WRITTEN BY MEGAN ON OCTOBER 14, 2011
“Apathetic” is hardly the first word that most people would use to describe the general K-pop fan base. “Crazed” might be a more popular choice, or perhaps “devoted” to put a positive spin on it. After all, K-pop fans are the ones that organize fan clubs and charge membership fees. They’re the ones setting up flash mobs to guilt trip their favorite companies into paying a visit to their countries, and sending creepy couple fan art by the boxful to their idols. But still, they are apathetic.

What makes the average K-pop fan so apathetic, then? Something rather simple: they never demand better, or more, of the companies and the idols affiliated. I don’t mean that they don’t bother demanding quantity and the companies don’t respond. Heaven knows those idols promote anywhere and everywhere and there’s mini albums and repackages galore. The thing is, they never demand better. The companies release the same terrible electro-pop songs over and over and the fans lap it up for the sake of their oppas and their noonas. Nobody starts a flash mob in the name of real vocal gymnastics, or protests for the sake of good lyrics, or asks for, heaven forbid, something new. Nobody really looks in earnest for anything above a superficial level.
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