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There are K-pop fans being defensive when ARMYs point out companies are treating idols like disposable products rather than human beings that will be getting mad at those same companies when they inevitably toss their faves aside in favour of a newer model +
They’ll replace them with a new group when they pass their 5 year shelf life and it’s BECAUSE they view them as disposable products. You see companies do it over and over again, it’s an established pattern based on idols being expendable +
You just don’t care and don’t want to hear about it because right now your faves are the ones still getting comebacks and attention as the company hasn’t moved on yet. You don’t want to acknowledge it won’t last +
When they do move on, you’ll be mad because you’ll see the new group getting everything whilst yours is left in the dungeon. When they do get comebacks, they’ll be given bare minimum promo because they’re no longer the priority +
Like don’t you think it’s weird that we have ‘generations’ in kpop? Look at the groups now in their 6th year. Most have either disbanded, or the company they’re under has either already debuted a ‘replacement’ or is about to debut one.
If you look at 5 years before that, you can see some of groups that debuted then who were the replaced by the groups debuting in 2014/15 and then saw company support withdrawn *
For example, when RV debuted, f(x) were in their 5th year. Soon f(x) were being pushed aside despite having been a huge group in the 2nd generation. It got to the point the members were openly talking about being abandoned by the company +
If more companies would keep supporting groups into their 6th and 7th years and beyond it wouldn’t be an issue, but most don’t. If you look into the fandoms of most older groups, you’ll see how much they complain about no longer getting comebacks and attention from companies +
The idols start having to find work outside of music because they’re tied to a company that isn’t giving them comebacks, but also contracted in a way that means they can’t release music elsewhere. No idol goes through training to do that, but it’s how they end up +
You can’t act sad when your faves disband whilst caping for companies that have tanking their careers written into their business plan. You don’t even have to like that system (tbh if you do you don’t care about your faves as humans, which is gross.) But ffs, don’t defend it.
