BTS Subjected to Anti-Asian Jokes in Racist Comedy Sketch
Film/TV

BTS Subjected to Anti-Asian Jokes in Racist Comedy Sketch

A Chilean TV show is coming under fire for a racist sketch about BTS.

Over the weekend, Mi Barrio faced intense backlash thanks to a "comedy" skit that mocked their accents, featured gibberish "Korean," and referred to K-pop group's members as "Kim Jong-Uno," "Kim Jong-Dos," "Kim Jong-Tres," "Kim Jong-Cuatro" and "Juan Carlos."

But aside from the overtly racist nature of these so-called "jokes," The New York Times also noted that the sketch led to a larger discussion under the trending #RacismIsNotComedy hashtag about dangerous xenophobic rhetoric during a time where anti-Asian hate crimes have skyrocketed.

In response to the online scrutiny, Mi Barrio subsequently issued a lukewarm Instagram statement in which they said they would "continue to improve, learn, listen and strengthen our intention: to bring entertainment to families." Granted, it seems as if ARMY is (rightfully) unimpressed by the post, with some accusing the show of trying to excuse the skit by essentially saying that "'humor helps people deal with the difficult times of the pandemic.'"

Unfortunately though, the Mi Barrio incident isn't the first time BTS has been made the butt of racist "jokes." Most notably, a German radio host named Matthias Matuschik came under fire early last month for comments comparing the group to the coronavirus.

BTS has yet to comment on this latest situation, though the band previously detailed "moments when we faced discrimination as Asians" in the aftermath of the Atlanta spa shootings.

"We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look. We were even asked why Asians spoke English," BTS wrote at the time. "We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason. Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks. But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away at our self esteem."

Photo via Getty / Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

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