K-Pop Fans Part 2: How they became The Most Cringe-worthy Fan base Ever

(Warning: Strong Languages and Full-blown rants ahead)

At this point, you are probably wondering, “Why the hell is this guy keep writing on K-Pop fans? Does he have anything else to write about?” To be honest, I’m kind of stuck in a rut, with nothing else to write. Besides, with so many trending topics around all social media channels are revolving at either the imminent threat of world war 3 (Yeah, I know, Trump brought this to himself. He deserves to be impeached anyway) or the current state of world music scene, particularly the one from the Korean Peninsula, such as the recent inclusion of BLACKPINK and BTS on the iHeart Radio Music Awards and the recent disbandment of X1, It seems like I have to write this. But instead of a simple explanation, this is just going to be my thoughts and my thoughts only.

I explained to you many times about fans of a certain musical genre that is kind of like two opposite ends of the spectrum. At one end, there are these matured, well behaved and civilized fans, who loves the genre because of the music itself, and at the other end, well, if I want to elaborate it in a nutshell, it's like stepping into a gang fight while only armed with a single camping knife, while everybody else are armed with either baseball bats, machetes and even sledge hammers. One small false move can spell the end of the road. I can totally feel the emotion and dedication of these fan bases, but like I said in previous articles, shoving your own taste to everyone’s throats would only causing more hate towards you and your fan base, effectively dragging everyone, even those who aren’t even remotely responsible with those events. Sure you are doing this on the basis of “defending your idols” but come fucking on! Even those who only point out the smallest of details about the flaw of your supposed “boys and girls” are greeted with nothing more than hostility and toxicity. You actually have the audacity to attack those who just merely said, “I don’t really enjoy K-Pop.” If someone doesn't really enjoy it, then just move the fuck on! You don’t have to be like a swarm of insects just to defend your idols. It’s basically pointless anyway. The world is not revolving around K-Pop, and not everyone is interested in your taste. 

I recently noticed a specific pattern about how these K-Pop fans make themselves known on every social media platform. If there is a post about their groups or a news involving one of the members of the group, then it is almost certain K-Pop stans will swarm that thread and make it their own appreciation post. Not so long ago, I encountered a Twitter post by FIA Formula E (my favorite racing series today, beside NASCAR and Formula 1) who post their collaboration with none other than BTS, who coincidentally also campaigning on climate change, as well as welcoming Seoul as one of the cities hosting one of the races. And what did I encounter at the comments section? A swarm of ARMYs being annoying just because of 7 Korean men was chosen to be global partners of an FIA sanctioned racing series that will have a World Championship status on their name starting next season (2020-2021). From fancams to pictures of their biases,they are effectively turning a thread from a highly competitive form of motorsport into a BTS appreciation. No wonder some motorsport fans are not happy about this. It maybe for a good cause, but all these fans are doing is solidify a legacy, but as the most cringe-worthy fandoms ever existed. On other topic, I’d really want to see those guys drive that car around Seoul Olympic Park and see how long they can last, because those Formula E cars can generate G-force on cornering that is so big, it can put a massive stress on the neck, possibly snapping it. And also those cars don’t have certain driving assistances either (Traction Control and Anti-locking Brake Systems). I also need to point out, between Tool outsold Taylor Swift on Billboard charts (with lots of Swifties fanbase being mad because of it) and Queen’s resurgence thanks to Bohemian Rhapsody (the movie, named after THAT 1976 eternal masterpiece), when Chart Data released Billboard’s Top Album Sales of 2019 based on pure sales, ARMY swarmed the post with all they got, without taking a consideration that a legendary English Rock Band whose frontman is already dead and doesn’t release any albums since is above them on pure sales (BTS came at number 3, with Queen at number 1). And Tool might only get the 7^thspot, but they just don’t really care. 

When it comes to dedication, nobody tops these fans. Yes, these fan girls and fan boys are so dedicated to their respective groups. But sometimes, at one point, they stan these groups to the point of actually became disgusting. I did mention about sasaeng fans before, didn’t I? While not being a sasaengthemselves, some of these fans just simply whack jobs. There is one thing common across all fandoms of the pop culture, and the element I’m referring to is the one called “shipping.” “Shipping” basically means putting two characters (either from the opposing gender or same-sex) together and fantasizing about the two having a romantic relationship, usually presented in a written form (fanfictions) or drawings (fanarts). And the way this works on K-Pop fandoms are no different either. But what makes me horrified about this element is sometimes they put it on bands like BTS and EXO, and write a fanfiction story like some kind of a love story between two guys! (I am personally not against the LGBT Community; I have few friends who are representing the community itself) What makes me even more mortified; they didn’t hesitate to make it a sexual one either, like a full-blown sexual relationship (like, I don’t know, FUCKING EACH OTHER?). Some of these fanfiction writers portrayed themselves (usually written by fan girls) married to one of the members and having sexual and intimate life with their chosen bias(I read one out of curiosity, and let me tell you one thing: my eyes are scarred for life). Let me tell you one thing. Despite all they did is singing and dancing, these guys are MUSICIANS! Not some kind of a play doll that you can exploit with your heart’s content. And don’t get me started on the “No dating rule.” These guys and girls are humans. They have their own rights to fall in love and start a relationship of their own. So if you are blabbering the lines of “he should not date anyone”, then congratulations, you have been fooled. 

