This is for my peace of mind. You may or may not agree with me. I've thought of things as objectively as I can because I do not want to be blinded with my prejudice towards him since he's someone I idolize.

This will be quite a long thread. [1/n]

So I've been reading his apology over and over. Truth be told, some parts didn't sit well with me.
(1) Joke about my stupidness and talk about IQ is not = insult mentally-challenged people [2/n]

- Sorry, I have reservations with this one. Because when we talk about people with intellectual disability, making fun of them is an act of disrespect. They struggle a lot. And their struggles aren't a joke. It is an insult whatever angle you see it. [3/n]

*I also donate my income to charity for mentally challenge every year without the need to make it public so it's impossible to look down on them.
- Just because one donates doesn't mean it's already impossible to look down on them. [4/n]

Directly or indirectly, when we're not actively aware of what we're doing, we might have offended them with our jokes. And that should not be condoned. Because this harmless joke contributes to the harm and suffering that people with mental illness go through. [5/n]

However, there are things that should be considered when he wrote the apology as well.
*He has been working from 5AM to 11PM without rest. He didn't know about the situation and when he did, he apologized. The apology might have been rushed, as such it's poorly worded. [6/n]

Plus, he is not a native English speaker. He is not fluent.

*GMMTV could've helped him, but they didn't. They chose to ignore this issue. It's quite clear where their priorities lie. They should've been the one who are in the forefront in protecting and educating him and [7/n]

other artists. They have the responsibility especially when their artists have critical roles to play in the society. We can only do so much as fans. [8/n]

So I don't want to discredit his apology because at the end of the day, innocent as it is, it is an apology as I interpret it. The apology was not that properly written and can be greatly misunderstood. [9/n]

But given the circumstances he was in and poorly worded as it may, I believe that he is genuine in his sorry. Talking to my friend who knows nothing and is very objective made me understand that I can choose to accept his apology AND have some reservations. [10/n]

What I can do now is to push for his growth by continuing to educate him and not immediately cancel him. Learning and growing is a process. His thoughts and his actions were rooted on not knowing better. [11/n]

As such, I am hoping for his growth through learning and understanding societal issues. I hope he doesn't do this again and will change for the better. Apologies and change, after all, must go hand in hand. [12/n]

We all have different opinions and I respect you. I just hope you stop throwing hate because that won't solve everything. If you've reached this far, thank you for listening to me.