Lee and Elliot Sang (probably) ;)

it's a little funny. "why are they so overprotective and obsessive?" they ask as they continue the cycle by disrespecting bts. it's like asking why a child keeps on eating more and more when it's YOU who has your hand stretched out to feed them. what results do you expect? at that point, it's not the child at fault, it's the hand that feeds them.

I repeat not liking kpop doesn't make you cool nor quirky

this. just, this. it's so strange that we're all put in a box when other fan groups (specifically, western fan groups) don't get the same treatment. armys do So Much good, but people let the minority overshadow it. we're one of the largest fandoms in the world, of Course there's gonna be people that are quick to anger or are toxic etc, but there's So Many that actively do good. being an army makes me want to do better every day, and i hope someday people will see that, too

Elliot! 🔥

Wait...someone needs to explain why we put Spanish music on the radio even tho 80% of the listeners doesn’t understand but we can’t put kpop

“I feel more like myself than I ever have”. That rlly made me tear up a little bc that’s exactly how I feel about it. Bts and being army isn’t my whole identity. Not by far but they’ve genuinely helped me become more confident and grow as a person

It’s frustrating cause I’ll notice myself finding a way to like things less because I know there’s a lot of people who don’t like it, but then army reminds me that other people who like bts exists and I don’t wanna sit here and act like I’m not an army when I am, bts has helped me through so much! If I like it I like it, it really sucks trying not to be as passionate about something because it’s considered too much or too weird, I’m tired of it!!! If my mom doesn’t like it or my friends don’t like it, whatever!! It’s still making me happy a this moment and that’s all that matters, I’ve learned so much from this group and I will continue to support them until they disband, Idc what people say, it’s my interest why does it matter to you?

bts is for everyone and at the same time it’s not for everyone...who will listen with prejudice

Hating people without a reason is embarassing. I would never hate a person without a logical reason.

Our fandom's like highschool freshmen. The louder, crazier people are who everyone looks at, whereas the normal quieter ones are overlooked

Great vid as always! Gotta love how when gamers spread misinformation on the kpop industry, "trigger" teenage girls for fun, post slurs and other straight up racist and homophobic shit and mock idol suicides it's considered nothing more than trolling or dark humor, yet kpop fans are called toxic for posting videos of people dancing

Seriously, your channel is underrated

If froste is proud that he *only* made $20,000 for charity and is still making fun of BTS, then he should know that my Bangtannie boys have donated millions to different charities and organizations and us ARMYs have also donated in their names and helped so many people because we were inspired by BTS.

This is why I deleted Twitter as a whole. There’s such so much going on there I cannot even handle.

I don't think the joke itself was offensive - it could have been replaced with "if BTS get kidnapped by aliens ARMy will build the Enterprise in a week" and send the same message. The problem is that you CANNOT joke about something that people are actually in danger of, on top of the racism behind choosing BTS and not, say, Beyonce. But it's low-level shittyness from a known edgelord. Finneas is a fucking *colleague* of BTS. He was COMPLETELY out of line. Also the fact that BE did not know (or pretended not to know, although she kinda lives in a cloud so I believe her) BTS when the MOST RETWEETED TWEET OF 2019 and the 3rd in history is a vid of Jungkook dancing to Bad Guy shows how much Americans in particular dismiss anything they didn't make.

man i hope this goes viral, it sure deserves it. you explain your thoughts and views so well and obviously put a LOT of work into it. i dont use social media bc i dont need to be told by people 24/7 my favorite band sucks and i suck too for it, so i didn't know about this tweet situation. it's nothing new, and not surprising but still disappointing. funny thing is this sort of treatment happens ALL THE TIME if a majority-female-fan-group gets too big, we get told we're obsessed and crazy and dumb, but most of the time these people are more obsessed with us then we are with whatever it is we're enjoying (music, movies, shows, books...) and rarely (if ever) have an open mind or kind words. it's more than "i dont like what you like", it's "i hate what you like and also you and i'm going to be very vocal about it now". i've seen and experienced it time and time again, now at 24, i'm just tired. anyway, thank you for this very intelligent and well made video, good luck with everything. subscribed! edit: i forgot to say, that billie eilish video at the end was perfect haha