Many would say that during a band’s tenure in the music scene, the fans are the most important to have. And K-Pop fans are no exceptions either. It's just that sometimes, just for the sake of breaking every record on every chart, these fans would do ANYTHING to ensure that their idols are at the top, even if it means to encourage them to be more productive on their promotions and comebacks. For these fans, their idols are everything. If a band didn’t release an album, a single or even making a single appearance, the fans will be going absolutely berserk. It’s not the case when Progressive Metal giants Tool released Fear Inoculum, their first album in 13 years. Tool fans were absolutely chill, but occasionally post memes about “Tool not releasing a new album for centuries.” They can be in denial too; despite initially it was their wishes in the first place. Back when the vote manipulation scandal rose in the aftermath of Produce X 101, I’ve already sensed that X1 is bound to be disbanded, even some of the fans thought so too. But when the daunting announcement came, every single One Its (Their fan base, but I have no fucking idea how the hell they can come up with that lame name) went crazy, demanding the managements to keep the group and its members. They even took to Twitter to express their distress with various hashtags, basically wanting to tell the management to keep X1 or at least rebooting the group. I know what militant fans are, but (to quote Vegeta of the Japanese animation series Dragon Ball) the level of obsession is over 9000. 

Okay. Enough ranting. I personally think that although the music itself is enjoyable (But honestly, I can’t enjoy it as much), it’s always the one who devote themselves as fans that sometimes grinds my gears. To think about having to endure a conversation about music when a K-Pop fan is around kills me slowly. I can only guess that each of us has that one friend who is obsessed with this music, all they wanted to do is to bother everyone else about how amazing these guys are (when you think about it, it’s equally hard to sing and dance at the same time, not much less ripping a guitar solo while growling at the same time), but please. And they are not hesitate to bash, even get pissed if their idols are treated like a big hunk of shit, whether talking trash or flooding someone’s social media account with hate remarks, these Neanderthals will stop at nothing to ensure that their “idols” are pure and untouched (Yeah right, but I believe you are currently fantasizing about being married and having intimate relationship with one of those guys huh? What a bunch of hypocrites). Now I have an urge to just blast Slayer or Dying Fetus to these crazed fans, just to see the reaction. Hell, let’s put Mayhem or Behemoth albums o the loop. If I can get at least horror or scared reaction, that would be enough for me. And I’m saying this one more time, this is written without dismissing a large portion of fans that are more civilized and open-minded. I’m just pointing out some of you that can be really annoying most of the time. I guess no wonder why people hate more on the K-Pop fans lately.

K-Pop & European Metal: Two Opposite Ends of the Same Coin

This is by far my most bold comparative article I’ve ever written so far, because discussing two genres of music at the same time, it’s like messing around with the starved lion while inserting your head into a gaping mouth of an alligator. One is a nation’s pride and joy, as well as international sensation, the other is a continental affair, lurking in the depths of the underground, biding its time to explode and dominate once again. I am currently into this continental affair, now that it’s currently rising from the ashes like a newborn baby phoenix. Both have their own distinct fan base and cultures, and sometime, these two genres would clash at each other. One is from South Korea; the other is from the Continental Europe, Korean Pop against European Metal.

When we talked about the history about these two styles, it’s safe to say that Heavy Metal, claiming its roots from Blues Rock and Psychedelic Music back in the 70s is the older genre compare to its much younger modern Korean counterpart, which rose in the late 90s-early 2000s. Some even say that it was invented by accident. It started when Black Sabbath guitarist Toni Iommi was caught by an accident that severed few of his fingertips, and in order to continue to play, he had to modify his Gibson SG with lighter strings and tuned-down sound, which created a signature distortion now common on metal records today. Before that, the closest Rock song ever to the then unknown Metal territory was Voodoo Childby Jimi Hendrix. K-Pop (modern K-pop, that is) on the other hand, began to rise after a slew of influences by the American market, with the first confirmed modern K-Pop boyband H.O.T debuting in 1996. But not until 2003, the K-Pop market is still contained in the peninsula, after TVXQ’s debut, the movement exploded to a global scale, dubbed the Hallyu Wave(but honestly, I don’t understand any sort of this thing by the time it went popular). 

Since the Hallyu Wave, bands from older generations like Girls Generation, Wonder Girls, Super Junior, 2NE1(now disbanded), Kara and the newer ones like X1 (recently disbanded due to vote scandals), BLACKPINK, BTS, EXO and TWICE continued to spread their wings of K-Pop to worldwide audience. The Heavy Metal movement also spread through continental Europe, with Finland, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom as the frontrunners of the genre, with bands like Judas Priest, Motorhead (disbanded after Lemmy’s death), Saxon, Scorpions, Lordi, Nightwish, Epica, Mayhem and Amon Amarth leading the charge. Although Metal has established its influence across the American, Asian and Australian continents (Africa now has a growing metal scene, most predominately in the South and Northern part of the continent), Europe is still viewed as the place where Metal was born, and the most metal friendly continent. 

