R-E-S-P-E-C-T {Monday Morningish Therapy with Dongsaeng}

So last night I sat down after finishing my review of FBND ep 13 and tried to come up with a MMT post for this morning, but drew a big, fat blankety blank.  So I just figured I would work on my review of ep 14 and call it good.  Then I woke up this morning to a news item worth delving into a bit.  Hooray!  Now, as luck would have it, real life wasn't done playing, so I'm still a little late, but nonetheless, here to chat.

Let's talk politics for a moment, shall we?

Did you know that a historic moment happened in Korea as many of us slept?  It's true.  They just had their presidential inauguration.  Yes, they just put in to power their first ever female president, which is noteworthy to be sure, but not exactly the historic moment I am referring to.  The inauguration was monumental for another reason -- it marked JYJ's first return to broadcast since all their legal mess began.  Pretty cool, huh?  A moment that JYJ fans worldwide have been waiting for.  Our boys, together, on stage and on TV performing their own music.  It's probably no secret that they have been, for all intents and purposes, black balled in the industry and prevented from being broadcast courtesy of the far reaching arm of arch nemesis SM Entertainment.  Now, for the record, what I am about to say is my own personal opinion.  I have no evidence to back me up here and I'm not trying to point fingers in the wrong direction.  If I'm wrong, I apologize.  I am only trying to make sense of a bizarre circumstance based upon on my very best guess.  I was just online reading an article about this at allkpop.com and was frustrated reading some of the comments, for it seemed to me like many were missing what I saw to be the point.  I just wanted to scream and yell and say, "WAIT!  I think that this is what is really going on!" but I didn't care to enter into the fray.  It suddenly dawned on me that, "Hey!  I can weigh in on this.  I have a blog!  Woohoo!", which is when I took up my post here at my desk dungeon and came to lay it out according to my instincts as to what may be going on here.

So, what's the big deal?  They were on broadcast (cable) tv.  People from all over the world got to see them perform on a stage on TV.  Very exciting.  And it was.  But, like anything else political in nature, it's not without its controversy.  In this particular case, I'm talking about the announcer that spoke over and criticized JYJ all throughout the performance.  I didn't have the privilege of watching the performance myself when it aired.  I tried, but no dice...couldn't find it.  So I instead watched this video as soon as I woke up.
It was a great performance, but still an awkward video to watch.  The empty chairs, constant movement in the audience, and the general lack of interest shown in the vast majority of those in attendance was disconcerting and distracting.  And at the end, there was no applause that I could hear.  It made me sad.  I thought that the boys did a phenomenal job and should most definitely be commended for a wonderful, top-notch performance.  They sure were not the issue.  It was just a strange place and circumstance.  Then I saw the article on allkpop that talked about how fans are criticizing the cable channel that broadcast the event, specifically this gentleman announcer who was talking during the show and remarking on how messy it all was.

Now, it is very possible that he was just noticing that same things that I myself was bothered by.  It could be innocent.  And if it is, then fine, whatever, let's just move on.  But, I must admit that there is a part of me, the same part that gives an ear to many whackadoodle conspiracy theories out there, that wonders if something more nefarious was at work here.  It would not surprise me in the least if SM played a part in the whole incident.  Imagine this with me for a moment if you will.  The new president of Korea wants JYJ to perform at her inauguration.  Now, SM is powerful, but are they powerful enough to tell the president of the country to not put these 3 on stage?  I doubt it.  You never know, but I seriously doubt it.  So here they are - President has given these 3 that SME has sworn to destroy a national stage and their ain't nuthin' that they, SM, can do about it.  Or is there?  It's not like they can stop the inauguration ceremony from being broadcast.  It's not like they can even make all the cameras magically disappear when JYJ takes the stage (since there were other performers after them).  So what can they do?  They can strong-arm the uppity-ups at the broadcasting network to interfere in whatever ways possible during the actual performance.  Enter Chatty McChatsalot announcer guy.

I would love to be proven wrong.  Don't like how I'm painting you SME?  Then prove that I am wrong.  Let's see JYJ splattered all over Korean TV.  When an album tops the charts, let's see that artist on shows like Inkigayo or Music Bank.  Where was Jaejoong?  Why didn't he appear anywhere even when his album topped the charts?  Huh?  Seriously, why?  If it's not because of SM's efforts to block them, then what else could it be?  I'm all ears if you have another explanation.  I don't want to inherently hate SM or think of them as the enemy, but they're making it difficult to do otherwise.  I guess if I want to be a fan of JYJ then it's a requirement that I choose up sides because trying to be neutral sure is not working out so well.  I can't simply just sit back and ignore what I see to be a grievous plot against one of my absolute favorite groups.  In the grand scheme of things, does it ultimately matter?  No, yet the blatant injustice I see just upsets me every time.      

Okay.  So that was my "what the heck?!" rant.  Now to end on a happy, adorable note.  Here's a video message that JYJ created prior to the inauguration where they congratulate the incoming president and express their excitement and gratitude for this opportunity to act as ambassadors, showcasing all that Korean culture has to offer the world.  I am just so proud of these three!  Their consistent grace and professionalism, their constant rising above the challenges that they have had to face in their careers.   They are truly a class act and Korea should be proud to have them as representatives out there in the world.  As a non-Korean I can certainly attest to how effective they have been in winning my heart.  <3 J <3 Y <3 J <3


Have a wonderful remaining Monday all!  And just remember the lesson that JYJ has taught us - there might be some wrong in the world, but there's still a whole lotta right!  Optimism and positiveness in the face of adversity!  Fighting!