ARMY Anxiety: Why Our Fandom's Underdog Mentality Is A Blessing & A Curse

Before I get into this thread, here I go doing some self-promo. Feel free to check out my merch store and buy items like this cute mug:

http://teespring.com/chronic-tea-spiller-graphic-a?tsmac=store&tsmic=march-merch-4&pid=658&cid=102950&sid=front

More stuff coming soon!

INTRODUCTION

Another BTS comeback is nearly upon us. For many ARMY, especially newer ARMY, it's a time to be excited. New looks! New music! New performances! It's a very exciting and fun time. But then there's a sizeable portion of the fandom that reacts in a very negative way.

I'm not going to pull out examples. I'm sure if you've been in the fandom long enough, you can think of at least one toxic, knee-jerk reaction that got to you.

Besides, I'm not interested in the *what* of these things as much as I am the *why*.

The truth is we're a massive, worldwide fandom that's worth a LOT of money but we behave as if we're underdogs with our backs against the wall. Thinking like this can result in some very potent side effects.

Some good, and others...not so much.

I. THE BLESSING

I'd say that of all the major fandoms, ARMY is the only one that operates like we're at a disadvantage. Because of this, we never approach a comeback from the POV that everything is destined to go right. We always anticipate unfairness and setbacks.

Because of this, we work together and work extra hard. We take nothing for granted and don't expect anything to get handed to us or BTS. There's a lack of entitlement and demotivation you expect from a fandom our size.

The arc/lifespan of a fandom for reference:

Another positive side effect is that this behavior keeps us in the "investment" phase, and so we haven't peaked yet. This allows us to stay in the growth phase, remaining energized, and seeing more people drawn into the fandom.

While ARMY has the hunger of an underdog forever overcoming what we tell ourselves to be insurmountable odds, we also have the fandom-wide anxiety that comes with it.

And that can present some challenges.

II. THE CURSE

The downside to the perpetual underdog mentality is that it cuts into our ability to appreciate what we're capable of. We see ourselves as Bruce Banner while others see the Hulk.

I think the reason some people struggle to accept ARMY as a large and formidable group of fans is the obsession with perfection. If there's ever a chance we fall short then in the minds of some people, everything we do and everything we've accomplished is suddenly invalid.

But we're a VERY powerful fandom. You don't get much more powerful than having your faves hit Top 4 on Billboard with much of it hinging on outright fandom buying power and almost no airplay.

Do you know how many record execs WISH their artists came with that kind of clout?

SOLUTION: FIND A SENSIBLE MIDDLE GROUND

At a point, it just makes sense to acknowledge we're not the tiny and outnumbered fandom that was often bullied into silence. We can do so without worrying that we'll lose our hunger. BTS are powerful fandom motivators on their own, all without the toxic fearmongering.

We can stay hungry even though BTS/BH keeps feeding us as long as we are grateful for what we have and remember that hard fandom work is at the heart of it. We need not overreact out of constant fear of failure. We need not threaten each other with a failure that hasn't occurred.

CONCLUSION: STAY HUNGRY, NOT TOXIC
It's true that allowing ourselves to function like an underdog at times gives us an energy and focus few larger fandoms have. But this energy brings lot of anxiety, making it hard to live in the moment or truly enjoy meeting our fandom goals.

We should be grateful for and acknowledge how far we've come. We should appreciate fandom achievements and forgive ourselves when we mess up. We don't need to be perfect to matter. Everything we've gained and learned will not be snatched away from us.

/THREAD

QUESTION

Imagine ARMY was a person, someone who did all sorts of awesome things, but also had a tendency toward toxic self-talk and said hurtful things to themselves in place of the praise they deserved.

...What would YOU say to Person-ARMY?