Both K-Pop and Metal in Europe are a spectrum within itself. Despite most K-Pop girl and boy groups have a certain formula to their music, it is the visuals that can separate one group from the other. Girl groups like 2NE1 and BLACKPINK went for the “badass girl” persona, and other s like APink, GFriend, Momoland and TWICE once went for the cute and bubbly image, while most boy groups are portrayed as cool, masculine and badass, without taking out the cuteness aspect most K-Pop groups have. The musical aspect of the genre involves inserting some English words to an otherwise Korean lyric in an attempt to appeal to a worldwide audience. Some singers and group members also use English names to gain popularity. Another aspect present within the genre is the choreography and dance. This is mainly done because of most bands having multiple singers, so choreographers must work in such a way that both the singing and the dancing can complement the music and hooking the audience during the process. Whereas the Metal scene spawned multiple subgenres across Europe, with England’s Iron Maiden once viewed as the pioneers of Power Metal, with the genre now has produced prominent bands like Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire, Hammerfall, among others. Dutch native Epica is deemed responsible for the birth of Symphonic Metal alongside Finland’s Nightwish and Sweden’s Therion. Norwegians Mayhem played an integral part of the rise of Norwegian Black Metal, and most notably Motorhead, whose sound is the main starting point for Thrash and Speed Metal, which in turn, created bands like Kreator, DragonForce (they mix the Speed Metal element with their prominent Power Metal sound), and Destruction. Europe’s version of Death Metal is a little bit more melodic, thanks to bands like Arch Enemy and Amon Amarth. One of the most famous examples of European Influences on Metal is the existence of Folk Metal. This particular sub-genre blends traditional metal sound with Folk music either Celtic, Slavic or Viking elements. Bands like Russia’s Arkona, Switzerland’s Eluveitie and Finland’s Finntroll and Korpiklaani are considered the main frontrunners of the genre.  The lyrical aspect of this genre is also evolved over the years. What began as a protest or a channel of frustration quickly evolved into songs about drugs, alcohol, politics, religion, culture and counter-culture, and mythology. 

From praise, come critics. While Metal has been viewed as a supposed “dangerous” music, K-Pop has a dark and grim secrets looming beneath the supposed bubbly and bright scene. For many years since the Korean Wave, K-Pop artists are often accused of inauthenticity as well as ripping off some elements from their western counterpart. The use of English phrases also criticized by the base of “making the phrase itself meaningless.” Others even say that the scene has ZERO ties with the Korean national identity. The controversy doesn’t even end here. You can actually trace this back to my article Depression and Hard Times: Revealing K-Pop’s Darkest Secrets about all the sketchy, often disturbing underbelly of the K-Pop industry. All those scandals, controversies, bullying, depression and sketchy contracts are part of the industry’s hidden abyss. And we can’t talk about Metal without mentioning all the stereotypes that comes with it. Drug addicts, hedonism, Satanism, Crime, Violence, you name it, we have it all. 

The fans are also an important aspect of these genres. Both have enormous dedicated fans around the world, but some of them (Metal elitists and Overly-obsessed K-Pop stans) are considered to be the worst type of fans you have ever encountered. Both of these groups will do anything in their power to ensure that their preferred genre overpowers the other; some can even escalate to fanwars. But surprisingly, the most known fanwars mostly happen within K-Pop fandoms, with currently brewing fanwar between EXO-L (EXO) and ARMY (BTS) over many aspects like chart positions or popularity. Some fanwars can escalate to fistfights or online harassing. Metal elitists meanwhile are considered enemies by a more open-minded ones, citing that metal is diverse, and no one should judge a band solely by someone’s own standards.

Speaking of the dedicated musicians of both genres, I know it may sound weird and impossible, but I would like to see K-Pop Bands and Metal Bands engage into a competition, like pitting one band against another or singers against each other. I mean, in my twisted mind, I’d like to see BTS leader RM square off against Blind Guardian’s Hansi Kursch in a sing-off competition, or TWICE trying to fend off Finnish beasts otherwise known as Nightwish, or even Blinks and The Hordes can tear each other apart when BLACKPINK and Kreator decided to compete against each other. Hell, let’s put Kai of EXO against Amon Amarth’s Johan Hegg and have a high note VS high scream riff-off. That would be a spectacle to the masses. 

In the end, both genres have their own distinctive features, whether you are a K-Pop fan or a metalhead (I am one), just enjoy the music and all other things both genres have to offer, and I’m gonna stress this again, don’t shove your taste into someone else’s throats. Quit bitching about other’s musical taste and just enjoy it.

