Leslie
The Phenomenon of the Antis
(The Ddaeng Effect)
It is a fact. Every band will have their detractors.
Every positive message will have its negative responses.
Every good act will be countered with a dark one.
Without going into a long and drawn out debate over beliefs, we just simply must face Newton’s Third Law: That every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
BTS has been long spreading a positive message. As such, they have built not only a following but an anti-following. A phenomenon that no other band seems to have accomplished in this magnitude before. We see messages on Twitter and in forums about how ARMY must overtake the antis, how we must overshadow their negative message with a positive one. How we must work hard to eradicate their animosity.
The fact of the matter is, we never will.
And it is really not a bad thing.
*gasp!* Did she just say…..?
Yes. Yes, I did.
See, here is the thing. Their mere existence alone proves how powerful the message that BTS is spreading actually is. That the love, both for yourself and others, that acceptance, that making a positive difference in the lives of others is obviously making a difference somewhere. Because the darkness feels threatened.
There is an old Southern saying that goes, “The devil only barks when you are entering his territory.” And it is true. The jealousy is heavy. BTS is not just a band, it has become a movement. With music at its core. It has become a message of love and hope in a world that sees so little of that sometimes. Revolving around seven young men, who probably never dreamed they would be in the position they are in right now. But, instead of doing what so many others of their ilk have done with the fame and notoriety, they have remained humble, aware of their surroundings and those who follow them, and their hearts remain fixed on sending a positive message of hope to those who will listen.
Of course, any movement like that will have its detractors.
So, we, as ARMY, have to rise above taking this personally. Yes, sometimes it seems VERY personal, but an attack on any member is just a tactic to attack the group as a whole. That is the goal here, and they are trying every method, including the “divide and conquer”. They have to make it personal because they have NOTHING ELSE as ammunition. It is grasping at this point.
We must rise above that.
Do not worry about countering their moves.
Do not worry about covering up their nastiness.
Instead of wasting time trying to shut them up on Twitter, try a different tactic.
Go out and do something positive in the community. Do it under ARMY’s name. Start with little things. You know how certain stores and fast food places will try and sell you a card for a dollar and you fill out your name and they hang it on the wall and the money goes to a charity? I start by filling out the card with ARMY and BTS underneath it. If all ARMY did something small like that, it would build up. Imagine seeing pictures of whole walls covered in hearts with ARMY written on them! One picture online of that could easily combat 100 nasty tweets because you are showing a positive action. And making them look petty in return. Drown out the hate with acts of love.
All movements start out small like that. Never think that anything good is too small. We do not have to save the world, but we can try to save one person. A family. A village.
Put down the phone and pick up a hammer. Get a group of ARMY together and join Habitat for Humanity and help build a house for a homeless family. That is worth so much more than posting hundreds of tweets to cover anything antis want to do.
Always look at the bigger picture. This is more than what it seems on the surface. It is people trying to stop love. Trying to stop a positive message. Trying to stop tolerance and understanding. It is not about attacking your bias because he dresses differently or wears too much makeup.
Whatever.
And always continue to see that the harder BTS and ARMY works to bring light to the world through music, love, and healing, the harder antis will work to kill off that message.
See them as a good thing. Confirmation that we are doing something good.
When they stop caring and stop attacking is when they feel that there is nothing LEFT to attack. So we make sure they always have fuel. Their existence proves that BTS and ARMY are on the right path together.
So, let’s hold hands and continue this journey in love and health.
And wish the antis the same.
So, your thoughts on antis? Are they part and parcel of the whole Idol business, or are they more prevalent in the BTS realm due to the message and attitude being spread? Give us a shoutout on Twitter using @ForeverBTScom