I really don’t appreciate that so many people only look at what you called the vocal minority and they refuse to look at the majority of kind hearted Armys. BTS has helped so many people through their music and they’ve helped me through some murky times. I’m sick and tired of people at my school thinking me and some of my friends that also like Kpop are weird. They think we only care about Kpop for their looks but they never truly try to understand us. They never watch a MV or listen to a song. Some of my teachers have looked into BTS and have watched a MV or two or just looked up a song and understand the fandoms. They understand why we like them. My teachers have looked at the lyrics and have seen what they mean to us. One of my teachers listened to the Truth Untold and she understands what the song means to us. These people at my school who give me or my friends weird looks because we like Kpop are so annoying. Me and my friends are also Asians and my friends have gotten looks and have been told things like “Corona time!” Or “Ooooohh! Look! It’s the corona breed!” Or “Stay away from her! She’s probably infected!”. I haven’t been told anything like that because my dad is American and I have double eyes lids and light skinned, as if I was just another American, just slightly yellow toned. My friends are genuinely hurt by these dumb people’s words and actions and I feel so bad for my friends. Their indirect words also hurt me too. These people have to realize that saying that type of stuff isn’t funny and it’s not going to help anyone. People can be so dumb. My friends and I live in America btw Sorry if this was really long I purple you Army! Stay strong and healthy! We can get through this virus and ignorant people together! 💜💜💜

Haters gonna hate. Players gonna play. Live a life man. Good luck

Honestly, if BTS says “Army stops global warming” Armys would freeze the earth over. Like Armys just need to be given a time to ride. Do we ride are dawn or Night?😂😂😂 I stan a organized fandom.

Thanks a lot for this, for a wile now I stopped telling people about being an army, as an 28 year old accountant the moment people finds out they automatically think I’m childish, unprofessional and less capable, it gets tiring having to win over the prejudice of clients and colleagues, but you remind me why I should be proud.

As an ARMY, I feel very upset when someone calls me “obsessive fan” or as someone who is “overly obsessed” over BTS. I, myself, listen to BTS songs for healing. Their music inspired me in so many ways and kept me motivated. I just wish they would at least say, “I’m glad they make you happy.” or something similar to that. I just don’t want to be labeled as someone who is obsessed. At least I’m a 13 year old girl that doesn’t chase BTS around nor try to get close to them. I’ve been living well and the reason is because of BTS. They saved my life. But the other person decides to call me “obsessive fan”?? Seriously, what did I do to deserve this? ://

I know I’m super late but w/e...It’s so hard being a kpop stan especially A BLACK STAN. Kpop is literally the only thing that makes me happy and it’s like ashamed of telling people I like it. I am tireddd😀

Before I get into my reflection, I would like to say that this video was really insightful, and I also loved the essay style to the video, with a introduction to the topic at hand, the evidence, and the explanation behind everything, as well as a conclusion. I think you did a really good job at explaining your thoughts. I came here and watched this with a open mind. For someone who does not listen to BTS -- my reason being that I don't understand the language to be able to appreciate the music -- I also was one of the people who saw Froste's tweet as a joke, not understanding why he received so much hate. In fact, I would like to claim that Froste's intent with the tweet was not to spew hate against BTS fans either, and that he also did not know what it meant to tweet something like that. I also used to think, from only being exposed to the perspective of the non-BTS fans, that BTS fans were dedicated to the band-members and I fed into most of the stereotypes. But, I am from Asia myself, and although I am not from Eastern Asia, I empathize with those who are subjected to the xenophobic comments that many people make these days, especially due to the current global situation. I absolutely do not identify with those hateful people, but I still like to believe that many of them did not know that their comments were in fact xenophobic, and that they too may have been simply attempting (however, failing) to make a joke. I also do not think the actions, behaviors, and comments of the leader of the Western superpower country help to decrease the xenophobia and racism (that's a topic for another time). But now that I have watched this video and processed the information presented, I would like to thank you, Elliot, for calmly presenting the opposing perspective. I have now understood why the tweet was insensitive towards the BTS fandom, and in fact agree to a certain extent that Froste's tweet was not the best worded. But, I still do not believe that Froste deserves the hate (and the terrible threats) that he received from the tweet, because -- just like you mentioned -- I don't think he was ill-intentioned with the tweet, but that he simply wanted to make a joke, and slide in there his appreciation (perhaps?) for how dedicated BTS fans are, but do agree that he use that as a learning opportunity regarding xenophobia, racism, and stereotypes. I do however find him in the wrong for the other tweets that you cited. Nonetheless, I hope other people also gained a new perspective in this issue, and perhaps came to realize that some of their beliefs regarding stereotypes were not true.

Thank you Elliot 😢😢😢

Literally thank actual god that there’s someone who’s talking about the actual truth on how the majority of not just army’s but stans of many different groups actually think and feel. Like, Beyoncé fans, Star Wars fanatics, go crazy if you talk shit about them but it’s not what the rest of the world focuses on. I often feel so alone when I’m talking about how I’m not some crazy Stan and my friends make fun of me for it and call me a koreaboo or something. Foreigners who listen to and enjoy western music aren’t ameraboos or whatever, they’re just allowed to like the music. I’m really glad this was in my recommended, you just gain a subscriber

Just Leave Us Alone And We Will Leave You Alone Too...

