"Everyday I shock, shock!" - B2ST <-- Shocking indeed... -_-
Hey everyone,
I am back once again! I have so much to tell you, but that will have to wait until next time because I really want to vent about something I read. I think you can figure out who I will be talking about today from my headline *points above*
B2ST.
First off, let me say, I have always been a big fan. I am quite picky when it comes to new groups that start out, but they surprised me and apparently, I'm not the only one since they're really popular now. I learned that they were to promote their song "Shock" in Japan, changing the lyrics into Japanese of course. We all know the Hallyu Wave has indeed been reigning in Japan as flocks of Korean artists have now gone there to promote their music. Among all the great success and love everyone has been receiving there, there is one thing that has begun to bother me, which I had seen earlier today, which has to do with B2ST. Ahem...So let's start by showing the article.
"B2ST Dongwoon's Father Weighs in on B2ST's Refusal to Wear Kimonos"
While B2ST has been praised for their refusal to wear kimonos at a recent fashion show in Japan, member Dongwoon’s father has garnered attention after revealing his opposing opinion.
Earlier this week, B2ST walked the runway in Yumi Katsura’s fashion show in Tokyo, Japan. When they were asked to wear kimonos, they requested that they not wear them, saying, “Please consider the feelings of Korea.” Therefore, their request was accepted.
Korean netizens who heard of this news complimented B2ST, however, Dongwoon’s father, Son Il Rak, a professor of hotel management at Cheongju University, expressed his opinion on the matter through his minihompy under a post titled, “B2ST and kimono“.
Professor Son posted,
“Since B2ST was scheduled to participate in the fashion show, the problem regarding the kimonos should have been addressed by both parties prior to the event. How would it have worked out if the hosts considered the anti-Japanese sentiment, which has arose due to the issues surrounding Dokdo Island, and refrained from requesting the use of kimonos?
At the same time, I don’t think it is advisable for our nation’s fans to be ignorantly appaulding B2ST for refusing to wear kimonos. What would you have done if a Japanese celebrity strongly appealed against wearing a hanbok during a fashion show held in Korea? Strictly speaking, doesn’t the wearing of traditional costumes have nothing to do with the problem with Dokdo or other such matters? Honestly, are they not problems that should be thought of separately?
It is proper to believe that B2ST should have firmly refused to wear kimonos, but if you look at it from a broader perspective, it is also proper for B2ST to have worn the kimonos.“
Source: TV Report via Nate
--------------------------------------------------------
Okay, so after reading this article, I was quite disappointed in B2ST. I admit it. I now look at them in a different light thanks to this article and of course, not in a proud way. I really can't feel the same when I see pictures of them in articles or hear their songs anymore. Let me explain why:
This situation is something that stings no matter how you look at it. B2ST's refusal to wear kimonos can be seen as a lack of respect for Japan's culture, despite the fact that they are promoting their music there and want to be accepted. Not only that, B2st's statement of "please consider the feelings of korea" can be seen as an indirect message for koreans who did wear kimonos such as Supernova or those who might choose to in the future, that they don't have nearly as much korean pride or respect for their country as they do whether they meant to convey that or not. And whether Dongwoon's father had chosen to say this to the boys in private or not, either way, the man is right. Fans were really insensitive and ignorant for applauding B2st's decision because their praise was indirectly putting down the Japanese culture. Nobody is telling them to forget Korea's history, nor is anyone telling them to abandon their country. They were only asked to wear kimonos in a fashion show. Nothing more, nothing less.
If Japan is accepting this swarm of Korean artists in their country and korean artists are receiving support from Japanese fans, it would be nice to see those artists showing at least some acceptance to the Japanse culture. Otherwise it makes them look like they don't care about the culture at all and only promote in Japan for money. All countries have had really harsh pasts and I think that's all the more reason why we should be trying to promote peace and be accepting of others, rather than add fuel to the fire of the past.
And just because someone's country did cruel things in the past doesn't make everyone in that country a bad person. That's just a false generalization. There may be people who don't accept koreans in Japan, but as you can see with all these korean artists succeeding there, it's obvious there are people who accept them. The same goes vice versa. There are Korean people who are accepting of Japanese people amongst those Koreans who don't. Yes, we may not forget what happened in the past, but there is something called forgiveness, learning from your mistakes, and moving on to a better future. B2ST had an opportunity to make a stronger bond of peace with the Japanese people, but they chose not to. Hopefully this doesn't get out of hand and I hope more controversial incidents like this won't happen in the future. I would hate to see the bridge between Korea and Japan that BoA and TVXQ made with their utmost efforts crumble thanks to their juniors' naive decisions after they had worked so hard for so many years.
