Op-Ed: Well, I’m tired.
Okay. So Jaebum left in September last year. Sunmi left this month. And netizens are going at it again. Complaning. Whining. Boycotting.
Now, Jaebum, look what you did.
JYPE is getting blamed once again by the angry angry leagues of fangirls all around the world. Yes, not just Korea, but around the world. And unless you’ve been deprived of sites like twitter, youtube or even seoulbeats, you can obviously see the amount of damage they’ve caused with Jaebum’s departure. From protesting in front of the JYPE building (which was touching to watch the first time), to returning CDs (which was a bit weird to me, being the frugal person I am) and even to making petitions for Jaebeom to come back (which I believe will never work because JYPE won’t hear any of this). Now imagine the destruction they’ll make with Sunmi this time.
No, actually, you don’t need to imagine anymore. Because it has already started.
Happy birthday Jaejoong! Happy Australia Day too!
A trending topic on twitter is evidence enough. On the 26th of January Hottests all around the world united to #boycottjype. Why? Because they’re enraged by the fact that JYP just ‘let’ Jaebum and Sunmi walk out that door without the slightest want to hold them back.
I don’t think that it’s true though. I’m sure JYPE never wanted Jaebum and Sunmi to leave. They didn’t invest their money and staff in them for nothing. I’m sure that the company, at one point, did try to convince them to stay. But Jaebum and Sunmi have their own right to decide their own paths, don’t they?
I see Jaebeom!
Let’s say if the situation’s not like this, let’s say that JYPE forced Jaebum and Sunmi to stay. Do you think the netizens will be happy? I don’t think so. I think they will just protest and say that JYPE doesn’t acknowledge human rights. “Let Jaebum and Sunmi do whatever they want, they have the right to do so.” They’ll say. So what is JYPE to do? Make alterations to their contracts? Make it harder for their artists to leave or even take breaks? I think that will just enrage the fans even more.
Take SM Entertainment into consideration. They have contracts that bind the artists to the company and make it difficult for them to leave. Do you think that it will be better if JYPE did that too? According to human rights, no, it won’t be. If this really did happen, I don’t think Hottests, I AMs or Wonderfuls would like it at all either.
DBSK's split into two: the blacks and whites.
Is there really anything anyone can do to make netizens happy for once?
Netizens are going to still bombard JYPE with hate and, in my opinion, JYPE’s just not going to do anything about it.
So what’s left to do? The mind of the netizen or fan says to boycott JYPE. To complain, to protest, to make petitions and to use the power of the internet. Great, but my mind on the other hand says to just wait for Jaebum and Sunmi to come back if they ever do. It was their decision as well as JYPE’s anyway so what can we do but to respect it? Why go the other way and conclude that Jaebum and Sunmi will come back if we keep whinging? The time will come when they return home, and when they return, everyone will eventually be happy. We just have to be patient till then.
What is this, Wooyoung? This is me being tired. Tired of those fans who have nothing better to do.
Sure, you can hate me all you want Hottests and Wonderfuls, but only if you stop acting like a child and let people like me take a breather from all this nonsense for a while.
Tila Tequila thinks who is fake? Read on AAtheory.com !
Hello.
I’m not trying to bash Hottests or Wonderfuls, or just Hottest or just Wonderfuls (as some of you don’t want to be categorized as the other) in this article. I’m not trying to say that the trending twitter topic was news-worthy either. I was just trying to say that I’m tired of the actions crazy, not level-minded, Hottests have done.
Yes, I do acknowledge that Sunmi and Jay’s situations are different, so another thing that I was trying to convey here is that I would really not like it if Wonderfuls start protesting like the Hottests.
Some of the international fans, as you have stated before, want to be heard by JYPE, but I’m SURE that JYPE already knows that you guys exist. Seriously. I’m definitely sure that JYPE knows how big of an impact you guys can create, so try putting yourself in JYPE’s shoes. What will you do if you were JYPE? Will you let your artists go or will you force them to stay? And remember that I said JYPE not JYP.
Okay, one thing to consider about: the other members. WG would probably feel at a loss cause Sunmi left, but, hey, they have to move on. Business is business. I’m sure they’ll welcome HaeLim with open arms, so why can’t some of the hardcore WG fans do so too? 2PM had it worse. It was their leader who left, and all of their activities had to be stopped momentarily because of the issue. But 2PM moved on too. Why can’t fans do so as well?