Thank you for articulating everything we've been feeling and experiencing. It sucks to constantly be the world's punching bag just because people refuse to see how good and decent the fandom really is... People constantly accuse the whole fandom of bullying and sending hate to other groups, but don't they think if it really was the entire fandom doing this, we would have trended hashtags or phrases? We constantly ACCIDENTALLY trend keywords WORLDWIDE almost weekly, it would be effortless for us to trend hate if we truly wanted to. But we don't.

I almost got to tears whilst watching this. Kpop has literally helped me get past anxiety. These people think that want to marry them or summat, when I want to smile.

the hate they receive is digusting, not just within the locals/gamer/western side of things but within the kpop community itself. they're demonized over everything and its honestly just so exhausting. i've left the kpop community as a whole but i still support bts.

I feel like the reason why a lot of ARMYs are a little overprotective is because of BTS’ past. Anyone who would take a glance at them would be like, “Oh, they’re a famous kpop group, that’s it.” In reality, ARMY know a lot more about the members than them, and have seen the things that they’ve been through. BTS were looked down upon, they received criticism, they didn’t have a lot of money, people doubted them, and their shows would get cut. I believe that ARMY has seen these things and refuse to let the past repeat: let the members see hate and not have anyone to support them and comfort them. We want to protect them and let them know that we’re there for them. BTS have been at the lowest and they worked hard, as well as any other group, idol, artist, athlete, or any other human in general. I am able to see both sides of an argument, and I understand where certain people are coming from. I just think that our society should learn how to respect others and become more understanding. Anyways, I Purple You 💜💜💜

I honestly LOVE your essays. Your research and how reasonable the points you make is unpatched. Like I can't describe how much I connect to, appreciate and respect your videos. The points you make take the words out of my mouth and then push me forward. Please dont ever stop what you're doing- I look forward to every essay you make because it gives me the validation, clarity, and perspective I need to become reassured, less ignorant, and more confident in my self and my beliefs. Thank you 💜

I'm happy and proud that "Someone like you is a Army". Who make this video, who understands. And that's what we needed. Thank you.

things ARMYs can’t do without being judged, criticized, hated, and called horrible things 1. praise BTS for their hard work and achievements 2. defend BTS when they are hated on 3. listen to their music 4. smile 5. breathe 6. exist it’s true😔🤦‍♀️

I am a 48 yr old mother, a baker, full time mother, I love books, I love good food, I love to make cakes and breads, and I love BTS.

You made me cry. I rarely cry, but this situation has been bothering me for years, ever since I became a BTS fan. I'm never letting people label our fandom the worst things just because they have prejudices and they don't want to understand. So many times ARMYs said the right things, in more than 2 years being active in the fandom (let's not count 1 year in which I wasn't following the community and I was pretty much being a stan "on my own") I've seen so many smart arguments completely ignored by kpop stans, journalists, critics, locals, gamers, literally anyone who isn't an ARMY at this point. And I'm tired of it because whatever they want to hate us for, they don't apply those standards to everyone, just to who they want to demonize. I've never seen such a dedicated, smart, and overall good fandom in my life. I'll forever be grateful to ARMY for opening my eyes, making me learn about issues and helping making a change in this world. BTS and ARMY helped me realize I, too, had prejudices I needed to get rid of and they helped me find my voice again when I had lost any hope of living in a better world.

I don't advertise the fact that im an Army purely because im afraid of backlash, the toxicity surrounding the stigma of Kpop is almost unbearable. Even my closest friends who i love very much look down on me for my love of this group. Group mentality and needlessly lashing out because of uninformed stereotypes is honestly the wort thing ever. I feel almost unsafe and uncomfortable because i cant truly express and share my love for their art.

I am Indian and i have dark skin and so many people have teased me about this they tell me to drink plain milk and not chocolate milk and i see everywhere that lighter skinned indians are preferred in bollywood movies even if they are south indian! there are no foundations for darker skin tones in india and every single face product say white and like and angel LIKE WUT so if ur dark you cant be an angel! i used to hate getting tanned outside in the sun bts taught me to love myself and stanning was the best decision i ever made sorry if i made any mistakes im so mad i cant type (and i dont have many braincells xD)

"Now I feel like more like myself than I ever have" I became a fan in late Feb 2020 and this is exactly how I feel. Before being exposed to BTS, I was dismissive of them and categorized them as something I can never relate to. After I gave them an honest deep dive, I was astounded by my ignorance. To see millions of people share a positive world view through a pop culture figure was something I never imagined would exist. Their music helped me heal my personal struggles - the reason why I am protective of them. I am dedicated and passionate about them because they changed my life, to say the least. I feel like myself more than ever.

i‘m actually a silent viewer and usually i don’t comment under videos...but this video was really really impressive! i like the way how you stated your opinion and used good arguments! i‘ll definitely continue watching your videos!