I am back once again! I have so much to tell you, but that will have to wait until next time because I really want to vent about something I read. I think you can figure out who I will be talking about today from my headline *points above*
B2ST.
First off, let me say, I have always been a big fan. I am quite picky when it comes to new groups that start out, but they surprised me and apparently, I'm not the only one since they're really popular now. I learned that they were to promote their song "Shock" in Japan, changing the lyrics into Japanese of course. We all know the Hallyu Wave has indeed been reigning in Japan as flocks of Korean artists have now gone there to promote their music. Among all the great success and love everyone has been receiving there, there is one thing that has begun to bother me, which I had seen earlier today, which has to do with B2ST. Ahem...So let's start by showing the article.
"B2ST Dongwoon's Father Weighs in on B2ST's Refusal to Wear Kimonos"
While B2ST has been praised for their refusal to wear kimonos at a recent fashion show in Japan, member Dongwoon’s father has garnered attention after revealing his opposing opinion.
Earlier this week, B2ST walked the runway in Yumi Katsura’s fashion show in Tokyo, Japan. When they were asked to wear kimonos, they requested that they not wear them, saying, “Please consider the feelings of Korea.” Therefore, their request was accepted.
Korean netizens who heard of this news complimented B2ST, however, Dongwoon’s father, Son Il Rak, a professor of hotel management at Cheongju University, expressed his opinion on the matter through his minihompy under a post titled, “B2ST and kimono“.
Professor Son posted,
“Since B2ST was scheduled to participate in the fashion show, the problem regarding the kimonos should have been addressed by both parties prior to the event. How would it have worked out if the hosts considered the anti-Japanese sentiment, which has arose due to the issues surrounding Dokdo Island, and refrained from requesting the use of kimonos?
At the same time, I don’t think it is advisable for our nation’s fans to be ignorantly appaulding B2ST for refusing to wear kimonos. What would you have done if a Japanese celebrity strongly appealed against wearing a hanbok during a fashion show held in Korea? Strictly speaking, doesn’t the wearing of traditional costumes have nothing to do with the problem with Dokdo or other such matters? Honestly, are they not problems that should be thought of separately?
It is proper to believe that B2ST should have firmly refused to wear kimonos, but if you look at it from a broader perspective, it is also proper for B2ST to have worn the kimonos.“
Source: TV Report via Nate
--------------------------------------------------------
Okay, so after reading this article, I was quite disappointed in B2ST. I admit it. I now look at them in a different light thanks to this article and of course, not in a proud way. I really can't feel the same when I see pictures of them in articles or hear their songs anymore. Let me explain why:
This situation is something that stings no matter how you look at it. B2ST's refusal to wear kimonos can be seen as a lack of respect for Japan's culture, despite the fact that they are promoting their music there and want to be accepted. Not only that, B2st's statement of "please consider the feelings of korea" can be seen as an indirect message for koreans who did wear kimonos such as Supernova or those who might choose to in the future, that they don't have nearly as much korean pride or respect for their country as they do whether they meant to convey that or not. And whether Dongwoon's father had chosen to say this to the boys in private or not, either way, the man is right. Fans were really insensitive and ignorant for applauding B2st's decision because their praise was indirectly putting down the Japanese culture. Nobody is telling them to forget Korea's history, nor is anyone telling them to abandon their country. They were only asked to wear kimonos in a fashion show. Nothing more, nothing less.
If Japan is accepting this swarm of Korean artists in their country and korean artists are receiving support from Japanese fans, it would be nice to see those artists showing at least some acceptance to the Japanse culture. Otherwise it makes them look like they don't care about the culture at all and only promote in Japan for money. All countries have had really harsh pasts and I think that's all the more reason why we should be trying to promote peace and be accepting of others, rather than add fuel to the fire of the past.
And just because someone's country did cruel things in the past doesn't make everyone in that country a bad person. That's just a false generalization. There may be people who don't accept koreans in Japan, but as you can see with all these korean artists succeeding there, it's obvious there are people who accept them. The same goes vice versa. There are Korean people who are accepting of Japanese people amongst those Koreans who don't. Yes, we may not forget what happened in the past, but there is something called forgiveness, learning from your mistakes, and moving on to a better future. B2ST had an opportunity to make a stronger bond of peace with the Japanese people, but they chose not to. Hopefully this doesn't get out of hand and I hope more controversial incidents like this won't happen in the future. I would hate to see the bridge between Korea and Japan that BoA and TVXQ made with their utmost efforts crumble thanks to their juniors' naive decisions after they had worked so hard for so many years.