another glimpse into my meandering mind: race, identity, kpop, etc.
So I did not realize how racist people got about Victoria because I only surround myself with people who love her. Seriously, how do you not love her? But apparently a lot of Korean kpop fans hate her, including stans of Soshi & other girl groups (mostly guys that I've heard, but that's pure anecdata). And, boy, I gotta tell you, Changtoria antis sure get really racist really fast. (At least Khuntoria antis can't pull that foreigner card.)
I'm just gonna say I ship Victoria/Nichkhun, Victoria/Changmin, Victoria/Minho, hell, Victoria/Yunho, Victoria/Kyuhyun, and anything else that might make you madder. I hope she steals the hearts of all your precious darling oppas. Maybe if I am annoyed enough, it will actually push me to write again and it would just be like 8000 words of glorious Victoria being adorable with f(x) and everyone in SME and the entire China line outside SM as well, AND ALSO FUCKING ALL YOUR OPPAS. Creatively and flexibly.
I believe in an inherent difference between the term racism as it's used in everyday vernacular and as an academic term, but jesus fucking christ, no one ever try to tell me racism doesn't exist between "minorities". But that's also a term that doesn't really apply in the context that Asians aren't exactly the minority population in Asia, are they?
Anyway. Mostly I just wanted to vent about OMG HOW CAN ANYONE NOT LOVE VICTORIA :(((( /biased forever
And yeah, there is absolutely a part of me taking misplaced pride in her being awesome and Chinese, as if somehow our shared ancestry makes some of her awesomeness reflect on me. You wish, Mei. But going back to identity issues, I always do end up taking that extra bit of pride in someone Chinese being particularly amazing. You'd think the identification would be even stronger with someone who's Chinese-American but more oftentimes there is a sense of, rather than pride, someone who's been in my situation and did so much more with it. (*coughPriscillaChancough*) So I end up feeling disappointed in and disgusted with myself rather than happy/proud. I guess it's easier to take pride in someone like Victoria when I know there could never be a comparison. I ought to explore that more.
Speaking of race issues, though from a different angle, I think this is really worth reading in addressing the way Western journalists have been "reporting" about kpop and their disrespect towards it as a topic and failure to do basic due diligence in their research.
As a longtime kpop fan, for me there's always a mixed sense of hilarity and titillation when your fandom gets attention from mainstream or so-called credible Western news sources, because you want to see how "outsiders" react to what you know (and sometimes love) as the sheer batshit - the antis, the ridiculous MVs, the whole industry, the good and the bad. But there is always a sense of reserve or dread too, because of that same outsider portrayal and how they often misunderstand or misinterpret your fandom. And it gets all the worse when you realize it's because they're not even trying. Because they don't even respect you that much. You're just a hilarious Asian dude in a ridiculous suit doing a horse dance. You're just a bunch of screaming girls who love androgynous boys in tight pants. You're just a bunch of mindless boys who like plastic Asian girl groups because they're pretty.
I have literally said before, "Oh good, it's another white man explaining how kpop works to the American masses," to probably the third article in as many months. Each article literally drips with condescension in the way they break it down to their Western audience, because kpop is just that weird, apparently. And even if the author likes it, they have to somehow disclaim that like by first explaining that they understand just how weird it is.
Kpop isn't perfect. There's so much of it I don't listen to, so many parts of the fandom I don't touch, and so many issues I can't even address. (Isn't that true of anything we're into?) But the way the fandom is treated by "outsiders" is an example of something that bothers me, because I see a lot of casual or subconscious racism informing that treatment, which in turns drives its fans to do another thing I hate in fandom (and am also guilty of): getting incredibly defensive of what they like and feeling the need to disclaim everything first, that they know it's problematic, or that they know it's not, like, the Beatles or something, that they need to explain or justify what they like.
And, yes, I really do feel like a lot of it is directed at things women like in particular (see Twilight, FSOG), or maybe it's just that women are socialized to feel that need to defend or justify themselves more. (I know this skirt is short but I'm hot and it's cute and I'm not looking for attention, okay? Ugh, I know I look awful right now and my hair is everywhere but I had a terrible day and I just came from the gym, okay? Don't judge me! I know regency romances are pure fluff and not great literature, but I love them and I swear I read 'real' books too!)
But I digress. Of course kpop fans have other problems too, see above racism re: Victoria as an example. But hell if those people represent me.
I don't remember if I had a point to this. I guess I am mostly expressing my disgruntlement at various things. I'm a real peach of positivity, like, all the time, amirite?