It generally takes a lot to hurt me, but I'm hurt. As a army, I can never freely say "I love BTS" without being bashed upon that 'they're gay' or 'you just wanna marry them'. I've been an army since 2016 and have stopped listening since. I'm glad that my parents don't judge my music taste, I can go home and listen to kpop. I've been abused verbally, told that I am a worthless piece of shit, all because I liked a certain boy band or even genre of music. I thought it was something you could enjoy, like it was a free space to be yourself. But, what's the point in even trying to be yourself, when everyone seemingly likes to pick on you til you've had enough. Even if they're artist, BTS has platforms, they see those comments. Shitty people don't even realize what fucking work it took to get them where they are now, nor do they see them as another artist. I'm so put up with the fact that they think of them with disgust, THEY'RE HUMANS TOO! SO ARE YOU AND I!! why can't people just let us be. I'm 13, and ik some people are going to laugh or giggle. I'm just like you, so why can't you treat me like a normal person when I say I'm ARMY? Is it because you think of me as some psycho fangirl or a prissy brat? I'm human, treat me like one. I was hurting and BTS helped me out of it, no other artist talked about the love yourself with SO much care, fully putting it out there. Judge me, bruise me, hurt me. But what you will never do, is pretend that army deserves bullshit. We have either been there since debut or even fairly new. Please.. all I ask is that you see us as regular people, who happen to stan K-pop. *Please*

They say it is a joke but for me its look like a cyber bullying...they don't even know BTS pain and yet they just make BTS took the blame for this pandemic

14:36. That whole reply from the first tweet totally explained everything in a broad idea, like i doubt most of the listeners of "Despacito" knew what he was actually saying. But really thank you for covering this!!!

whether you are an army or not, you have to applaud army’s for their charity work. many armies donated the money from ticket refunds towards coronavirus and did so many other things as well

I feel like one of bts’s song- Ugh describes this situation perfectly in a way. People putting/showing their anger towards things that are kinda dumb in a way. All people should be putting all this energy into something that matters. Such as helping others and doing whatever you can during this pandemic.

sir i think you dropped this 👑 ... don’t drop it again king:)

I don’t even know why, but this made me cry. I have been an army for around a year and a half, which is not that long, but many things have happened in that time. I’ve always been trying to not let what people say about BTS or Army get to me and not engage with comments like this one on twitter. Lately though, It’s been really tiring. Sometimes it really gets me down. It’s this feeling of being completely powerless and not knowing what to do, or knowing that you can’t actually do anything to fix the situation.

What an amazing and thoughtful video! Thank you for analyzing this whole situation so well!

The media (sometimes) only shows/speaks about negative things army's have done but don't shine the light on positive things the fandom have done and it's not fair to them. I really wish people would understand that EVERY fandom has a toxic side. Idk I just find it really unfair to them :/

bts has prevented me from killing myself during these almost two years of pandemic. The confinement added another level of anxiety to what I already lived here in my country, Venezuela. If anyone knows how the situation is quite difficult. Anyway, I discovered bts and my days have been better ,they open up a whole world for me in kpop and I start listening to other groups and I become a multistan. Also, I start to watch Korean dramas and get interested in their culture. but speaking specifically of bts they teach me through their songs that I am not alone, that I should love myself and that I am valuable. they make me really happy. I wish the best for these 7 talented guys. alex 35 years old venezuela 9/7/2021

Thank you for this. My friend told me what the tweet said, but in her own words, and she couldn't understand why it made me upset. This video laid down my thoughts and feelings perfectly. Thank you.

Seeing that thumbnail I actually smiled. Not because I thought they were obsessive, but because I thought it was cute to see someone making a joke over the fact that BTS fans are so dedicated, loving, and caring of them that they would do anything for them. To me it was truly just an adorable joke! I guess I'm not one to talk, since I am not an ARMY myself. But if you are an ARMY, just know I completely support you. The obsessive fans are absolutely not the majority, and they should not be used as a stereotype for every fan.

They come at us and then say we're toxic 😪😪

hello, i'm not a part of BTS ARMY anymore, but i really appreciate your way of approaching this situation. you analysed it with logic instead of emotion but found a way to include how it affected you and the fandom. i just want to say that i am extremely grateful that you covered this topic, as many communities have struggled with hate and not many people decide to step out and voice their opinion in fear of more hate directed towards them. as a matter of fact, i strive to approach problems and hurtful situations like you have done in this video. this might sound stupid, but you really inspired me to get my stuff together and start standing up for myself in every sense possible. thank you for protecting ARMY and hopefully any other community affected by these comments. respectfully, saya

BTS changed my life too, I'm so happy when I find people who also acknowledge the positive impact BTS's music make on so many people. Treat these artists with respect people!