Racism resurfaces on German radio show
You all know what we’re here to talk about.
After the past couple of days and the news coverage that has already happened, it should be no surprise that we at Borasaek Vision are also covering this event.
No amount of coverage is too much when it comes to a situation like this. Every subsequent article and statement that emerges in the wake of the event serves as reinforcement that behavior like this is unacceptable and that perpetrators should be held accountable.
In case you aren’t aware of the context, on February 25, 2021, a German ARMY fanbase posted a recorded video of German radio host Matthias Matuschik ranting about BTS’ cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You” during their recent appearance on MTV Unplugged. Full translations of his tirade were later shared by other accounts, giving us a more detailed picture of what exactly was said.
Matuschik stated that BTS is like a “shit virus,” comparing them to COVID-19 and hoping that there would be a vaccine available for them soon. The rant continues by claiming that BTS’ appearance on MTV Unplugged was “paradoxical” because they are a “boy band” and that their Coldplay cover was “blasphemy.” He concludes with the chilling statement that “for this [BTS] will be vacationing in North Korea for the next 20 years.”
To say that his statements are problematic is an understatement. It should need no explanation, but let us be absolutely clear: these comments are deeply xenophobic and racist, and they would be unacceptable under any situation. What makes them particularly disturbing is the circumstances surrounding the time of their delivery.
Currently, we are experiencing one of the biggest global crises in recent history: a global pandemic that has affected all of our lives on a massive scale. Unfortunately, the Asian community has been even more deeply affected by the double whammy of the pandemic itself alongside xenophobic treatment. As this article from PBS details, there has been a significant uptick in hate crimes against Asian Americans since 2020, as some individuals hold the belief that Asian Americans are to blame for the virus which is ravaging the country, aided and abetted by former US President Donald Trump calling COVID-19 “the China virus” and other similar sentiments which further what author Min Jin Lee explains is called “yellow peril,” a systemic issue that has been around for multiple decades.
Taking all this into account, it should be no surprise that ARMY rallied around BTS. Ever since the original tweet from the BTS Updates Germany fanbase, multiple hashtags have been trending, two of the most popular being #Bayern3Racist and #RassimusBeiBayern3. Articles have been pouring in from multiple news sources across the world, including from Paper Magazine, Jae-Ha Kim with Teen Vogue, and others.
BTS’ industry friends have been raising their voices in support as well — MAX, Zara Larsson, Lauv, Halsey (via Instagram story, screenshots provided by Soo Choi via Twitter), and Steve Aoki have all posted in solidarity in the past few days, along with other fandoms, such as Ariana Grande’s Arianators. Dozens of well-known names in the media world have spoken out in support. The list is long, and it’s amazing to see.
Notably, Coldplay themselves also supported the cover on MTV Unplugged, tweeting that it was “beautiful” (in Korean, mind you), and MTV UK also posted prominently on the YouTube video that they stand against racism.
The public outcry prompted Bayern 3, the radio station which hosts Matuschik’s show, to issue a statement to the public (translations provided by BTS Updates Germany). Whatever they may have hoped to accomplish, they did not succeed.
In the statement, Bayern 3 claims that Matuschik gave his “personal opinion” and that he was acting in an ironic way with “exaggerated excitement.” Additionally, they stated that his previous actions, which we can allegedly find on Facebook and in multiple articles, will demonstrate that he is not a racist or xenophobic. They also stated that they recognize that we were offended and apologize that we were offended.
The world was not impressed, and rightly so. If anything, the outrage doubled. ARMY added a new hashtag to the list of ones that were trending: #RacismIsNotAnOpinion.
Many parts of the apology did not add up, and it’s not hard to find the problems.
Problem 1: If he did not mean anything racist or xenophobic by his comments... why did he bring it up himself?
