Racism & K-Pop / Fandoms:
a quick thread

I’ve been thinking a lot about the conversations around racism in the k-pop community lately, and there seems to be an omission of one major point that I’d like to quickly elevate. +

K-pop fandoms, like many other fan spaces, are microcosms of our society. Throughout my life, I’ve spent a significant amount of time in the Harry Potter, anime, comic book, and gaming fandoms, and one thing is true of my experience in all of them. +

They all have racism.

I wanted to make sure everyone knows this because a lot of the opinions I’m seeing elevated these days either say “yes, k-pop fandoms are racist and toxic spaces for POC” or “no, unlike other fan spaces, k-pop doesn’t have racism and are allies to POC.” +

Neither of those are true of my experience. I hope in sharing this, people realize this conversation isn’t unique to k-pop.

To expect that fan spaces — mini societies focused on a love for a topic but that exist within our greater society — aren’t racist just doesn’t track. +

The people that make up fandoms have real lives and live within the same communities that have continually oppressed people of color. To quote Beverly Daniel Tatum, “prejudice is one of the inescapable consequences of living in a racist society.” +

Being in a fandom doesn’t mean you automatically drop racism when you jump online. The same racism we see everyday would then not be surprising to see in fan spaces too, so keep that context in mind. +

I know that social media and short-form publications/articles on this topic don’t always include the nuance that is important to get to the heart of an issue, but to omit the fact that fanspaces DO exist within our already racist society seems disingenuous to me. +

Of course, it is important to note that certain fandoms attract different types of people, and thus, may have varying levels of racism. Some are well know to have MUCH more than others. +

As we continue to stan from our respective fandoms, consider this context when having conversations around how “harmful” or “allied” your community is. +

As for my fam, the #BTSARMY , I have full confidence in our ability to leverage our different experiences, nationalities, racial backgrounds, gender identities, ages, and areas of expertise as we work to continue creating a more inclusive fan experience for us all. [end]