Korean boyband ‘BTS’ teamed up with United States President Joe Biden in order to speak out against Asian hate crime.
US President Joe Biden And K-POP Band BTS Team Up To Tackle Asian Hate Crime-‘This Is Desperate’
The K-Pop band were on hand with Biden and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as part of AAPI Heritage Month on Tuesday, 31st May 2022. This month aims to recognise and pay homage to those that have made a contribution to Asian-American and Pacific Island history and arts.
And given that the pandemic had initially led to an increase in the number of Asian-hate crimes, the band felt they had to speak out.
In some comments, one of the band members (Jimin) said: “We were devastated by the recent surge of hate crimes, including Asian American hate crimes, but to put a stop to this and support the cause, we’d like to take this opportunity to voice ourselves once again.”
These comments arrived on the back end of a study that had shown an apparent increase in the number of such crimes. According to a report published by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, there was an increase of 189% in crimes from the period of 2020-21.
This was based on a cross section of cities which included Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York to name a few. That is why the band wanted to embrace diversity to show their support for inclusivity.
In some additional comments, another band member (Suga) stated: “It’s not wrong to be different. I think equality begins when we open up and embrace all of our differences.”
The fans on social media were of the view that the reaction was overboard, though. A certain subset felt questioned if BTS were the right people to have. After all, they are known for making pop songs. One person wrote: “This is desperate,” while another person stated: “Nobody hates Asians.”
Time will tell if this collaboration ends up being fruitful with some tangible change that can result in everyone benefitting. So there you have it folks. What did you think about this? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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