Do you identify as a SONE? Maybe you’re a hardcore BlackJack instead, or a bona fide Hottest. No, I see, you must be the #1 Wonderful, ever. Perhaps you’re like myself, and don’t associate with these K-pop fan clubs because you’re a fan of many different idols and groups. Choosing one wouldn’t be fair, and claiming several just looks weird. However, the biggest reason why calling oneself an “Everlasting” or a “ELF” is looked down upon by many is because of the increasingly negative connotations that only seem to come with being an obsessive K-pop stan.
While artists all around the world have fan clubs, only a few have self-named and largely unofficial monikers. Lady Gaga‘s Little Monsters and Justin Bieber‘s Beliebers come to mind. The sheer craziness and obsessive nature just isn’t in the same caliber as it is for K-pop fan clubs. These clubs function almost like a cult, and the members are hypnotized to worship only their chosen deities.
K-pop fan clubs are a huge deal, as the names are chosen by the fans and deemed official by the label. They have official websites, blogs, and even colors. A K-pop group or idol’s fan club extend worldwide, and some of these people can get a bit overzealous with their admiration. This is especially seen online, where fans insult other members of a rival fan club, obsessively state their love on blog posts and forums, and are generally quite insane.
Wonderfuls kept on the down-low since the Wonder Girls were pretty quiet for the past year or so. With their impending album release and teaser photos and MV, their numbers have skyrocketed and fans are coming out of the woodwork to support their favorite idols. In various blogs and news portals, comments about the Wonder Girls’ teaser pictures and MV have exploded to astronomical numbers. Did you see this much excitement over Gaga’s latest album?
On forums, there are polls that pit SONES, Wonderfuls and BlackJacks against each other. If you love Girls’ Generation, you must not like the other groups, for you are an abomination! It is blasphemy! An act of heresy! Honestly, what’s wrong with liking multiple groups equally? Why do certain 4nia members have to get so uppity if someone were to state, “Nah, 4Minute‘s music isn’t my thing.” They’re not insulting the group. Stans twist anything remotely negative into an outright attack, and this is ludicrous. When fan clubs start to act insane, it can reflect badly towards – you guessed it, the very idols they worship. This hate’s unfounded and stems from some sort of erratic, overzealous idolization that shouldn’t be there.
There’s nothing wrong with being infatuated with a group, or solo idol. There IS something wrong when your life revolves around them, insulting and throwing out death threats to others for simply for liking another group, and spending hours spamming “V.I.P V.I.P V.I.P V.I.P V.I.P V.I.P” on blogs amidst 60 separate comments. If some of the loudest fans of these groups would chill the hell out and simply enjoy the music, there wouldn’t be so much hatred and annoyances among one another. (Nor as many spammy blog comments to remove.)
I’m not quite sure what K-pop idols do differently from other music artists, but whatever it is, it’s working. Solidifying your fans by the balls and guaranteeing income and free advertising has got to be worth the insanity.
