u/ConfidentlyLostHuman

About a week ago, I started making a post about why Mark E. Lee situation is concerning and mindboggling. It was because I saw some people on TikTok describing the flag in a way that leans into very bad ideologies and using sources that had questionable rhetoric. I stopped writing it because it’s a lot of America-specific information that maybe this isn’t necessary to discuss on this subreddit. Well, then a known hate group and alleged domestic terrorism group marched in Boston on the 4th of July. 

A few days ago, I made this reply on a different post: “Mark E. Lee is so crazy because nowadays, you rarely see the Confederate flag being used. People keep asking where'd he get that shirt from, but the real question is why don't we see the Confederate flag often. It's because hate groups tend to change symbols overtime, and the Confederate flag is very recognizable. Most groups use the 13 colonies flag/the Betsy Ross flag instead. (I know this because I’m from the deeply rural, predominantly white South.)”

This is the very flag that I am currently seeing people try to excuse and defend that it is not racist. Now, the flag was not created with the intentions to be racist. The Betsy Ross flag looks like the American flag, but it has 13 stars in a circle. It was created to symbolize 13 colonies that gained independence from England, a country that was in its early stages of formation. However, the flag is from a period that pre-dates the end of slavery. It’s “foundational America,” which they fantasize was only white people living as the founding fathers intended. It is it is common for hate groups to weaponize innocuous symbols. We know this because of the swastika. The swastika was originally created in Asia as a symbol of love, peace, and spirituality. After the Nazis used this symbol, the symbol became one of fear, oppression, and genocide in most western countries. They take these characters, symbols, etc that people see as innocent, funny, well-meaning, positive in order to hide in plain sight and make you feel dumb when confronting their hate. 

Please familiarize yourself with hate symbols. I cannot say this enough as someone who lives in a deeply racist state and was raised in a predominantly white small town. They are hiding these symbols in plain sight.

If you see a symbol/character that looks odd or unfamiliar, write a description in your notes/texts (I don’t recommend taking a picture especially if you believe the symbol is sus). Search it later for meaning, look at images to confirm that’s what you saw. If nothing appears, type “hate symbol” or “hate group” for further information. I’ve been doing this for years, but I started doing it more after Jan. 6, 2021 brought more of these groups to the forefront. I post this not to spread fear, but awareness. I love y’all random internet strangers so please be healthy, be safe, be vigilant, BE HOPEFUL. I know that last one is especially hard, but you cannot allow the oppressor (a person, system, or any other entity) to steal your hope and joy of life. 

I found most of these by searching “ jan 6 2021 hate symbols,” “hate symbol database.” You can also try searching for hate symbols according to religion and race/ethnicity. If you are international and experiencing similar uprisings of hate groups, please share some things to look out for if you feel comfortable doing so: 

• Global Extremist Symbols Database
• Anti-Defamation League
• Appeal to Heaven: The flag of Christian supremacy
• “Christian flag” case reaches Supreme Court: Is the Proud Boys flag next?
• List of symbols designated by the ADL as hate symbols 
• The symbols of hate and far-right extremism on display in pro-Trump Capitol siege
• The hidden meanings behind the far-right hate symbols on display during the US Capitol riot

 

What does K-pop sound like? I mean truly, what is the Kpop sound? Interestingly, many of us that watched Apple’s K’popped were also left wondering this question. The performances were mostly fusions of an American song and a Kpop song showcasing dance and vocal performance with some stage production. But when it’s simplified like this, how is that any different from other genres?

For years, Kpop fans have said that K-pop cannot be defined by the presence or absence of Korean members, it cannot be defined by the presence/absence of Korean language, and it cannot be defined by the presence/absence of Korean instruments. Most Kpop fans say that the trainee system is what makes a group K-pop. 

The Kpop trainee system is unique, but not very original. It took aspects of Motown’s artist development system, Japanese idol systems, intensified some details, and perfected it into what we see today (Most of us are familiar with it, so I’m not breaking that down). The parts fan usually mention are Kpop industry norms (age, work hours, aesthetics, etc) and Korean entertainment companies (labels, releases, performance schedules, marketing culture). With the success of many Kpop groups, Kpop industry has begun producing “global groups” through recruiting trainees from around the world and formulating them through the Kpop trainee system.

Yet with debut of Katseye, Santos Bravos, XG, and GirlSet, fans are strict about not labeling those groups as Kpop. They don’t speak Korean. They may have an Asian member, but not an ethnically Korean member. They don’t use traditional Korean instruments. However, they are upheld to the industry norms and are a part of Korean entertainment companies. But is that a good thing? VCHA was disbanded because their company was upholding them to Kpop industry norms despite that those norms did not align with American laws. Fans had concerns of racism from the participants and industry leaders (HXG) in Pop Star Academy (Katseye, Saint Satine). There’s also concerns about overworking and inadequate musical production. 

Right now, among fans and Korean entertainment leaders there’s a lot of discussion about cultural authenticity and creating transnational musicians (I refuse to call these groups “products”). One of the most vocal leaders of shifting away from Koreanness in Kpop is Bang PD of HYBE. In 2023, he said: “K-pop has to drop the K and become ‘just pop’ if it wants to become the true mainstream genre of the world.” 

Many of us already see as widely popular. Is “dropping the K” really what it takes for our favs to be “successful?” What is success though? If our favs “drop the K,” is success guaranteed? Can they “pick the K back up?” But then what is Kpop? So is Kpop a system and not a sound or genre? Is kpop dependent on what we think South Korean pop should look/sound like, but not what it actually is? What defines Kpop: its Korean origins, the Korean trainee system, Korean language/culture, branding/global perception? Is the Kpop trainee system still Korean if it’s adapted to fit other countries and genres?