World War 3: Either A Worldwide Fiasco or a Global Laughingstock

Ugh, Politics. This is the one topic that I mostly avoid during my stint as a blog writer, especially if an international incident spawned over the Internet. I have to say that personally, I have a slight paranoia and a sense of distrust to those who call themselves “politicians,” with most of them who gained the trust from the people are yet to be dissected of their backgrounds and their ideologies. Without dismissing those who serve with honor and integrity, I have to say that these days, this supposed “People’s Representatives” are more about meaningless words and focusing to their own agenda rather than actually be useful to the masses.

Yes, we are only 6 days into the year of 2020, but already we are shocked with the news of the death of Iranian Military General Qasem Soleimani, allegedly because of an drone strike in Baghdad International Airport in Baghdad, Iraq carried out by the United States Military Forces by the order of the ever controversial President Donald Trump, whom at the same time is currently facing impeachment by the US Senate. President Trump claimed that the reason behind Soleimani’s demise is to upheld peace, but in reality, The Iranian-American relation is currently on its lowest point, with the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s intentions to resume the Iranian Nuclear Program, effectively breaking the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) 2015 initiated by President Obama with Iran, France, England, Germany, China, Russia and The European Union. Khamenei also stated that he vowed to avenge the death of General Soleimani by striking major points of the American territory. Trump responded with equal amount of threat, claiming that 52 Iranian sites will be targeted if the Iranian military carried out its “retaliation. “

In the aftermath of the news, the hashtag #WorldWar3 trended across social media platforms, fearing that if the tension escalated between Teheran and Washington, D.C, the third world war could start. Every nation across the world are doing the best they could to defuse the situation, while at the same time alerting their overseas citizens resided in Iran. World citizen have a strong reason of the scale of devastation if there is going to be a third world war, while the first two wars are about the manpower and advanced weaponry, if there is a world war 3, nuclear weapons could be a prime option, since both the US and The Islamic Republic of Iran has their own nuclear programs. The already heating situations can be further escalated if some of the allies both to the US and Iran wage war against each other, like Israel. Indonesia meanwhile being a neutral party, advised both countries to hold back. 

On the other hand, the threat of World War 3 is treated as a mere laughingstock with memes across all platforms of social media. On Twitter, for instance, you can find a magnitude amount of memes referencing #worldwar3, and most of them being satirical memes in the form trending memes like Baby Yoda, “Me and The Bois” meme stating that they are “being drafted” to fight in the war, among others. They are also poke fun of other “sworn enemies” of America like North Korea and China. Other memes are directed to Trump, mainly how a “soon-to-be impeached president started World War 3.”

Despite all the laughs, I have to stress this more than anything else: War is not a game, nor it is something to make fun of. We have history of fighting amongst ourselves, and the results are not pretty either. We all know the infamous Adolf Hitler, that same man who responsible of a possible ethnic cleansing of Jewish Germans (Holocaust), or one Benito Mussolini, an Italian plague that side with the Axis during World War2. And don’t ever forget a certain radical Islamic group ISIS, who ran rampant over Iraq and Syria, robbing people of their homes and their lives, and children of their futures. And I am sure that we can all agree about the aftermath of these wars currently raging around the globe. Not only loss of innocent lives, the world economy can take a major hit as the result of these wars. And the effects are no jokes either. Food prices will raise to a significantly worrying levels, and at the same time, those who are affected could be suffering from starvation as well as being detainees of war if all countries involved decided to adopt the “no prisoner” policies.

In the end, as one of roughly 7 billion citizens of the world, I am going to ask one thing, and one thing only to the world leaders. Please restrain yourselves. There is no need for another world war if the first two is already painful enough. All we want is peace and serenity, and also for everyone across the world to stand together against hate and segregation. And for both President trump and Ayatollah Khamenei, please, don’t proceed with your threats, especially for Trump. I know that you are currently facing impeachment, but don’t take your frustrations towards innocent Iranians, now that you have killed one, coincidentally a military general of all people. You wanted to upheld peace, yet you do it by starting a war that is not remotely necessary for world stability. No more wars, no more pain, no more suffering. Let’s be one big happy family, regardless of your personal backgrounds.

Deadpool: A Wisecracking, Insane Merc With a Mouth

(Warning: Strong languages and some disturbing materials ahead)

Few posts into this blog, and I haven’t had a chance for geeking out on one of the entries. You may know me as an Anthropologist, a metalhead, a motorsport fan and a pro wrestling fan. But what I like to indulge the most is comic books, either from Japan or from America. Speaking of American comic books, I must say that I am personally a Marvel fan who personally loves The Avengers series (albeit most of the time I watch all the movies instead of surfing for more comic books). But when it comes to a specific character, A Canadian mercenary caught me for the first time when his movie first released back in 2016. He suffered from cancer; awaken a mutant gene, which enabled him to regenerate from whatever wounds, or injuries he suffered (including the cancer cell in his body), while at the same time messing with his mind and sanity. His name was Wade Wilson, but everyone around the world known him as Deadpool.