I agree with natali, fandom is about admiration and love. I understand that, and I understand how emotional fans can get, especially in these situations. But please, there is a line where you have to stop. Projects to bring Jaebum back have been going on for 5 months now. In this article, I’m not saying that it’s not only the Wonderfuls who have been complaining (because it’s only been a couple of days, and well, the Wonderfuls are taking this much better than the Hottests with Jay’s ordeal). Maybe I should’ve made it clearer that it’s the Hottests I was talking about. Though please remember that I’m not trying to put anyone who’s a Hottest out there in the same category as the crazy hardcore Hottest fans.
And for those who said that no one asked me to get involved in it in the first place, how can I not get involved? Dude, I write about these kinds of things. I have to keep myself updated with things like these to keep on producing articles.
I apologize if I got the #boycottjype wrong (as it should’ve been #unfollowjyp) but that was what was on twitter. Again, this article wasn’t based on the twitter topic, as I’ve said before.
Guys, I know that we can go in circles with this, and I don’t mind your opinions at all, we all need to voice it out at some time. I appreciate you guys reading this, and totally appreciate you guys commenting too.
THE REASON FANS ARE MAD NOT THE FACT THAT SUNMI LEFT BUT THE FACT THAT JYPE DID NOT DO ANY SPECIAL GOODBYE CONFERENCE OR SOMETHING…
AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT WERE MADE IN THE WG’S INTERNATIONAL WEBSITE…
THEY SUPPOSED TO MAKE A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ON THAT,BUT JYPE JUST DID AN ANNOUNCEMENT AS IF THE LEAVING WAS NOTHING AS IF THE FANS ARE WORTHLESS..
THEY WANNA KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO SUNMI NEXT..WE WANNA KNOW..
PROPER INTRODUCTION ON THE NEW MEMBER
AND YES DO A PROPER GOODBYE STAGE FOR SUNMI AND HER FANS..THAT’S ALL.
REGARDING JAY,I DONT WANNA TALK ABOUT IT COZ ITS A TOTAL DIFFERENT STORY..
BUT BLAMING THIS ON JAY IS TOTAL WRONG,IF JYPE WAS SMART ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE FANS THIS THING WILL NEVER HAPPEN..
RUMORS ARE FLOATING AROUND AND JYPE DO NOTHING EXCEPT DENYING.
IS THAT THE ATTITUDE OF AN INTERNATIONAL COMPANY?
SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH,STILL LEARNING
thats pretty good engish though just sayin O.o
Oh, shut the hell up. No one gives a crap about some idol star at the end of the day. We just like to read about it when we’re bored with our lives. Let’s be honest – you need to get a real life.
Oh my goodness! Korean fans are really, really possessie and thinks so highly of themselves, no? I agree that they are maybe above the International fans, but damn, why do they have so many demands like they own the artists? Ok, so maybe JYPE should have ALSO made a statement in their Korean cafe or whatever, but they know WG has a lot of international fans already , so I guess that’s why they left it there. If it was left in Korean, it would have to be translated first.
They want the mgt companies to do what they like. Goodbye stage this, conference that. Please! They wanted a statement at first, and they got it. Now you want a conference, goodbye stage and an introduction? Wow.
of course they are man..without them WG are nothing..
JYPE sucks at managing the anger of fans..at least be a man do a PC and shut all those freakin’ fans..be firm and convinced them..what the heck,leave message on website that’s bullshit!
if it was the cassies i would understand. Being stock holders in the company allows them to legally make demands that need to be met.
Proper goodbye? What the hell are they. Are they like a god or like King of England or something?
They are just singers and entertainers and humans like you and I.
I think fandom crap is just stupid and yes you should support the artist and buy their albums because they have to live but not the the extent to idolize them as if they were your gods and like if they new you personally. Why the hell should they tell you guys about Sunmi leaving? You dont know Sunmi or JYP personally? You think you know them but you dont. Leave them the hell alone and let them do their things. That is all.
dude..chillax..
i get her point..
artists kept saying that their fans are like their family so treat them like one..juz sayin’
im not WG’s fan..
I don’t think they mean it the way it’s being taken
you know JYPE just announced the leave and said she’s gonna finish the next 2 months who knows if they decided a good bye stage or not till thats up…? not like they annouce today ok in 4 mins at tokyo tower we will have a goodbye fest with sunmi. You would all flip over that just stfu pull the sticks out your bums and wait a week atleast
Isn’t she supposed to come back after she was finished with school? I thought those special goodbye performances were for permanent goodbyes? and I don’t think that this is why the Netizens are protesting and boycotting JYP. If it is than that’s pretty stupid. Maybe that’s not what Sunmi wanted. I don’t know about anyone else but i get this feeling that if people did the whole special goodbye stage thing it would’ve made it even harder for sunmi to leave. The best thing that can be done for her if the Netizens really are fans, is to suck it up, quit whining, and maybe wish her good luck on her journey. It seems like they’re trying to make the situation about them instead of thinking about the idol. It doesn’t seem that way to anyone else?
caps lock is cruise control for cool, while you’re learning english, try and distinguish between CAPS and NON CAPS KTHXBYE
100% agree with you.
