Reflecting on BTS and their Ethos: Why the definition of the political must be broadened
Politics as a process can occur and can be found in institutions and environments beyond governments, even if these areas or spheres may seem trivial or mundane.
Months ago, I came across a rather interesting comment on YouTube while I was browsing through a series of BTS instrumental covers. On the comments section of a Black Swan cover video, someone had said that they were glad that BTS are now going back to taking risks, unlike the ‘shallow’ previous two albums that came before the current release, Map of the Soul: 7.
Of course it’s understandable that this could also be a matter of opinion and preference of sound. In many circles within the BTS fandom, it is common for ARMYs [as they are called] to say that there will always be a BTS song for everyone. It’s not exactly an exaggeration. We can spend hours delving into the edgier and heavily hip-hop infused tracks of the School Trilogy, the spirited but vulnerable energy of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Wings’ sensuality and moodiness, the diverse pop explosion of the Love Yourself trilogy [that eventually became the foundation for the band’s Love Yourself campaign with the United Nations] and finally, the Map of the Soul series which so openly tackles the many facets of the band’s psyche, while proudly showcasing each individual member’s style and sentiment through solo and unit tracks.
Now, these assessments coming from a well-updated fan may induce raised eyebrows since of course, a devoted audience will see and derive meaning from the work of their beloved artist, since the said artists have openly shared their process and thoughts on the making of their songs. There is a danger of, as Roland Barthes would lament, not thinking of “the death of the author,” when it comes to ‘properly’ understanding the work. But even if we will have to set aside authorial intent, the fact that art, pop art, is not created or released in a vacuum, but in a very public space, especially if it’s by a boy band operating on a global scale, then that is enough to warrant that their work is by itself, political. But we can go further than cover the initial premise of the public being political, because that’s been proven as a limited idea.
My disagreement with the sentiment that BTS’ more ‘poppy’ albums are shallow, stems from more than just a mere difference in taste or opinion. It is in fact, deeply informed by a very crucial perspective in the world of political science. And it is that everything is political. And when we speak of the political in this case, it is crucial that we do not limit this to the idea of governments, political parties, and elections alone [though these are all crucial to society]. It just so happens that these three things that I’ve enumerated are among the best of what society can build, that is, to create institutions, a tangible manifestation of political activity.
For context, it is important to note that a more specified view of politics would be to limit it as something that is only seen and practiced within an arena, or an institutional forum. This conception defines politics as a “process of governing, an activity, or a range of activities made meaningful, significant and worthy of investigation by virtue of the (formal) context in which it occurs.” Those who restrict the practice of politics and political inquiry to state affairs and the public sphere of government would naturally view politics this way. (Hay 72–73). Anything outside it, should by definition, not be considered political. However, Hay goes on to describe that there are those who experience and define the political as a process, something that can occur or that is occurring in all contexts, at any point in history and time. This concern for process is centered upon an “uneven distribution of power, wealth, and resources.”(73). Politics as a process can occur and can be found in institutions and environments beyond governments, even if these areas or spheres may seem trivial or mundane.
And it is precisely in the mundane that I make my case for BTS as a reflection and embodiment of the political. The band already has a tendency to celebrate the human experience both in its ordinary and extraordinary sense; a topic that was already covered by articles written by me, and by another in comparison to Vermeer’s art. Of course, looking at the two definitions of politics, and to make the case that art, and BTS’ art is political primarily because of the second definition, might once again lead to questions such as: “Are you not seeing depth where there might be none?” or “If everything, including that, is political, doesn’t it make politics lose its meaning?”
But such questions imply that to investigate or analyze an institution or phenomena through a certain lens, is to entirely ignore the possibility of looking at the subject, or reject experiencing the subject through a different angle. Of course, it’s valid to give up this whole discussion so that we can just casually enjoy BTS’ discography without thinking of anything else, other than the fact that their music can make us dance. But this was never the aim when this piece began, and there are also many who are looking to see if there are other ways of seeing BTS. Furthermore, if we were to conceive of politics as an absolute universal means of inquiry and analysis to all things at all times, then perhaps there is that danger of rendering the political as meaningless. But Hay said it best, that to interrogate politically, would be to examine and consequently place under scrutiny, the power relations within other areas beyond government and state-related institutions, while still acknowledging that these areas can be investigated through a cultural and economic lens. To put it simply, “Though politics may be everywhere, nothing is exhaustively political.” (75).
BTS has proven through their art, their lyrics in particular, that there is value in empathy, unity, the refusal to accept societal norms that cause unhappiness and of course, fighting self-hatred. When BTS yells in the chorus of one of their earlier title tracks, N.O: “Everybody say no/ The word later can’t do anything anymore/ Don’t live your life by living someone else’s dream…” , there’s that streak of defiance that can’t be denied, that can’t be taken away, even as the band had grown old and had realized their dreams.
And as they go on to explore the shame that one feels of their own flaws in The Truth Untold: “I can’t show you my miserable self/ so, yet again, I wear a mask and go to meet you/ But I still want you…” there is that acceptance, that acknowledgment that the insecurities can never go away, and yet they must try and learn as they affirm in Love Myself: Answer: “Let’s be honest and admit what we have to admit/ that your standards are more strict when they are applied to you/…So let’s forgive yourself now/ Our life is too long to be given up…” And for the latest album they have released a new title track called ON (a reference to N.O) in which they once again return to the theme of pain and suffering, strikingly relevant considering the state of the world, where they challenge the dark forces to strike knowing that they, and we, will not allow a different outcome other than victory:
Bring the pain
It will all become my blood and flesh
Bring the pain
No fear, since I know the way…
Even if I fall, I get back up, scream
Because that’s what we always did…
The political can manifest itself in many ways. Quiet donations, words of support, a call to arms and action. The creation of art that uplifts and enables one to think differently. The fight against oppression has taken on so many forms. We mustn’t look down on the many lanes in which have all one purpose: to resist, and ultimately taking back the joy that had been replaced with fear.
Works Cited
Ahn, Jeanette. “Through the Lens of BTS and Vermeer: What Small Moments Mean.” Revolutionaries, Medium, 24 April 2019, Web. Accessed 30 May 2020.
“BTS at the UN.” Love Myself. https://www.love-myself.org/eng/home/.
BTS. “BTS (방탄소년단) Debut Trailer.” YouTube, uploaded by BigHit Labels, 26 May 2013.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya65AfxLesU.
BTS. “BTS (방탄소년단) N.O Official MV.” YouTube, uploaded by BigHit Labels, 10 September 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5GaAEHvHj0.
BTS. “BTS (방탄소년단) ON Official MV.” Youtube, uploaded by BigHit Labels, 27 February 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVDGOVjRQ0.
Hay, Colin. “What’s ‘Political’ about Political Science?” in Political Analysis: A Critical Introduction. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave, 2002.
“Map of the Soul: 7 cover art.” Amazon. https://www.amazon.in/Map-Soul-7-Version 4/dp/B083N2TZ18.
Uy, Marinelle. “Listening as an act of love: How the StoryCorps Project and BTS validate the Human Experience.” Revolutionaries, Medium, 27 May 2019, Web. Accessed 30 May 2020.
All lyric translations are from Doolset Lyrics.