Created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool made his publication debut by appearing in The New Mutants #98 in 1991, later gained his own publication in 1997. His real name (Wade Winston Wilson) and hero name is said to be either a spin-off or an inside gag of the DC Comics’ Mercenary-for-hire character Slade Wilson, a.k.a Deathstroke. What differentiates Slade from Wade is Slade is described as a villain/anti-hero affiliated with the Suicide Squad, while also being the main arch nemesis of the Teen Titans, while Wade is mostly an anti-hero who basically conduct his service with some amount of payment, although he affiliates himself with the X-Men and The Avengers in some way. Wade (or Deadpool) himself is aware that he is a comic book character, and he frequently breaks the fourth wall, intended as a comedic effect. He also provided narrations on both the comics and the movies. His backstory revolves around a Canadian mercenary, who suffered from a form of cancer, and according to the 2016 movie, he seeks out various means of medication, ultimately entered the Weapon X program by the villain Ajax. He was tortured so many times, and finally awakens his mutation, disfiguring him in the process. He often referred his now-scarred appearance as “Ryan Reynolds crossed with a Shar-Pei” (Reynolds later potrayed the character in two movies, released in 2016 and 2018 respectively). 

His mutation mainly involves having an accelerated healing factor, which not only allows him to regenerate from his wounds in an accelerated level, also made him psychotic and mentally unstable, as his neurons are also affected by the mutation. His regeneration ranging from mere wounds, scrapes, broken bones, gun shots, stab wounds, and even severed limbs and decapitation, but in order for the latter two to work, Wade must place the severed part into its original place. While this is billed as a curse (Thanos himself said that he is cursed with life, as this factor effectively renders him immortal), Wade sees this as a blessing, because his mental instability is proved as an asset in the battlefield, making him the most unpredictable and improvised fighter ever faced by his foes. Aside from that factor, he is also known as a skilled marksman and an adaptable combatant. He is trained in Savate, among many martial arts. He is also a polyglot, having mastered German, Spanish, Japanese and American Sign Language. This element is portrayed to a comedic effect in Deadpool 2 movie, when Wade is on an assassination job in Hong Kong, saying “I don’t speak Cantonese, but I learned Spanish in 6^thgrade, so Donde esta la biblioteca, which means, I don’t do bargains” (the sentence itself, surprisingly means “where is the library”). 

Let me stress this first. Deadpool is a funny but insane comic book character. Most of his jokes featured on both of his movies are his usual fourth wall breaking or an overly slapstick, often gross, sexually explicit jokes. As evidenced in a scene where Wade masturbated on a couch in the first movie during a “rewind” process. Other element present on both movies is Wade’s profane-filled monologues and references to other aspects of the popular culture. No wonder his movies are rated R. Hell; it might as well be NC-17. Despite this, somehow, he also has a PG-13 version called Once Upon a Deadpool, released December last year. He is also quite violent most of the time, where he would go on a killing spree to find Ajax, hoping that he would reverse his disfigurement. You might have thought that he doesn’t have any moral compass, but during the events of Uncanny X-Force,he stormed off after Wolverine tried to rationalize Fanthomex into killing Apocalypse, who was in a child form at that time. While Logan argues that he is motivated solely by money, Archangel revealed the fact that Wade never cashed his assassination checks. His companions are not spared from this either. Bob, Agent of HYDRA is Wade’s sidekick, but often suffered most of the abuse either from Wade himself or the enemies. He has no combat training or any mutant or inhuman abilities, thus making him pretty much a sitting duck during his time with Wade. This sadistic side of him also present during his time staying with an elderly woman named Blind Al. He would often play cruel pranks, taking advantage of her blindness as well as forbid her visitors from visiting. He also likes to lock the poor woman into a tiny room full of sharp objects dubbed “the Box”. Despite this, Al would always be one step ahead and not less cruel than her roommate. He also had a strange “love-and-hate” relationship with Nathan Summers (Cable). Most of the time they would try to kill each other, but on another instance, they have to work together. It is the comedic aspect that ultimately made me hooked into the character. Yes, he has an unorthodox sense of humor to say the least, but nonetheless, this is a great alternative to every superhero comics and movies, which is always about good guy VS the bad guy. Why don’t we just enjoy a sadistic and insane mercenary dressed in red spandex beating the living hell out of even crazier bad guys (or as Wade would say, “we are the bad guys who fuck-up worse guys”) while laughing our asses off? Marvel Comics sure know the drill when they first published this superhero character.

In the end, We all know that Deadpool is not up on everyone’s alley, and it will require a special breed of genius to better understand his mind beyond his insanity. On both the comics and the movies, the Regenerating Degenerate will always grace the pop culture, especially the superhero universe. He might not as strong as Superman, or as analytical as Batman, or even as morally upheld as Captain America, Wade Wilson is surely one of the most recognizable character ever graced the Marvel Universe. I know Deadpool will discover this article sooner or later, and all I can say is I hope this piece will do you justice. I am just a fan of your work, and even though you are probably the most insane anti-hero out there, I am still a big fan. And after this, I feel like I want to eat a bunch of Chimichangas, in honor of the Merc With a Mouth, The Regenerating Degenerate, and The Man in Red, The One and only, Deadpool. 