Anyway, this is what JYPE must be prepared. They can’t avoid it. Thousands of fans and not all of them can take things nicely and sensibly.
Srsly why boycott the dude. Well, those idols leaving was shocking, but I’d rather let JYP have their way and let them go than see them suffering or worse, ending up hanging themselves or slashing their wrists to just die. Am I overreacting with my last statement? Maybe, but we know how this is highly likely to happen, because it’s so prevalent in K-entertainment industry nowadays. Although I wish that JYPE would give better explanation sometimes, it’s still unreasonable to hate the company. I hope the fans would just be glad that their idols could take a breather over the stress they experienced while they were in the industry.
YES! i prefer JYP letting them go, as they want, because if they dont fell like being a singer anymore or any other reason (school etc, blah blah) and they are forced to do so, then the result wont be good too.. and they wont be happy..
do u like SM more, that they made it hard for the singers to leave,
or JYP who think about the singer’s feelings and wants too?
can u imagine seeing jay coming bak to 2pm, but his heart is in seattle, and he is all gloomy and not funny or not sexy anymore because he is depressed?
and why boycott JYP? i dont understand..
I’m so tired of Korean idols flooding the market these days, and the same music over and over again. It’s getting so damn boring. What happened to the good days of older and funnier artists like FTTS, Shinhwa, KJK, even Chaeyeon, Ivy? And those variety shows were so funny! now it’s just to promote a song or a pure ‘image’….innocent my ass those idols. I didn’t even mind 2007-2008, but 2009 was basically a crapload of mindless ‘talents’ all trying to reach for a slice of pie.
And I don’t think JYP gives a crap.
Good.
Netizens should’ve never had that much power to begin with. They’re ridiculous. It’s like irrational Athenian gods trying to wreak war and havoc on the human population all over again.
they juz gettin’ old..lol
there are bunch of good varieties shows these days u just have to check it out or maybe u’re just too old..lol>>bad jokes
i think i agree with u hellosirhowareyou
about sunmi, there’s a reson for her to leave and I will not bother it.
About Jaebeom, it’s different. Boycott will be an action.
I’m not boycotter coz I’m not Korean and I still watch all about the 6pm shows & music.
But I think withourt any sign of Jaeboem after 4 months, I think it’s good that there’s someone take action on it.
I don’t think any action should be taken for Jay leaving. If he doesn’t want to come back then it should be left alone. Taking action for that is like trying to force him back into 2pm. That doesn’t seem wrong to you? I want him to come back just as badly as anyone else does, but i want him to come back out of his own choice and not because of what a group of crazy fans do that way i know he truly wants to be there.
well, although its wrong that jay just left the group
and ignore the contract he made with JYPE,
went back home, not noticing the fans’ support for him, or pretending not to notice..
avoiding camera, not giving us like… long and complete explanation..
but thats what he wants.. right? to be in arts of movement..
fans really are too much but i do think the announcement of her leave should have been in korean and english not to be rude but the american “fans” come nowhere close to the amount of (real) fans in Korea and the american “fans” that JYP think are so dedicated probally dont give a rats a$$ and probally don’t even remember which one she is (own opinion take how ever you want it) and really a goodbye stage please if she wanted one she would have asked for one if she cared that much yea idols say that the fans are like family and w/e but really they will tell you w/e you want to hear they have to make a living. stop treating them like gods and get over it you dont know what she wanted, what going on in her head or JYP stop blaming the man for everything that’s going on because of the fans and anti-fans he had to let JAY go and because of the fans he let her go STFU and embrace the new member like you embraced Yoobin(my fav. wondergirl)
that sounded harsh sorry:p
I agree with you… kinda. I don’t think your region or country has anything to do with “real” of a fan you are.
SEOULBEATS, not all wonderfuls feels the same.just like how all hottests feel the same.
there are ones that are just pure of anger and ones that are accepting the situation.
im apart of the wonderfuls who accept that sunmi’s leaving..and i don’t blame or hate jyp because they have the “no slavery” contract we loved when they released it
on the first day, i was shocked.. because on the same day everything was good until that annoucement.
i accept it because it was sunmi’s decision. i understand that she was having such a hard time – she wants to go back to her studies.
it’s not anyone’s fault
the only thing i want is, to see sunmi perform before she leaves and we will this february.
so when wonderfuls start to boycott im gonna be pissed.
february march, are the months wg need us the most.
