three strikes and you're out
I should really not be spending my precious break-from-studying hours being annoyed but the brain twitching has been ongoing ever since Junno’s resignation was announced and I figure a little ranting may be cathartic. Let's hope.
I want to begin by acknowledging the fact that people have very different views on the situation and I understand both and hey, different opinions don’t bother me. It’s the arguments used to support them that have me side-eyeing. And the timing. Oh, the timing.
Timing seems to be the biggest culprit here. And not just in terms of the mystery of why Junno decided to resign a few months shy of KT’s 10th anniversary.
I’m talking about the whole “gdi Junno why did you do this?” “well, he’s allowed to” conversation that I’ve been seeing going on almost every day since the news hit. I use ‘conversation’ very loosely here because these expressions of concern and confusion are quickly shut down by statements about the obvious, and it’s really frustrating.
Imagine: you’ve been having a horrible week and you decide to go out for a walk to get fresh air and you think things are getting better when -bam- you’ve been hit by a downpour. You curse a little. Whine, complain, shake your fist at the sky.
And then someone taps you on the shoulder and gives you a unnecessary reminder or your insignificance: “ahem, you don’t control the weather” or “the sky can rain all it wants” and it’s just… thank you for the revelation?
This dismissal of very, in my opinion, justifiable feelings is insensitive and patronizing. Why aren’t we fans allowed to vent and express our frustration without being seen as delusional haters who don’t understand basic human rights? Why aren’t we even allowed the space to feel hurt without the automatic assumption that we’re making unjust demands? It’s weird to see how people will go out of their way to sympathise with idols and then completely disregard the fan perspective.
Junno left the group. Yes, he is still technically part of KT but the only thing holding him back is a contract agreement. He’d be out of there if the contract was to end earlier. No embellishments, just stating facts.
I’m not going to voice my personal thoughts on this matter here because they flip-flop depending on the time of day, but if fans are wanting Junno out of the picture sooner than later, I get that. If seeing 4nin is upsetting then that’s understandable.
Wanting to spare yourself from the hurt does not make anyone a hater.
It makes me angry to watch fans who want to vent their disappointment be belittled for… well, feeling. Feeling something that isn’t rainbows and sparkles and squee when the situation doesn’t call for it. Junno’s allowed to live his life the way he wants and guess what, fans are allowed to react to his decisions and he is in part responsible for those reactions.
This discrepancy between what’s expected from idols and what’s expected from fans has been chafing at me for a long while. When an idol does something unpleasant, people rush to remind fans that being an idol is just a job in the end-people quit and change jobs, no biggie. A complete, hard and un-pretty truth. But then why is this business aspect completely forgotten when fans raise unhappy voices? If the response to Junno leaving is “he’s allowed to; it’s his life” then the response to fans choosing to move on from him should be an equally cool, “they’re allowed to; it’s their interest.”
Instead, 3nin enthusiasts are being questioned for even being fans of Junno in the first place which is unfair because no one has questioned Junno’s devotion to the group despite him dumping KT and his fans out of the blue. So why do the fans that don’t expect anything from Junno, for some reason, expect other fans to continue their support for him?
Life got tough and Junno backed out; fandom got tough and fans backed out too.
But why are some fans resenting other fans for treating Junno the same way he has treated us?
He’s moved on, and so can we.
And guess what, when you feed promises to people and reap money from them, you are beholden. No, Junno doesn’t owe us his life or his first born child but to say that he doesn’t owe anyone anything is ignorant and false. There’s a contract to prove it.
It boggles me that there are people who think he doesn’t even owe his fans an apology. He’s just that free of responsibility apparently. Here’s the thing though: we’ve established that being an idol is a job and that makes Junno an employee. He works in a shinier realm of customer service but the rules still apply and when you make your customers unhappy, it’s part of your job to apologise.
It’s not about if he’s to blame; it’s damage control. It’s just a basic expectation of any responsible adult, so why people seem to think he’s beyond it is strange. There’s humanizing idols and then there’s coddling them. Heck, even KT have stated that it’s their duty to apologise to their fans. It’s the professional thing to do, not an outrageous demand by childish fans.
The theory that Junno left because of his ‘crazy fans’ makes me angry too. Uchiwa were ripped. So what. Maybe I haven’t heard the full extent of the story that has been making its rounds about angry fans, but I doubt Junno would be emotionally scarred by fans vandalising merchandise they bought with their own money. And honestly, why can’t they? It’s part of the venting process. You cry, scream, tear pictures of your ex, and then move on. Fans wrecking their own merchandise is not a cry for Junno’s blood. It’s pretty much a harmless way of dealing with the anger and disappointment. (And after describing how conversations about the subject are going down… yeah… talking isn’t all that helpful)
I just hate how fans are blaming other fans for reactions that are completely human. The fans who are feeling angry and betrayed are the ones who believed Junno’s promises, the ones who had unshaken faith in his loyalty. They’re not haters. They’re just hurt.
Why are we expecting each other to bottle that up?
We’ve had years of practice extending the benefit of doubt to men in glitter who have disappointed us for the third time. I think it’s about time we started sympathising with each other a little more, especially now when we’re all in this (*possibly sinking) ship together.