K-Pop Fans: The Hard-lined Fandom full of Toxic Comments and Unhealthy Wars

(Warning: Strong Languages and Rants ahead)

I did mention about me not being a fan of K-Pop (Korean Pop) music in the past articles, didn’t I? Well, right now, ‘not being a fan’ has escalated into a minor hate, because while the music itself is quite catchy (but let’s face it, even as an anthropologist who have a massive interest in language studies, I couldn’t get a firm grip in Korean) with most of the lyrics are spoken in Korean language with a slew of English words thrown in between, It’s the fandom that made me loathe K-Pop as a musical genre. I have to admit that the only K-Pop song that I can grasp in terms of language is PSY’s Gangnam Style. And (unapologetically) I am good for that. I can’t even understand most of the songs playing nowadays either. 

Speaking of fans of K-Pop, we are talking about someone who loves the genre, and supports all the artists and groups. Those supports can come from online streaming or buying physical copies of a favorite group’s albums, attending concerts and fan meets, and following the news about their idols. While some K-Pop fans are civilized, well-mannered and well-behaved individuals who are active in the fandom and only minding their own business, there are also a lot (I say A LOT because most of the time, It is these Neanderthals who came out first) of deranged, overly-obsessed music terrorists who thinks that their supposed “idols” (and K-Pop in general) are better than most of the artists across all genres (kind of like Metal with Metal Elitists, although these K-Pop stans are a lot more lethal). First of all, these fanatics would do anything in their power to defend their idols from outside bashing, even if it means to systematically bully a poor soul who was just merely post his criticism on the Korean Entertainment Industry. This has happened to Dolan Twins, who back in 2018 posted a satirical video on YouTube talking about the reality of K-Pop idols that overworked themselves to the point of passing out in the middle of a performance. This inevitably drew the ire of K-Pop fans and then proceeded to flood the comments section with criticism and hate remarks, even when the Twins’ father passed away earlier this year. Instead of offering support and stating their condolences, these deranged fucks instead CELEBRATING the death of someone not related to the problems at hand, this being the Dolan twins’ old man. I know that you disliked them because of a simple (hard hitting) reality. I also pointed out on my last post with similar topic about how they overwork themselves and receiving little numbers on their paychecks, but please. If you want to bash them only because of that, might as well throw yourself into a Cannibal Corpse mosh pit and see if you can last even for a minute. Not only this hate bashing are targeting people outside of their fandoms, they even wage war with their own! Fanwars, ironically, is a normal thing happening within the K-Pop realm. And what makes this thing even bizarre is the wars itself are sparked because of competition within K-Pop idol groups themselves. It can be for chart position, popularity, or even about who is the most handsome/beautiful member. While most fanwars are contained in the realms of social media, this weird activity once escalated into a full-blown fistfight, like when the fans of SECHSKIES and H.O.T wage war against each other. This thing can be varying, one of them is constantly post hate comment about a specific group, even as far as posting death threats to a specific group member. Initiating a “Black Ocean” is also other form of disliking a specific group. A “Black Ocean” is essentially the act of turning the light sticks off and sits still in silence during a performance. Girls Generation once suffered from this type of abuse as a result of then ongoing fanwar between them, TVXQ and Super Junior back in 2008. 

When we talk about the demography of the K-Pop fans, Most of the them that I know are between the ages 12-18 years old, but not dismissing the adults who are also hooked with the music itself, but when it comes to teenage fans, they are turning their passion for K-Pop into an obsession, and more often than not, these obsessions even escalated to the point of being flat-out disgusting. Some K-Pop fandoms like EXO-L, Blink (Blackpink), and even ARMY are probably the most active & devoted fandoms existing today. The way these overly obsessed animals done within these fandoms is they are not hesitate to pick up items related to theirbias (favorite member of the group) from normal stuff like autographed cards and posters, to absurd items like drink bottles and even tissue sheets used by them to wipe the sweat from performing. What makes this funny for me is the idols might be good looking and somehow in a good shape (remember those diets and starvation they have to endure? I do), but sweat is still sweat. It stinks. You are willingly dropping your IQ points to that of a Baboon just to obtain your bias’ memorabilia. Not only that, they are also fantasizing themselves married to one of the members of the group they idolize. Let me tell you this. They barely even know you. So stop deluding yourself and face the fact that you maybe a fan, but these idols don’t even know you personally. But of course, these obsessed fans will stop at nothing to make her known in the fandom. Sasaeng fans are K-Pop fans who are so obsessed with their idols, the only thing they will ever do to gain the attention is to stalk, invade the idol’s personal space, hack their phones, and even sending fan notes written in menstrual blood (yuck!). When it comes to overall obsessions, these sasaengshas to take the cake. They even cause physical injuries to some of the idols (Heechul suffered a broken leg after being involved in a crash while trying to evade a sasaengchasing him on the road). Still, who the hell am I to judge when they are so devoted to their idols. After all, I’m just a normal metal fan who coincidentally has some relatives and friends that are big K-Pop fans (no offence here). 

