What does it mean to have a platform? In this day and age of social media and instantaneous news and information consumption, having a platform seems to be one of the most defining factors of success. But what does it mean?
To put it simply, a platform is a range of outreach. An effect radius. A stage. If someone says something and a number of people intentionally listen, those people represent that person’s platform. Through this lens, it’s not hard to argue that ARMYs have a rather massive platform. ARMY has, in fact, effectively used said platform in the past to help BTS ‘pave the way’ into the western market and into the mainstream eye.
But is that the limit of ARMY’s ability?
As an example, just imagine what would happen if all 22 million ARMYs put their minds to making the societies of the world recognize that mental health is just as valid and just as necessary as physical health? In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, SUGA had this to say:
“We feel that people who have a platform to talk about those things really should talk more...if they talk about it openly — if they talk about depression, for example, like it’s the common cold, then it becomes more and more accepted if it’s a common disorder like the cold. More and more, I think artists or celebrities who have a voice should talk about these problems and bring it up to the surface.”
In 2014, a study done in the United States showed that suicide alone was responsible for over 42 thousand deaths, making it the tenth leading cause of death in the nation overall. Among children, teens, and young adults, that number exceeds the totals of other top killers, such as cancer, heart disease, congenital anomalies, respiratory disease, influenza, pneumonia, stroke, meningitis, septicemia, HIV, diabetes, anemia, and kidney and liver disease combined.
More than 20 percent of adults are affected by a mental disorder of some type, from depression to anxiety and everything in between. These are a lot of statistics, but they’re significant. With 22 million people in the BTS ARMY, think of how many suffer from one of these illnesses.
Think, how many may need help but are too afraid to ask. Think, how many could be in danger of becoming part of those forty-two thousand deaths by suicide because they needed help they didn't get.
ARMY has a strong voice and a sizable platform. In the spirit of BTS, wouldn’t it make sense to use that platform to advocate for mental health awareness and to break the stigma surrounding it?
After all, it is the boys’ openness about these issues, their struggles with mental health and self-love, which made them so relatable. “I feel anxiety,” said SUGA in an interview with Yunhap earlier this year. “And so do you. So, let’s find the way and learn it together.”
“Anxiety is like a shadow,” added RM in that same interview. “...It gets taller with my height and longer with the night. We can’t say we overcome the ambivalent emotions from the other side of our hearts, however, humans must embrace our inevitable loneliness and darkness, so we need a haven for ourselves.”
Wrestling with your own mind is not something anyone should be forced to go through alone. “You never walk alone” has become a mantra of sorts within ARMY. It says loud and clear that, with BTS and ARMY, none of us have to suffer by ourselves. Help exists. BTS has, with their music, provided that help for so many. With their messages of self-love and self-acceptance, they encourage all of us, ARMY or not, to speak ourselves.
V once mentioned in an exclusive interview for BTS' documentary ‘Burn the Stage’ how he struggled with the pressure to do well in his first acting gig, ‘Hwarang’. He recounted how he chose to keep his emotions to himself, not wanting the other BTS members to see him stressed. However, the struggles and the pressure took a toll on him, and he forced himself to talk it out.
Now he encourages people to open up about their struggles and feelings so their loved ones can comfort them, sharing how he was touched when his members said, “We can’t fix this for you, but we’re here to give you support.”
YouTube Video by C V
In the closing mentions of the iconic Citi Field Stadium concert last year, RM said “Please use me. Please use BTS to love yourself, because you taught me how to love myself, every day.”
There are so many ARMY in so many different places all across the world. With one voice, at one time, we’ve shouted “Love Myself” through the context of loving BTS. But now, perhaps, it’s time to take one step further.
With this platform that ARMY has been provided, we can speak up. We can do our part to break down the walls of stigma around mental illness and provide a voice for those who need it. Together, we can use the immense power of BTS' ARMY to make a difference.
If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any audio & visual content in this video except for the editing. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS. No copyright infringement intended.
Written By: Aury
Edit By: Mheer
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