(my personal take on the recent tiktok video about bang chan live comment) . . You're in for a ride, you've been warned, if you can't take it, simply scroll over. Cause I don't sugar coat. This is intensely critical and gonna hurt some. After watching some of the clips on tiktok, I get where Bang Chan was coming from about fans crossing boundaries and the need to respect his privacy. I’m not saying he’s not allowed to draw lines. But the way he said it? The timing? The selective way he addresses things? It seriously pissed me off. Let’s be honest here those so-called “obsessive” fans? They’re the same ones who bought countless albums, stayed up watching your videos, streamed your music non-stop, and literally built the empire you’re standing on right now. You think people bought your albums and followed everything you did because your music is just so extraordinary? No. It’s not just about music it’s emotional consumption. People buy albums not because they’re obsessed with CDs, but because of the photocards, the jacket visuals, the limited edition merch, the fantasy of being close to their favorite member. If we’re being real, that kind of fan behavior is the very foundation of the kpop industry. You think SKZOO plushies and tour merch would sell in millions if fans didn’t feel emotionally attached even delusionally to you? You can’t spend years building a brand off fan affection, acting like their boyfriend at fansigns, constantly being warm and overly affectionate in lives like “Chan’s Room” where you literally invited people into your vulnerable space then turn around and act like fans are out of line for responding exactly the way you trained them to. If you truly wanted a strictly transactional relationship, you should’ve made that clear from the start. Don’t play the role of someone emotionally available, open, and comforting then lash out because it got too real for you. You opened that door. You sowed those seeds. And now you want to act shocked when you’re reaping the consequences? What bothers me even more is how he only seems to call this stuff out when it happens overseas. Why is it that he barely speaks to fans at korean airports, but then comes online to scold international fans when something happens abroad? Why is the criticism always directed at non-korean audiences? It gives the impression that he’s picking the easier crowd to target. Let’s also stop pretending kpop is just about music. It’s not. That’s why idols have to do variety shows, dance challenges, behind the scenes content, and livestreams just to stay relevant. If people only cared about music, we’d be on Spotify not buying 30 physical albums we’ll never play, just for a chance to pull one photo card, or to have a raffle for a fan videocall. This industry thrives on fan delusion and emotional investment and idols know it. So for him to just call out fan behavior without directly addressing the real cause the emotional manipulation built into the system is hypocritical. It’s frustrating watching idols benefit from that setup for years and then suddenly draw a line when it no longer benefits them. If you really want fans to treat you like a product, don’t package yourself like a person. Don’t create false intimacy and then pull back when it starts to get too close. Be consistent. Be honest. Or don’t act surprised when people respond the way the system encouraged them to. Side note (for those who always miss the point): Before anyone comes for me with the usual: "He’s a human being, get over it!" Yes, he’s human. No one’s saying he’s not. But this isn’t Hollywood this is kpop, and he’s an active idol working under a system built on emotional availability and performative intimacy. The rules of this industry are different, and the expectations are baked into the job. If he wanted 100% social privacy, then maybe being a solo artist not under an idol system would've been the better route. "He has the right to set boundaries!" Of course he does and I never said he couldn’t. But it’s the way he did it. His words, tone, and the blunt way he said “I’m a stranger, not your friend” made it clear that he now wants to see fans as transactional. But here’s the interesting takes, he wasn’t always like that. He offered fans friendship and closeness from day one. He blurred the line himself with years of emotional openness, affection, and comfort content. So why is it shocking that fans got emotionally attached? "whenever he opens his mouth he gets hate" , nope he don't, stop trying to victimize him, this only occur because he is easily among the few who like being open with his fans. He’s not 100% innocent in this situation. He helped create the very dynamic he’s now pushing back against. So yes, set boundaries, but own your part in how things got here. And last but not least this isn’t hate or a personal attack on Bang Chan, it’s an open critique of his behavior. Please learn to distinguish the difference. submitted by /u/Next_Butterscotch540 [link] [comments]