It reads (whether he intended it to or not) as the classic “I’m not a racist, but…” after which invariably follows an incredibly racist statement. Usually, this sentence starter is used when someone has an idea that what they’re saying is going to be offensive. Additionally, he claimed during his on-air rant that we “can’t” accuse him of xenophobia because he owns a car from a Korean car company and loves it.
Which brings us to problem 2: if he’s referencing this car that he shared on Instagram? It’s a Japanese car.
Followed by problem 3: how is owning a car in any way relevant to whether or not he is racist or xenophobic against other people?
A car is an inanimate object — it can’t think, feel, or be otherwise affected by your opinion of it. The members of BTS are people — living, breathing, thinking, feeling people. People who could see this in the news and be deeply upset that someone wants to banish them to a place that their home country has been at war with for decades just because he doesn’t like their music. Anyone who knows anything about North Korea does not have to look hard to see just how devastating this could be to BTS and anyone in the Asian community reading or hearing it.
This leads us to problem 4: the apology is backward.
They apologize because ARMY is offended — and we are, completely justifiably. Statements like these which perpetuate hate are not in any way acceptable.
However, apologies with this sort of wording do not accept responsibility for the behavior and puts it on the listeners instead: “we’re sorry you were offended,” not “we’re sorry for the things we said which were offensive.” There’s a difference.
After several days of increasing activity, during which ARMY began circulating email templates for complaints and continued posting with the trending hashtags, Bayern 3 decided that they needed to do a little bit more and issued another apology statement (translations provided by Tina, a Twitter ARMY), this time including an additional statement from Matuschik himself.
In this statement, Matuschik explains that he was “annoyed” by the fact that BTS covered Coldplay’s song and makes it seem as though the complaints he made were primarily based on the music, not the nationality of the band.
The second statement is a more direct apology, certainly, and both parties do acknowledge that the intention behind the statements does not matter as much as how the statements will be received. However, it’s hard to tell if these are sincere — are they still attempting to shift responsibility by repeatedly mentioning how we perceived the messages as opposed to just stating that they were wrong? Neither party addresses the fact that his original rant spent more time trying to justify his behavior because he has a car that he likes than it did discussing the music — can it really be a music critique, in this case? Furthermore, there are also references in this second apology to Matuschik’s prior actions, which they seem to believe should clear him of all bad actions he should take in the present.
Prior actions set a precedent for him, perhaps, but in light of everything that has been happening in the world? At best, the statements that Matuschik made were jokes in poor taste. At worst, they were intentionally furthering the agenda that all Asians are responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of innocence or guilt.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if they were in the best case scenario or the worst. As a public figure, Matuschik has an obligation to use his platform responsibly. For every one of us who heard his words and was offended by what he said because it was so clearly wrong, there is at least one other person who heard him and believed that what he was saying was okay. It’s safe to assume that at least one person heard what he said and took it to mean that xenophobia is acceptable.
Even in jest, words have power and require just as much responsibility to use them as it takes to use any other thing that could hurt someone, from tools in a kitchen to cars on the street. Matuschik’s statements were irresponsible, and that’s all there is to it.
While it may have been intended as an opinion, there was no need to word it the way he did. Matuschik likes Coldplay, and that’s fine. He doesn’t like BTS, and that would also be fine. What isn’t fine and never will be is expressing your opinion in a way that is hateful.
Opinions can be delivered with respect; opinions delivered with respect will be met with respect in turn from those who hear them.
Racism is not an opinion, and in no way should racist remarks be used as a joke or a descriptor to embellish an opinion.
At the end of all this, will Matuschik and Bayern 3 have truly learned from this incident? Will there be any action taken to hold him accountable for his behavior? It’s too soon to say. This situation is constantly expanding, and as more information pours in, we may have more to report.
All we can do in the moment is remain strong in support of BTS, their message, and of each other. We can set an example by expressing our opinions respectfully. We can keep standing tall even when we don’t get the respect we deserve.
Eventually, even if the progress is slow, our collective voice will make a difference.
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Written By: Anna Moon
Edit By: Aury
Checked By: Ash