I WILL SUPPORT THE WONDER GIRLS AS I WAS SUPPORTING THEM BEFORE, I WILL SUPPORT SUNMI STILL LIKE HOW I’M STILL CHEERING ON HYUNAH. I’LL WAIT FOR SUNMI
I’ll give lim a chance to show us what she got – but i’ll know for a fact that i’ll never acknowledge her entering the wg to replace sunmi.
hottests don’t all feel the same way ***** ^
my bad haha
I agree that the fans need to stfd and quit with the pointless boycotts but still….only informing the American fans of Sunmi’s departure was a SUUUUPER douchey move. The only reason the WG were even able to come to the States is because of their popularity in Korea. The Korean Wonderfuls should have been informed first (or at the very least at the same time as the international fans).
And if you’re going to “blame” anyone for this it should be Elf! lol They were the first (of this generation of fans) to boycott a company and make some waves with it. Now everyone thinks it’s the only way to show their dislike with something. :/
Oh I’m not sure who, but I’m very sure the Elf weren’t the successful ones to hold an influencial boycott.
I hope someone at Seoulbeats could write an op-ed comparing Korean fandom with international fandoms, taking into account of the following
1. Korea is smaller than a state in the US. You can drive from Seoul to Pusan in about 4 hours of time — that’s about the distance from Boston to NYC. Almost all of idols’ activities are carried out in Seoul, a city where about half of the Korean population resides. If I live in Texas, there is very slight chances that I can attend concerts/fanmeetings/music programs held in LA, but the story is quite different for the majority of fangirls in Korea. Does this make them feel idols are part of their lives?
2. We all know Koreans are possessed with plastic surgery, and more recently heights and figures. Ruben Studdard can win American idol, but I can never imagine someone that looks like him to win a Korean idol competition. What’s the impact of such artificialness?
3. It seems like on average the Korean population approves the actions of idols much much more than we do in the US, Europe or the rest of Asia. I don’t know if any of you have watched the School of Rock (or is called music attack?) program where idol groups go to a high school and perform there as a surprise to the students. That’s just a big no no anywhere else in the world. Does such approval from society in general make fangirls more “brave” in their actions, and make them believe that their demands will be considered?
4. Korea is a country with an extreme amount of pride. From the Jaebeom incident, to the Bibimbap controversy, it is not just the netizens who take things up a notch, it is pretty much everyone. Is it normal then, for teenage fangirls to feel offended, when a Korean group treats its international fanbase better than the Korean fanbase?
I guess what I am trying to say is, other than just bashing fandom in general, maybe there is something fundamentally different in that country. It would be interesting to hear from Korean Americans what they think of the deeper reasons, rather than listening to complaints about korean fangirls’ complaints
and for #2 here, I don’t mean to bring up plastic surgery against anyone…. what I meant was, is there a relationship between the pursuit of beauty and idols being treated like gods by fangirls, ie. worshiping someone who possesses a quality that I would never attain.
Good point.
I’m a Korean myself, living in Korea, I have a somewhat different attitudes towards singers, probably because I like metal rather than K-pop
I spent my early teenage years in Canada, which probably influenced the difference in attitudes
And my theory is that (along with the other points you raised) since Korean teenagers have so much restrictions in their life, for example their academic load, the uniforms and haircut regulations, huuuuuge generation gap between parents, etc, they don’t get to vent their energy out on something in everyday life, and thus idols and games are what they turn to
i do not hate idols who did plastic surgery, its a new technology for those who arent confident wth their faces. why not use them..?
its hard to find the way to make ur nose pointer,
to rip ur eyelid and then put them back,
cutting parts of your face and make u more beautiful,
then why not appriciate the hard work of those scientist..?
LOL I never dissed plastic surgery
Actually… crazy fandom is part of the idol industry ! I mean if there wasn’t all this craze about idols I think that this market would have died a long time before: goodies, CF, performances every week (to assist you need to have the more recent album of the artist!). It’s just that they created this addicting drug to make money and now they have to deal with the other consequences of their marketing stratedy.
Moreover, there are cultural aspects we can’t understand as we are strangers, so even if I find some knetizens crazy I try not to judge them because it’s only on aspect of the korean society so I totally agree with blah comment…
yeah, and the crazed fans do not buy their idols’ albums. 200, 000 hottest? album sales up to 50,000. some loyalty, huh? and they try to manage and own their so called idols and meddlesome as hell.
the biggest part of idol bands’ income comes from commercial endorsements and ‘hangsa’ i.e. paid guest performances in events and venues, etc. do fans contribute much in terms of finance? no.
idols became consumption goods long time ago. a sort of barbie doll sets to play with. thank god for jyp, they don’t just rely on the closed, mad fanbase. they try to appeal to the more broad audiences.
