I have never once seen an idol who didn't know how to deliver a sob story over how much they missed their family or how hard training life was... sometimes even the complaints of the existence of a dating ban and their inability to eat whatever they wished, all the idols wanting people to pity their already-set-for-life-financially lives and wanting them to get out of that hell hole with a sullen look on their face. Genuinely, I was one of those fans who ate up everything the idol said, wondering why the world was so cruel and planning to buy their next album for support (thank God I didn't) only to realize one thing: there's no one to blame but themselves.
"I didn't choose the thug life, the thug life chose me" - the noun cannot be substituted for 'K-Pop Life' nor 'Idoldom' since in reality, they chose that life themselves. Sure, there's some companies (*cough*SM Entertainment and Core Contents Media *cough*) who linger on the streets, approaching innocent and under-aged bystanders and asking them if they'd be interesting in training with that one company, however, there's always the 'NO' word, is there not? And even if the pursuer continues to persist, wanting the person in the company so bad, then that person can continue declining the offer and walk away, most people already acknowledging the struggles of being a trainee and an idol and the pursued not being stuffed into a white van and drove to the companies dungeon, therefore, the power of 'free will' still coming to play.
Contrarily, I'd say the only people who have an excuse and right to bitch are idols like Hyoyeon who were forced into auditioning by said legal parent or guardian, most children not having the free will present and having to go along with the parent's somewhat selfish wish of living life through the child. On a different note, there's some idols like EXO-M's Kris and B.A.P's Youngjae who're totally at fault for regret, Kris rumored to have ran away to Canada during EXO's hiatus (did he forget about the contract?) and Youngjae who said that idol life was so hard, he wanted to break his arm to get a break. I feel as if nowadays there's no real excuse, many natives knowing about the struggle of training and especially if they go to audition for the company like Youngjae, they're at fault, and non-natives like Kris also probably knowing the ups and downs.
All-in-all, there's no downing of idol training here (but if you want to see the internal debate questioning if K-Pop training is useful, click here) however, when idols, especially ones who whine about their lives pre-debut when they themselves went to the audition, complain about the consequences of idoldom like lack of family, lack of privacy and lack of simple deeds humans do, I find it somewhat unjustified. Sure, no one asked for things like sasaeng fans, sleepless nights and scandals... but unless they were asleep during their whole lives pre-debut, they had to have known what to expect. Though there's only few excusing circumstances like Hyoyeon's case, not only do many idols have their lives set but also with so much free time, can't they partake in the things they've exclaimed they were banned of? Dating isn't that uncommon anymore and it's a known fact that off of promotion, idols tend to gain weight... but family (like G-Dragon who resides with his family, Jonghyun who meets his sister frequently, Yuri, CL & Tiffany who had some time with their brother, sister and cousin) is now becoming more accessible and sasaengs are becoming more of an issue for some (EXO) but less of an issue for smarty B2ST members (takes pictures of sasaengs)... so is complaining of idoldom consequences that justified with prior knowledge of what was to come?
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Oh, B2ST also takes pictures of their sasaengs ala Dongwan Ajusshi? Smartypants. I approve.
ReplyDeleteIdols shouldn't be barred from the human right of free speech, regardless of their prior knowledge about the problems associated with idoldom. I'm not saying we should take every word an idols says as the absolute and only truth, but that still doesn't mean idols' complaints should be disregarded as a whole.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I understand why people hate it when celebrities complain about their lives. The drawbacks of life in the spotlight have been well known and publicized for many decades now, so it can be hard to sympathize with celebrities who have started their celebrity careers (arguably) knowing the potential issues lying ahead.
That being said, celebrities occupy a very tricky place in society. Being a celebrity is both a lifestyle and a job, but it's a job without a clear, concise job description, and therefore without any limitation to their responsibilities. Celebrities have their work scrutinized not just by their employers, their coworkers and their customers (fans), but by everyone. Celebrity life blurs the lines between work and the private sphere, creating a grey area that can be difficult to navigate (especially in the age of social networking where our ideas of the private and the public is being extensively reworked).
Celebrity life is full of issues, and celebrities are fully within their right to complain or discuss things they consider problematic or troubling. The entertainment industry itself is littered with problems, so why should you bar the people working in that sector from speaking about it? Sure, not everyone will agree that a given issue is, in fact, an issue to be taken seriously, but that doesn't mean you should disregard completely the complaints celebrities have about celebrity life.
I see where your coming from and I do respect your opinion.. and I realize everything that you say is true however, what I'm basically talking about is that they got themselves in this mess because they wanted it for their own personal gain--the fame, the fortune, the massive amount of fucking.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely understand your line of reasoning, I just find the basic element in it very problematic.
ReplyDelete"they got themselves in this mess because they wanted it for their own personal gain" Well, you could say that about literally any job, so why is it okay to disregard, ridicule or blame celebrities when they talk about the downsides of their chosen profession? Social workers, police officers and teachers also work for personal gain, so should we disregard the complaints they make about their professions too, because its their own fault? Does knowingly choosing to be an idol make the issues related to idol life and culture less real?
I guess I just don't agree with the idea that we should disregard other people's opinions just because they chose a specific line of work themselves.