On the last day of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander month, President Joe Biden used the ceremonial occasion to meet with a boy band called BTS from South Korea – not an American in the bunch. But apparently the idea was kind of cool, and although not connected to the United States, the popular performers hail all the way from Asia. So how could Biden resist hanging out with a group of kids who raise millions on behalf of social justice issues? And really, no doubt their hair smells divine.
The supergroup’s management company, Big Hit Music, released a statement: “As we are visiting as artists representing South Korea, we look forward to discussing various topics including inclusion, diversity, anti-Asian hate crimes, culture, and art.”
The White House, not to be outdone, dropped its own hip message: “Biden and BTS will also discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and BTS’ platform as youth ambassadors who spread a message of hope and positivity across the world.”
The group also guest-addressed the White House press corps in the Briefing Room. Isn’t that cool?
Who Is This BTS?
In 2013, a group of hipsters who sing, rap, and have the most excellent dance moves came together to create a boy band called Bangtan Sonyeondan, a Korean phrase that translates to Bulletproof Boy Scouts. But to appeal to English speakers, the name was revised in 2017 to Beyond the Scene, or BTS for short. The seven-member group has won awards for catchy tunes and heartfelt participation-trophy lyrics. But it is doubtful that Biden has ever heard one of the hit singles.
(Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images)
A much bigger attraction for the current administration is the gang’s social media reach: BTS has more than 25 million followers on the band’s official Twitter account; another 30 million on personal pages; 40 million YouTube subscribers; and 33 million on Instagram. The real attraction lies in the power of the brand.
And they are a potent advocate for raising money for the cause of the day. Today, it’s Asian victims of hate crimes; yesterday, it was Black Lives Matter. In 2020, the BTS boys launched #MatchAMillion to raise money for social justice causes in the United States. In roughly one day the haul was $1 million, which matched the band’s donation to Black Lives Matter. This might be causing a tad bit of heartburn of late, due to BLM’s alleged fraud troubles.
We Can Only Surmise
The meeting was closed to the press as the mission was to determine what to do about the uptick in Asian-related hate crimes. Seven young men who can dance a lick, rap like Snoop Dogg, and sing like the Bee Gees are surely experts in getting crime under control in the most excellent way possible.
