To the Fans Eager to Defend their Idols.

IMG Source: https://www.allkpop.com/article/2019/03/seungri-and-joon-young-allegedly-consulted-with-their-lawyers-fearing-consequences-of-submitting-their-cellphones

Like many people, I recently watched the Channel 4 documentary on Michael Jackson’s child abuse allegations (called ‘Leaving Neverland’) with a sense of shock and incredulity. Like many KPop fans, I also watched with shock and incredulity as a number of Korean celebrities were accused of organising prostitution and creating, distributing and viewing covertly filmed pornographic videos.

Do you know what these situations have in common? - the fans’ eagerness to defend them.

Please understand, I am not saying any of these celebrities did or did not commit these crimes. Obviously, I am not involved in any way, nor in the investigations, so I simply cannot say either way. I just wish that fans would also take this approach to the matter.

It makes me sad to see all the comments defending these celebrities at all costs. These fans seem to be so blinded by their love that they cannot see what effect their comments could be having. For the sake of argument, put yourself in the shoes of the alleged victims. Imagine that you were the abused – the one who suffered at the hands of one or many of these people. Imagine now that you gathered up the courage to stand up and speak against your abuser(s), only to be met with an immense amount of vitriol by fans of the perpetrator.

Having your idol accused of such things is undoubtedly painful. Someone you may have followed for many years and supported with your time and money turning out to have this dark private life is terrible. But we should all come to the realisation that we don’t actually know celebrities, no matter how close to them we may feel.

I think there is always a danger of seeing celebrities as two-dimensional beings. We are presented with their personas and make our assessments based on only the small glimpses of their lives that their performances, interviews and television appearances give us. The portrayal of perfection by the media can also show these celebrities as flawless beings – meaning the idea that they could commit such horrendous acts seems even more unfathomable.

The bottom line is, we are all human – and no matter our level of fame or notoriety, we are still capable of horrible things – our most loved celebrities are included in this.

As aforementioned, I am not saying these celebrities are guilty or not guilty of these acts, but I hope that people will be more careful about the statements they make. For them to consider the effect their eagerness to jump in and defend those accused of crimes could have on the alleged victims and their loved ones, as well as possibly deterring  other victims from coming forward and seeking justice in the future.

=====

You can watch 'Leaving Neverland' on 4 on Demand here.

It is difficult to get a real overview of the case involving Korean celebrities as the investigations are still ongoing and there has been much speculation and rumor.

It has also been suggested that this scandal involving around 4 KPop idols has revealed a much deeper set of crimes involving politicians, police officials and more. However, it must be noted, this is all still speculation.

=====