If there is a miniscule silver lining to the Matuschik saga, it’s that his comments seem to have garnered more coverage and swifter condemnation than any racist remarks directed toward BTS in the past. For Matuschik to hear the group make these disarmingly vulnerable admissions and still decide to compare them to a virus that has killed millions of people around the world takes a special kind of callousness. The members of BTS talked at length between songs about their desire to reconnect with fans when the pandemic ends and the power of music to keep them afloat during these unprecedented times. The group mostly performed songs off its new album BE, which was largely inspired by the feelings of loneliness and burnout caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the band members’ despair over not being able to see their fans in-person. It is particularly blasphemous-to borrow Matuschik’s own word-that he made his remarks just days after BTS’s watershed MTV Unplugged performance. And yes, that does include teenage girls-who are arguably the greatest tastemakers in popular music, and clearly capable of appreciating music for its artistic merit. For one, the BTS ARMY comprises people of all genders, ages, races and ethnicities. These stereotypes are patently untrue for several reasons. His description of the BTS ARMY as “fanatical followers of a musical cash machine” additionally perpetuates the sexist, ageist stereotypes of BTS fans as hysterical teenage girls who are easily manipulated by marketing tactics and incapable of distinguishing music based on its artistic merit. Matuschik’s own statement to Buzzfeed Germany makes it impossible to glean any sincere contrition from his or Bayern 3’s responses. The intent of Matuschik’s comments is irrelevant, because they were largely perceived as hurtful and perpetuated damaging stereotypes. And as hundreds of thousands of fans noted on social media, racism is not an opinion. It’s not an apology at all it’s gaslighting. This is merely damage control intended to absolve the offending party of wrongdoing and put the burden on those who rightfully took offense at Matuschik’s statements. Like countless offenders before him, Matuschik and Bayern 3 apologized if his remarks hurt anybody.
Matuschik’s on-air tirade followed the same template set by the aforementioned examples: Make racist comments, feign ignorance (and innocence) when rightfully called out, play the victim in the face of criticism, and finally, issue a halfhearted non-apology. They’re already racist when taken individually, but cumulatively, they perpetuate a dangerous anti-Asian bias that is prevalent across numerous cultures and, as Jae-Ha Kim notes in her excellent Teen Vogue piece, often results in physical violence toward Asian people worldwide. Their song “Life Goes On” also secured the top spot of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.Ĭomposed of Jimin, Jin, RM, Suga, J-Hope, V, and Jungkook, BTS has previously performed in Manila thrice - in 2014 for the “Red Bullet” tour, in 2016 for the “Epilogue” tour, and in 2017 for “The Wings” tour.These remarks don’t exist in a vacuum. Late last year, the band got their first major Grammy nomination, and in the summer its English-language single "Dynamite" debuted at No. MTV Live, on the other hand, is also on Sk圜able via channel 190 (Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, Batangas) and channel 749 (Cebu, Davao).īTS, which made its debut in 2013, has become one of the world's most popular, thanks to its upbeat songs, army of adoring fans, and positive non-controversial messages. MTV Asia is on Sk圜able via channel 71 (Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, Batangas) and channel 642 (Baguio, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu, Dumaguete, Davao, General Santos). Wednesday with a primetime encore in the same channel at 8:20 p.m.
In the Philippines, “#MTVUnplugged Presents: BTS” aired on MTV Asia at 10 a.m.
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