Mi Barrio, a Chilean comedy, is facing backlash over its anti-Asian parody sketch of K-pop boyband and sensation BTS. In the sketch, they mocked the Korean language, threw a COVID-19 jab in, and made fun of the members’ names by combining them with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un—and the internet wasn’t having it.
BTS has one of the biggest followings in the world, lovingly known as BTS ARMY. And they’re not here to play games or let anti-Asian rhetoric pass without consequences or making their voices heard. This is especially true and important during a time when we’ve seen an increase in anti-Asian racism, xenophobia, and hate crimes.
So BTS fans, being the hardcore legion they are, came out in full force to speak out against Mi Barrio. One of the most prominent examples is from the fan account titled @BTS_Chile. They included a full rundown of what happened, why it was problematic, and the steps that could be taken to file a complaint against the show.
[THREAD] Last night, Chilean comedy TV show #MiBarrio (open TV channel available to the whole country) presented a parody performance of BTS, where all the jokes were based on racism and xenophobia, including mockery of their language, (cont.)
video cr; isidoradae pic.twitter.com/tBK8CYbbKs
— BTS Chile (@BTS_Chile) April 11, 2021
Don’t know how to speak Spanish and don’t understand what they’re saying in the sketch? Make sure to scroll down on the thread for a translation of what was said. Also, make sure to read the response from Mi Barrio, which was lackluster at best, that said the following according to the translation by @BTS_Chile:
“Thank you everyone for the good vibes! We’ll continue improving, learning, listening, and we’ll remain firm in our intention: to bring fun to families. We collect all positive comments and also the critics, because that’s what we’re for: contribute a little with humor and fun.”
Fans from all over the world then started using the hashtags #ElRacismoNoEsComedia and its translation #RacismIsNotComedy. They shared their disgust and disappointment with the show, and they made sure that people watching/reading up on what’s happening know that racist jokes are lazy and ignorant ways to make people laugh while perpetuating dangerous stereotypes.
Raciscm is not comedy.#StopAsianHateCrimes #RacismIsNotComedy pic.twitter.com/0PrpYXb3rf
— j (@EBOYJIM) April 11, 2021
As a Chilean I am ashamed of this situation. This is already so normalized that they already take it with humor. How is it possible that making fun of a culture is funny? This is no longer humor when you already damage that person’s rights. #RacismIsNotComedy pic.twitter.com/zPVPhjlAep
— Sophi🦋⁷ (@Sophie5135) April 11, 2021
There is NOTHING funny about racism, especially in a time where Asian hate crimes have been rampant around the world. This is disgusting…#ElRacismoNoEsComedia #RacismIsNotComedy https://t.co/YniwOK2CGS
— ᴮᴱ💜MinKittenPD⁷| SoloManti Myth Buster💜FILM OUT (@MinKittenPD) April 11, 2021
Ya’ll saying that as HUMOR?! You guys are DISGUSTING when are you going to learn that Racism is NOT COMEDY. We DO NOT TOLERATE this kind of attitude.😡#ElRacismoNoEsComedia #RacismIsNotComedy #StopAsianHate
#MiBarrioMega pic.twitter.com/HKz91BAP96— alovemazeisparadise (@FilomenoToni) April 11, 2021
racism is not a comedy. If you think this was funny & there’s nothing offensive about it ,you’re inhuman.this is absolutely disgusting. It’s high time people learnt to respect everyone regardless of their race, color, religion and gender. #RacismIsNotComedy#ElRacismoNoEsComedia https://t.co/4tydn88q5F
— Njtoni⁷🌙 (@jtoni_n) April 12, 2021
So, shout out to the BTS ARMY for speaking up for the Asian community and for those Latinx people who are Asian and had to watch this garbage. Asian Latinx people are quite often forgotten about, and I can’t even imagine the disgust at watching your own people make fun of who you are and where your ancestors are from for a sketch.
Because it’s not just a sketch. It never is. It’s racism. It’s xenophobia. And it has no place in comedy or in our society as a whole.
(image: Handout/MTV via Getty)
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