Unrelated: I'm really happy Rafa managed to pull out a five-set win over Djokovic (what a match!) to get to the French Open finals. Ilu Nole but let's make some more history, Rafa. :DDD EIGHTH ROLAND GARROS TITLE, LET'S GO.
I'm just gonna say I ship Victoria/Nichkhun, Victoria/Changmin, Victoria/Minho, hell, Victoria/Yunho, Victoria/Kyuhyun, and anything else that might make you madder. I hope she steals the hearts of all your precious darling oppas. Maybe if I am annoyed enough, it will actually push me to write again and it would just be like 8000 words of glorious Victoria being adorable with f(x) and everyone in SME and the entire China line outside SM as well, AND ALSO FUCKING ALL YOUR OPPAS. Creatively and flexibly.
I believe in an inherent difference between the term racism as it's used in everyday vernacular and as an academic term, but jesus fucking christ, no one ever try to tell me racism doesn't exist between "minorities". But that's also a term that doesn't really apply in the context that Asians aren't exactly the minority population in Asia, are they?
Anyway. Mostly I just wanted to vent about OMG HOW CAN ANYONE NOT LOVE VICTORIA :(((( /biased forever
And yeah, there is absolutely a part of me taking misplaced pride in her being awesome and Chinese, as if somehow our shared ancestry makes some of her awesomeness reflect on me. You wish, Mei. But going back to identity issues, I always do end up taking that extra bit of pride in someone Chinese being particularly amazing. You'd think the identification would be even stronger with someone who's Chinese-American but more oftentimes there is a sense of, rather than pride, someone who's been in my situation and did so much more with it. (*coughPriscillaChancough*) So I end up feeling disappointed in and disgusted with myself rather than happy/proud. I guess it's easier to take pride in someone like Victoria when I know there could never be a comparison. I ought to explore that more.
Speaking of race issues, though from a different angle, I think this is really worth reading in addressing the way Western journalists have been "reporting" about kpop and their disrespect towards it as a topic and failure to do basic due diligence in their research.
As a longtime kpop fan, for me there's always a mixed sense of hilarity and titillation when your fandom gets attention from mainstream or so-called credible Western news sources, because you want to see how "outsiders" react to what you know (and sometimes love) as the sheer batshit - the antis, the ridiculous MVs, the whole industry, the good and the bad. But there is always a sense of reserve or dread too, because of that same outsider portrayal and how they often misunderstand or misinterpret your fandom. And it gets all the worse when you realize it's because they're not even trying. Because they don't even respect you that much. You're just a hilarious Asian dude in a ridiculous suit doing a horse dance. You're just a bunch of screaming girls who love androgynous boys in tight pants. You're just a bunch of mindless boys who like plastic Asian girl groups because they're pretty.
I have literally said before, "Oh good, it's another white man explaining how kpop works to the American masses," to probably the third article in as many months. Each article literally drips with condescension in the way they break it down to their Western audience, because kpop is just that weird, apparently. And even if the author likes it, they have to somehow disclaim that like by first explaining that they understand just how weird it is.
Kpop isn't perfect. There's so much of it I don't listen to, so many parts of the fandom I don't touch, and so many issues I can't even address. (Isn't that true of anything we're into?) But the way the fandom is treated by "outsiders" is an example of something that bothers me, because I see a lot of casual or subconscious racism informing that treatment, which in turns drives its fans to do another thing I hate in fandom (and am also guilty of): getting incredibly defensive of what they like and feeling the need to disclaim everything first, that they know it's problematic, or that they know it's not, like, the Beatles or something, that they need to explain or justify what they like.
And, yes, I really do feel like a lot of it is directed at things women like in particular (see Twilight, FSOG), or maybe it's just that women are socialized to feel that need to defend or justify themselves more. (I know this skirt is short but I'm hot and it's cute and I'm not looking for attention, okay? Ugh, I know I look awful right now and my hair is everywhere but I had a terrible day and I just came from the gym, okay? Don't judge me! I know regency romances are pure fluff and not great literature, but I love them and I swear I read 'real' books too!)
But I digress. Of course kpop fans have other problems too, see above racism re: Victoria as an example. But hell if those people represent me.
I don't remember if I had a point to this. I guess I am mostly expressing my disgruntlement at various things. I'm a real peach of positivity, like, all the time, amirite?
Unrelated: I'm really happy Rafa managed to pull out a five-set win over Djokovic (what a match!) to get to the French Open finals. Ilu Nole but let's make some more history, Rafa. :DDD EIGHTH ROLAND GARROS TITLE, LET'S GO.