(*And without an explanation, I’m allowed to hold Junno a tad responsible to that outcome if it does come to pass. /knocks on all the wood)
I want to begin by acknowledging the fact that people have very different views on the situation and I understand both and hey, different opinions don’t bother me. It’s the arguments used to support them that have me side-eyeing. And the timing. Oh, the timing.
Timing seems to be the biggest culprit here. And not just in terms of the mystery of why Junno decided to resign a few months shy of KT’s 10th anniversary.
I’m talking about the whole “gdi Junno why did you do this?” “well, he’s allowed to” conversation that I’ve been seeing going on almost every day since the news hit. I use ‘conversation’ very loosely here because these expressions of concern and confusion are quickly shut down by statements about the obvious, and it’s really frustrating.
Imagine: you’ve been having a horrible week and you decide to go out for a walk to get fresh air and you think things are getting better when -bam- you’ve been hit by a downpour. You curse a little. Whine, complain, shake your fist at the sky.
And then someone taps you on the shoulder and gives you a unnecessary reminder or your insignificance: “ahem, you don’t control the weather” or “the sky can rain all it wants” and it’s just… thank you for the revelation?
This dismissal of very, in my opinion, justifiable feelings is insensitive and patronizing. Why aren’t we fans allowed to vent and express our frustration without being seen as delusional haters who don’t understand basic human rights? Why aren’t we even allowed the space to feel hurt without the automatic assumption that we’re making unjust demands? It’s weird to see how people will go out of their way to sympathise with idols and then completely disregard the fan perspective.
Junno left the group. Yes, he is still technically part of KT but the only thing holding him back is a contract agreement. He’d be out of there if the contract was to end earlier. No embellishments, just stating facts.
I’m not going to voice my personal thoughts on this matter here because they flip-flop depending on the time of day, but if fans are wanting Junno out of the picture sooner than later, I get that. If seeing 4nin is upsetting then that’s understandable.
Wanting to spare yourself from the hurt does not make anyone a hater.
It makes me angry to watch fans who want to vent their disappointment be belittled for… well, feeling. Feeling something that isn’t rainbows and sparkles and squee when the situation doesn’t call for it. Junno’s allowed to live his life the way he wants and guess what, fans are allowed to react to his decisions and he is in part responsible for those reactions.
This discrepancy between what’s expected from idols and what’s expected from fans has been chafing at me for a long while. When an idol does something unpleasant, people rush to remind fans that being an idol is just a job in the end-people quit and change jobs, no biggie. A complete, hard and un-pretty truth. But then why is this business aspect completely forgotten when fans raise unhappy voices? If the response to Junno leaving is “he’s allowed to; it’s his life” then the response to fans choosing to move on from him should be an equally cool, “they’re allowed to; it’s their interest.”
Instead, 3nin enthusiasts are being questioned for even being fans of Junno in the first place which is unfair because no one has questioned Junno’s devotion to the group despite him dumping KT and his fans out of the blue. So why do the fans that don’t expect anything from Junno, for some reason, expect other fans to continue their support for him?
Life got tough and Junno backed out; fandom got tough and fans backed out too.
But why are some fans resenting other fans for treating Junno the same way he has treated us?
He’s moved on, and so can we.
And guess what, when you feed promises to people and reap money from them, you are beholden. No, Junno doesn’t owe us his life or his first born child but to say that he doesn’t owe anyone anything is ignorant and false. There’s a contract to prove it.
It boggles me that there are people who think he doesn’t even owe his fans an apology. He’s just that free of responsibility apparently. Here’s the thing though: we’ve established that being an idol is a job and that makes Junno an employee. He works in a shinier realm of customer service but the rules still apply and when you make your customers unhappy, it’s part of your job to apologise.
It’s not about if he’s to blame; it’s damage control. It’s just a basic expectation of any responsible adult, so why people seem to think he’s beyond it is strange. There’s humanizing idols and then there’s coddling them. Heck, even KT have stated that it’s their duty to apologise to their fans. It’s the professional thing to do, not an outrageous demand by childish fans.
The theory that Junno left because of his ‘crazy fans’ makes me angry too. Uchiwa were ripped. So what. Maybe I haven’t heard the full extent of the story that has been making its rounds about angry fans, but I doubt Junno would be emotionally scarred by fans vandalising merchandise they bought with their own money. And honestly, why can’t they? It’s part of the venting process. You cry, scream, tear pictures of your ex, and then move on. Fans wrecking their own merchandise is not a cry for Junno’s blood. It’s pretty much a harmless way of dealing with the anger and disappointment. (And after describing how conversations about the subject are going down… yeah… talking isn’t all that helpful)
I just hate how fans are blaming other fans for reactions that are completely human. The fans who are feeling angry and betrayed are the ones who believed Junno’s promises, the ones who had unshaken faith in his loyalty. They’re not haters. They’re just hurt.
Why are we expecting each other to bottle that up?
We’ve had years of practice extending the benefit of doubt to men in glitter who have disappointed us for the third time. I think it’s about time we started sympathising with each other a little more, especially now when we’re all in this (*possibly sinking) ship together.
(*And without an explanation, I’m allowed to hold Junno a tad responsible to that outcome if it does come to pass. /knocks on all the wood)