Here’s a food for the thought. Everyone has the right to indulge themselves into their favorite music. Whether it’s Pop, K-Pop, EDM or Metal. And just like what I say with the Metal Elitists, You don’t have to shove your taste down to everyone’s throats. Some might just don’t like it. And since I am now have a slight hate towards K-Pop (Mostly to the fans and the industry, not the music), I got to say, I have never seen a fandom so toxic and hostile to others ever in my life. Yes you got those girls and boys with porcelain of a skin and great appearance (while starving themselves to death in the process and reconstructing their faces with plastic surgeries in between), and yes, they are talented. But I guess nothing calms me more than pounding beats and monstrous guitar riffs of a good Heavy Metal tune. And to close this rant, I just want you to know that I am writing this fully aware with the consequence of opening the floodgates of hell that is K-Pop stan’s hate comments. And during the process of writing, I have yelled SLAYER (while listening to Angel Of Death, Raining Blood and Repentless in the process) twice and blasted some good Cradle of Filth album to calm my nerves.

Reign in Blood For the Final Time: A Murderous Tribute to Slayer

For every beginning, there is bound to be an end. For a ‘hello’, there is always be a ‘goodbye.’ Today, the metal community bids farewell to one of the giants of the genre, who is billed as the pioneers of Thrash Metal and defined the genre as their long-lasting legacy. During their time producing “noisy pleasures”, there were dramas, line-up changes, feuds, and even some criticism (mostly about their supposed satanic imagery and their lyrical content, which evolves around war, religion, anti-religion, terrorism, human experimentation and prison). They might not be performing live ever again, but there is still one thing left to do: release another album. This is a heavy metal tribute to the Californian behemoths Slayer.

Slayer first formed in Huntington Beach, California by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, Chilean vocalist/bassist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo in 1981. At that time, they performed mostly cover songs from various legendary bands like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Venom. Since their formation up until today, they released 12 studio albums, 2 live albums, a box set, 6 music videos, 2 EPs and a cover album. They also bagged two Grammy Awards for ‘Best Metal Performance’ in 2007 and 2008, with both songs came from their 2006 albumChrist Illusion.Among those 12 albums by Slayer so far, most metalheads will tell you that the 1986 offering Reign in Bloodis considered one of the heaviest and the most influential Thrash Metal records ever. Those feats came from humble beginnings, with considerable amount of popularity after being spotted by Brian Slagel, founder of Metal Blade Records, Slayer released their first ever (self-financed) studio albumShow No Mercy in 1983. During the process of making the record, Araya worked as a respiratory therapist to cover the expenses, as well as using the money borrowed from Kerry’s father. Their future direction was established by the release of Haunting The Chapel EP in 1984. Metal Blade financed their second album Hell Awaits, with producer Ron Fair, which featured even darker sound from its predecessor and more complexity in its composition. Slayer switched to Def Jam records for their iconic Reign In Blood album, which features the then highly controversial song Angel of Death. The song itself is about Josef Mengele, a Nazi physician who conducted human experimentations on concentration camps like Auschwitz. They decided to slow down the tempo and incorporate more melodic singing with the release of South of Heaven in 1988 with mixed reception. While being the most commercially successful records at that time, this move also generated critics alike. Realizing this, they cranked it back to eleven while still retaining their melodic element with 1990 album Seasons in the Abyss. Two years after the release of the album, Lombardo left the band and was filled by then Forbidden drummer Paul Bostaph. He contributed as the drummer for four Slayer albums between 1992 and 2005 with Divine Intervention (1994), a Punk cover album titled Undisputed Attitude(1997), Diabolus in Musica (1998) which was heavily criticized for incorporating Nu Metal elements like tuned-down guitars, and God Hates Us Allin 2001. He would later return to Slayer with the release of 2015’s Repentless. Lombardo continued as the drummer in the years following his exit in 2005, with the first record back being Christ Illusion. The album itself contained songs Eyes of The Insaneand bonus track Final Six, which snatched a Grammy Award for ‘Best Metal performance’ in 2007 and 2008 respectively. The final album with the original Araya, King, Hanneman and Lombardo line-up was World Painted Blood,released in 2011. Hanneman died from cirrhosis due to his habit of drinking on May 2013, while Lombardo was fired on February. For Repentless,King and Araya enlisted Exodus guitarist Gary Holt and the aforementioned Bostaph, who mad his return to the band since 2005 (although Holt was not credited with the writing process of the album itself). 

There is no denying the legacy of the band Slayer. They are regarded as one of the “Big 4” bands of the Thrash Metal genre, alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax. They are also said to be responsible for the rise of Death Metal, and had influenced numerous bands like Behemoth, Gojira, Kreator, Bullet For My Valentine, Lamb of God, Slipknot, Cannibal Corpse and Avenged Sevenfold. Their playing style is also distinguishable from the rest of the Big 4, with fast-paced drums, chaotic-sounding guitar riffs, and overall aggression of their music paired with their murderous and graphic image as well as their violent lyrical content. No wonder some crazed members of the society hated this band so much. Not only the music is deemed dangerous, their album covers are controversial as well. Most notably God Hates Us All, which had to be released with an alternative version featuring crosses lined up, down, right and left (the original cover itself features the Slayer logo carved into The Bible with blood spattered all over it) and Christ Illusion, which gained backlash from the Christian community. 

