World news – BTS fans are furious with « racist » cartoons depicting their Grammys loss, « Racism Is Not a Comedy »

The K-Pop group BTS had to admit defeat at the Grammys after the award for the best pop duo / best group performance to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande. While fans were upset, a cartoon showing members physically beaten by the Grammys Award found its way onto social media.

Commercial stickers from Garbage Pail Kids, a parody of the Cabbage Patch Kids, have been known to be they show characters who have suffered unfortunate fates. In lieu of the recently concluded Grammys, the company behind the trade stickers, The Topps Company, released a Grammy-themed Garbage Pail Kids series called « Shammy Awards. » The collection included BTS, Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and other Grammy- Nominees and winners. While the cartoons were supposed to be making fun of the artists, they seem to have gone a little too far with the sticker featuring BTS. The image shared on social media features a cartoon image of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook playing in a Whac-a-Mole game setup is placed while a hand holds the Grammy Award seen in the frame. The picture shows the Grammy being slapped on each member, leaving bruises on their faces in the process. The sticker is titled « BTS Bruisers ».

Flak received the image from the group’s fandom on social media. They call up the company behind the sticker for the racist representation and the chant « Racism is not a comedy ».

They kind of thought that 7 Asian men would be beaten by a trophy when there were so many hate crimes against Asians , were a « funny » exaggeration to create a comic book effect? Let’s talk. #RacismIsNotComedy pic.twitter.com/vfQcg1CbV7

Stop normalizing hatred against Asians and treating it like « dark humor » … it’s disgusting. If it’s not crystal clear already, racism is NOT FUNNY. It just shows your gross personality and privilege. # RacismIsNotComedy

I’m sick of portraying 7 Asian men who are brutally beaten up. This is neither a comedy nor a joke. This is violence and it is racially accused. You must remove it immediately and apologize to @ Topps # RacismIsNotComedy pic.twitter.com/. nvmNxx8nAo

# RacismIsNotComedy @ Topps excuse me !! And remove the cover! In a situation like this where we Asians are being killed, you are literally doing something so stupid and disgusting! Regret it now! It’s not just about BTS, it’s the entire Asian community! Erase it rn! Accelerate! pic.twitter.com/WVnpUgIgZy

Racism is not an opinion, it is not a comedy and it will not be. Why did you only insult and mock her? Didn’t many Americans run, but not all of them made it? Why exactly is BTS? It is the first time they stop addressing abusive and racist topics. #RacismIsNotComedy pic.twitter.com/PRoh6fNtdQ

It’s 2021 and you think it’s humor to encourage violence against Asian artists? It’s not an art. This is bullying. That is disrespect. This supports the hatred against Asians. We want an explanation and an immediate apology. GO APOLOGIZE # BTS # RacismIsNotComedy pic.twitter.com/SbuUqGoIXk

Also read: BTS ‘RM shows off his biceps, J-Hope skips wearing a shirt in the latest selfies and distracts fans from Grammys nudges </ Last month, BTS was treated racially again when German host Matthias Matuschik viewed the cover of Coldplay's Fix You, performed during their special MTV Unplugged episode, as "blasphemy". He compared the group to Covid-19 and called it "a shitty virus that hopefully will soon be vaccinated". As reported by the Associated Press, the RJ said, "I have nothing against South Korea, you can't accuse me of xenophobia just because this boy band is from South Korea … I have a car from South Korea. I have the coolest car around. " He made matters worse when he added that BTS "will be vacationing North Korea for the next 20 years". The statements led to a massive backlash with the radio station Bayern 3, which apologized for the statements.