Please get over it
Seriously, everyone just need to calm down. I mean, Sunmi leaving is her own decision. JYP had really nothing to do with it. And I pretty much agree with you, I mean, if JYP was to take action and force Sunmi to stay, wouldn’t the fan boycott anyways?
It’s so hard pleasing fans. They should all just go home and sleep on rocks and think over everything. With the whole Jay thingy, I’m not even going to start. If he wanted to come back, he will. We can’t just boycott and petition. I mean, that won’t do anything. What if the boycotting and petitions worked, will he come back? I think that it’s his decision to come whenever he feels that he’s ready.
As for the good bye stage, I mean, doesn’t she still have like TWO MONTHS left?! Why are they already jumping to conclusions. Fans these days. Like seriously, they shouldn’t jump to conclusions already. What if they already have a good bye stage planned out? Or what if she doesn’t want one?
Good bye stages are good for the fans, but it add pressure to the one that is leaving. It makes it harder, A LOT HARDER for them to leave. It’s so hard to please fans these days.
agree with you there. no pleasing some people. they just need to get a life instead of all worked up by their self produced rumours and conspiracies. i think they are other side of the same coin, a mirror image of the crazy pathetic bastards who petitioned jay’s suicide. what’s the difference?
Ellie has no direct ties to JYP, so her argument really has no evidential basis. Her opinion is based purely on speculation. There is no reason to priviledge her opinion over anyone else’s just because she has a blog.
Ellie has no direct ties to JYP, so her argument really has no evidential basis.
——– we know this…….
Her opinion is based purely on speculation.
———we know this too……
There is no reason to priviledge her opinion over anyone else’s just because she has a blog.
———–wat the hell are you talking about??? we as readers have our own opinions and not taking sides b/c she has a blog what kind of bull is that??
All those enflamed boycotting individuals need some help in removing those sticks from their asses.
those fans got it bad.
All I can say when I’m looking at that trending screencap: If the fans can even manage to get a trending above people’s thoughts on toilet, that’s really something! JYPE should be really worried :P
http://itsaconspiracy.tumblr.com/
i know tht some of you guys disagree w/ the boycott thing. but we all hv our own reason to do it.
To 2PM fan please go into this website and read everything written on there, you can choose wht to believe. But at least try to understand the situation and help us make it a complete 2PM once again. Thank you and sorry for some of you tht may not agree w/ us.
pleasee.
Well, I’m TIRING too.
But not for this reason.
I’m tiring of the I-netizens.
They can’t stop bashing K-Fans even if K-fans don’t care.
They DO NOT know what they are living right now, they believe stupidly angencies of Idols. They don’t take into consideration the difference of culture.
I’m tired, yes.
i dont understand what these fans want..
they are mad at SM because SM made it hard for their singers to leave the company.
but they are also mad at JYP who did not stop the singers from leaving..
if i were JYP, i will scream, like “hello~~ fans,. what do u want..??? should i ask jay and sunmi to pay the contract penalty so that they will be scared and go back to the froup imediately?”
wow, you guys are tough! creating novels for your explanations..
actually I kinda agree with hellosirhowareyou, it’s hard to please everyone… if it happened the other way around, fans would get mad as well…
besides, JYPE explained that it’s hard for them to force their artists to stay ‘cuz of the new Human Right’s whatever contract they signed that gave more freedom to the artist…
JYPE definitely has a mistake somewhere, but I don’t think that putting all of the blame on them is fair either….
PS: but I’m not washing my hands and saying I don’t want them to return…’cuz I really LOVE JYPE artists…
I can’t say I fully agree. What JYP did and is doing, no PR or announcing any clear cut decision regarding Jay to the fans, is wrong, and I think the Hottests deserve to have closure on the Jay case. I’m not saying I support the boycott and the more extreme measures, but if Hottests are going to do harmless protests to find out the answer, I’m not hating on them for that. They have the rights as consumers to demand a final answer so they don’t have to wistfully hope and be led on. The problem is, NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THE FUCK IS REALLY GOING ON. So no one has the right to claim that there is nothing going on behind the JYPE doors, forcing so and so to leave, nor can they say that JYP was the conspirator mastermind keeping Jay in Seattle. All we can do now is try to find an answer.