#feel free to check out the activists I mentioned I provided links to their Wikipedia pages!

[banhchao]

BTS are real activists, you just don't consider them real activists because they're very attractive. being ugly isn't a requirement to be an activist, you know :) anyway reduce reuse recycle

They are real performative activists yes, but not real activists. To be a real activist, you do not only engage in activism whether it be campaigning, protesting, participating in initiatives, spreading knowledge and education, fighting for policy, legal reforms, volunteering with communities, donating etc. but you also must have an in-depth knowledge of the historical, political, social and economic background and implications of the cause you are fighting for. BTS clearly lacks this (along with some of the other ones I mentioned). They donate money and say a few flowery words to seem like they support certain causes but have zero comprehension or in-depth knowledge of what they are saying and donating to. Notable example is their donation to BLM and then promoting the NYPD’s police robot dog right after (the robot dog meant to increase police brutality against Black and Brown people in New York). Surface-level activism and zero critical thinking of how their choices contradict what they promoted in the past.

When we speak of real activists, we speak of people that genuinely care deeply and are passionate and educated about the causes they fight for, even have their livelihoods on the line and have their lives dependent on! An example is Mohammed and Muna El-Kurd, who live in Eastern Jerusalem and use their platforms to share and spread knowledge of the illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel. Both twins have been illegally detained by the IOF, their lives in danger due to their outspoken activism. Another example is Mahbouba Seraj, a journalist and women’s rights activist from Afghanistan. She runs a women’s shelter in Kabul where Afghan women can take refuge as well as several nonprofit organizations. When given the choice to leave Afghanistan as the Taliban took over, Mahbouba chose to stay in Kabul to continue helping women fight for their rights. She has stated that she knows she is on the Taliban’s radar and yet still has chosen to continue helping women despite the danger she’s in. Another example is that of the three Black Lives Matter founders, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi. BLM was officially founded in 2013 by Patrisse, Alicia and Opal in the aftermath of the murder of Trayvon Martin, addressing systemic and institutional antiblack racism and police brutality, bringing attention to the unlawful murders of Black people (by the police and others) as well as advocating for prison abolition, housing, community initiatives etc. BLM activists have been arrested, detained, injured and even killed for their work, targeted by authorities for fighting for their rights in a white supremacist society.

Activists deserve our utmost support and respect for the work they do, especially when in the face of danger from higher authorities with a lot of power. BTS doesn’t come close to the people I have just listed (nor do they need to as they aren’t activists and shouldn’t be crusaded as such) who put their everything on the line to fight for their causes and future generations ahead. To say they are activists is a true insult to those that actually are. They are performative at best and lack an actual backbone and the required knowledge to enact true change. They are non-threatening in all matters political and never defy power structures (which is the whole point of being an activist). Going to the White House to speak about racism against Asian diaspora... whilst not being of asian diaspora, not having lived our experiences and not having that in-depth knowledge Asian American activists do is... questionable. What exactly can they discuss or really bring to the table regarding hate crimes against Asian ppl in a country they don’t live in??

I’m aware that ARMYs love to flex BTS as activists to add to their “bragging rights” of how “legendary” and “iconic” their fave group is but if you actually genuinely care for and respect activists and the causes they fight for, you would not consider BTS as activists. It’s very disrespectful and insulting to compare a few singing, dancing dudes that fling money sometimes and barely do anything significant for the causes they claim they support to people risking their lives for justice and human rights. All because they are ur faves doesn’t mean you have to worship everything they do. You can acknowledge when they make mistakes or do something hurtful or, in this case, when their activism is performative.

Also your implication that all activists are ugly is very... strange to say the least. To you, maybe. But not me, I never said that 🙅🏽‍♀️. Activism has nothing to do with fitting into conventional physical beauty standards but uh... you do you I guess!