BTS parody sketch accused of racism, earns ire of fans
A parody sketch of uber-popular Korean pop band BTS is drawing attention and not for good reasons. The sketch, performed on a Chilean television program, is being thrashed by fans for its racist and xenophobic tonality. The skit saw mockery of Korean names and misspeaking of the language. This comes weeks after the septet spoke about the hate crimes and racism suffered by Asians.
North Korean supremo also found mention in the skit
On Saturday, the Chilean comedy show Mi Barrio aired a sketch where several men parodied the singers. Set like western interview shows, the men went on to misspeak the names of the original BTS members. They also mentioned North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in a mocking manner. The artists were seen speaking Korean poorly, which is being interpreted by locals as clear mockery.
Fans called it 'extremely insensitive' considering hate received by Asians
A BTS's fan account on Twitter, called BTS Chile, shared a clip from the show and translated the content. Mentioning how jokes on pandemic were cracked, they said, "This situation is extremely insensitive considering the discriminatory attacks the Asian community has suffered globally (sic)." Allegations of racism and xenophobia were leveled on social media by other fans, trending the hashtag #RacismIsNotComedy.
This cannot pass as humor, the fans stressed
Earlier, BTS spoke against Asian hate crimes in the US
This parody comes within two weeks of the international sensation issuing a statement on recent cases of hate crimes against Asians in the US and other countries. Following shooting incidents at massage parlors in Atlanta last month, BTS had expressed "grief" and "anger," recalling personal accounts of racism. The globally popular band wrote how they were discriminated against for how they looked and spoke.
'But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless'
Condemning such acts, the performers had said, "Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks," adding, "But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away at our self-esteem." The recent surge in hate crimes against Asians globally is thought to originate from people blaming China for the coronavirus pandemic.