Slayer recently wrapped up their final tour on November 30 in Los Angeles’ The Forum. While stating that the band would continue, they stated that there are no further plans to tour and play live ever again, although they are currently working on the follow up to Repentless.This is a huge loss for the Metal community, as Slayer is regarded as the most violent, yet successful bands to ever graced the genre. You reigned in blood, showed no mercy, and most importantly, you thrashed your way in the middle of a raining blood with a repentless attitude. As a metalhead myself, I salute the guys at Slayer, past and present and congratulate them for an amazing career from 1981 to 2019. Reign strong, Slayer, enjoy the times ahead, and we’ll see you down the road. 

Exhibitionism: Private Pleasure Which is Not For The Public to Enjoy

(Warning: Strong sexual references in this article)

Usually I tend to steer clear from this particularly sensitive topic, but considering that there are more recent cases involving some sick pervert who likes to voluntarily flashing his private parts, I know I have to write this. I am not condoning these actions, and quite frankly, as a man who knows which behavior is appropriate on the public context and which one that is not fit for such situation, I feel sick to my stomach that these guys are roaming free and unchecked, probably scaring more innocent souls with their perverted antics.

The act of intentionally showing his/her private parts (breasts, genitalia and buttocks) in public is called exhibitionism. This term derived from the word “exhibit”, which had the meaning of “to show something.” It is said that an exhibitionist gains sexual pleasures from flashing their nude body to non-consenting people inside a public area. The act itself is classified as both a mental illness and sexual deviation (paraphilia). The person who engages in exhibitionism might feel a sense of sexual impulses that he couldn’t control, and may have no control of this behavior himself. Other factors contributing to this disturbing act of sexual deviation are the lack of self esteem due to lack of socializing and anxiety, particularly about the sense of manliness. He usually get a brief sense of pleasure from the shock value of his actions, mainly towards the opposite sex, after a brief moment of regret, he might do that same act if that same impulses that he has is rising and needs to be channeled. Sometimes, someone who did this is expecting the target to either engage in a sexual intercourse or to show her private parts too. In most cases, she would be shocked, distressed, angered, scared or disgusted.

During the last two months, In Indonesia there are some cases of exhibitionism that went viral. The first one happened in Tasikmalaya, West Java. A 25 year-old man was arrested for “Sperm Terror” after being reported by a local stay-at-home mother. Before he threw the supposed “semen liquid” into the poor woman, he engaged in an act of public masturbation. After an investigation launched by the Police, the suspect is confirmed to have some form of a sexual disorder. Another case of similar complain happened in Bandung Regency, where a man dressed in black jacket wearing a helmet flashed his penis in front of a woman who was busy doing her chores. The identity of the man is still unknown, while the Police are still investigating. The most recent case of this gross encounter happened in Bekasi, where a 25 year-old woman was shocked by a man who opened his pants in front of her, initially calling her with the guise of fixing a leaking oil line on her motorbike. What makes this case weird is he intentionally pulled his genital organ to compare the size of that same oil line. These perverts are not only targeting young women to engage their acts, innocent children and teenagers are not spared from this either. In Surabaya, a man is facing up to 10 years of incarceration for masturbating in front of 3 young children. Another penile terror of this caliber happened in Mojokerto. The case in question involves a High School girl walking home while being stalked by a suspicious man. He then proceeded to lower his trousers and performed a mock-masturbation in front of that poor soul. While most of the time the one who did this act is predominately male, women are not shy of this either, although rare cases happened on the daily basis. 

By dissecting the psychological effect of exhibitionism to the victims, the pervert in question only experiences pleasure from the shock value of his act of sexual terrorism, either scared, disgusted or angered. The best way to handle this type of perversion is to ignore the exhibitionist himself. When the target didn’t experience anything from this disgusting behavior, he will consider it as “mission failed.” Other method for scaring these deranged individuals is to scare them with everyday items that can be useful for self-defense, like a pair of scissors. For these sick bastards themselves, the sexual impulses are deemed unbearable for them to control, and couldn’t seem to find a way to distract themselves. In their twisted mind, the target is expected to respond back with shock, or if the target happens to be the same type of perverts as he is, she will respond by flashing her bare breasts at him, which in turn, could escalate into a full-blown sexual intercourse. 

When it comes to anything sex-related, it should only be a private matter between two individuals. Some elements of the society in specific countries even consider this type of topic a taboo, and should not be discussed at all. But I can assure you, reproduction is always bound to happen, there will be another generation of men and women who will reside this planet and its cities. It should remain private. If you have a strong urge for sexual impulses, try to distract yourself by exercise, or engaging on activities that you like the most. Don’t be these perverts. They are deranged, insane, and uncontrollable animals that have no absolute control over their own sexual desires. This article is not an encouragement for any sexual indecencies, but as an awareness that these behaviors exists, and we should be prepared at any given situation.