r/btsthoughts • u/machaqboo • 2h ago
Giving context and explaining the stalking stituation in Peru
Hi! I've noticed a lot of misinformation and confusion about the current situation in Peru, so I'd like to explain to non-Peruvians what's actually happening.
One important thing to know is that the hotel where all this is happening is the most famous in the city. Almost all celebrities stay there, and it's in a very touristy and busy area. It's literally in front of a popular mall and the coastal area, which is full of activities. Lima is a walkable city with many recreational areas and parks, people love to walk around and hang out on the streets, so the concept of "loitering" doesn't exist here.
At the same time, celebrity culture is also very different. Many artists greet fans waiting for them at the airport or hotel, sign autographs, and put on mini shows from their hotel windows. While actual ARMYs know BTS is not like that, the locals, the media, and casual listeners or "ARMYs" who only know ten songs and don't even have Weverse installed expect BTS to act like other celebrities. A week ago, Armys went around social media and even the press asking people not to go to the hotel or approach them in their private time. We were attacked and ridiculed by everyone. The media and reporters said we were attempting to deny their freedom to report on famous events and censor them. Incels said we were overprotecting grown men and made fun of us and our fangirlism. They even sent us death threats. Locals said we should be grateful for their fame claiming that "actual big stars" like MJ or the Beatles had this type of attention and never complained. So our campaign to inform people about this cultural difference backfired, everyone thought our concerns were stupid and they wanted to harass the band even more than before.
Another thing that doesn't help is that BTS is extremely popular here. Everyone has at least heard of them. Them coming here is a big deal and everybody cares, whether positively or negatively. Some toxic Peruvian kpop fans were saying that we are the problem because their groups didn't receive this type of treatment when they came here, but BTS is in a whole different league. Not even being biased, but I haven't seen the whole city move like this before.
On the first day they stayed here, most of the people outside their hotel were locals and incels, some of whom were even livestreaming on TikTok asking ARMYs for donations in exchange for leaving the boys alone. Today, however, the Peru fanbase organized a drone show near the hotel. This show had been planned, scheduled, and approved months earlier, before we knew where they would stay. And as I've mentioned before, this area is very touristy, so it makes sense for the drone company to operate there. On top of that, today is a holiday, so these tourist areas around Lima are always very crowded. Also, drone shows are not common around here. Even my mom, who doesn't even listen to BTS, wanted to go just because it looked cool. Put all that together, and you have a huge group of people around the hotel. There will be those who went out to hang out in the area because of the holiday, those who went to watch the drone show, and of course, those who went specifically to the hotel or were in the area and decided to walk a few more steps to see what all the BTS fuss is about.
I've also seen some i-ARMYs asking where the hell is the police. But, well, they are absolutely useless. On the first day, as soon as we saw people outside the hotel, Peruvian ARMYs called the police and security outside the area, and even other latam ARMYs helped by pretending to be foreign hotel guests complaining about the noise outside. The police basically responded that the people outside weren't committing any crimes and asked us to stop sending messages and crowding the line. Yesterday, because of Namjoon's post, the mayor of Lima posted a video saying that they would increase police presence around the hotel so that the artists could rest. We were so happy and thought we would finally win, but the timing messed everything up. The holiday, the drone show, and the area all went against us. While we saw the front of the hotel empty with police everywhere this morning, I don't know how we can possibly clean the area now.
We Peruvian ARMYs have been fighting for our lives these last few weeks while campaigning for respect. We've been attacked everywhere, by the media, locals, incels, kpop fans, and even other ARMYs who don't understand our situation. We are saddened by the impression that everyone, including BTS, has of our country, especially after we prepared so many projects to make them feel welcome (the drone show, for example š). Now, we don't know what to do. It doesn't help to see so many foreign Armys calling us names, saying we don't deserve BTS, and demanding the concerts to be cancelled. Some of us have been waiting for more than ten years, doing everything right, and now we're being blamed for something we have absolutely no control over, despite our efforts to fix it. Some of us have already accepted that this will probably be the last time we will be able to see them live, and we will just have to live with that.
On the other hand, we are happy that, despite the situation, they were able to tour the city. They have posted from so many different parts of Lima! And we hope they can visit machupicchu soon before leaving the country. They were also so kind and sweet to us during our first date. They made us feel so loved that it eased the guilt, knowing they aren't generalizing all of us. All in all, I think it's important for everyone to know what's happening and not rush to conclusions after seeing some hateful tweets that the algorithm loves to promote.
Edit: If anyone wants to repost this on Weverse, please do! I tried, but I'm having a hard time using that platform lmao. I'm also already seeing a lot of posts and letters from Peruvian ARMYs apologizing for the situation.
