Donghae is Not My Oppa, And I Like Super Junior

For Leeteuk, on the eve of his enlistment…..

I like Super Junior. A lot of people find it difficult to say that, for a variety of reasons. Some think that Super Junior doesn’t have any talent and represents everything that is “wrong” with K-pop.  Others are lukewarm about them, saying, “Oh, I kinda like them. They are ok.”

Others like to talk smack about E.L.Fs, fans of Super Junior.   They say Super Junior fans overreact when people talk about their “oppas.”

For example, E.L.Fs descended en masse in the comment section of Justin Hayes‘ “story” on Mokpo.  After calling Donghae a “chap,” he describes Super Junior this way:

The “band” was formed in 2005 by Korean impresario Lee Soo-man. Obviously not a man to do things by half he decided that if the traditional boyband comprises four or five pretty but ultimately talentless stooges then to guarantee massive success the best thing to do would be to double or even triple the number of talentless stooges on stage at one time.

Some commenters saw comments criticizing Hayes as a knee-jerk reaction by E.L.Fs.  Oh My wrote:  “I see you managed to upset the rabid K-Pop fans and are being inundated by their rebuffs about how amazing their Super Junior oppas are….my condolences.”   But if you look closely, E.L.Fs also corrected Hayes’ factual error.  Hayes writes that Super Junior has, at its peak 13 members, but that is not true (as any halfway decent research would have revealed).  So E.L.Fs point that out. Lots of E.L.Fs, from around the world, point that out. Go E.L.Fs!

Contrary to Oh My’s comment, I’m not a rabid K-pop fan because I disagree with Hayes.  Members of Super Junior are not my oppas.  And I like them anyway.  You know what happens when you make assumptions…….

I didn’t always like Super Junior, and before I listened to them, I didn’t understand what all the buzz was about. But I listened to their music, a lot of their music, and watched their videos.   I got over the fact there are lots of them and learned their names.  That’s right, I like Super Junior.  So what?  Just because I like Super Junior doesn’t mean you have to like Super Junior. But even I’m not going to let you talk smack about me because I like Super Junior.

Even though E.L.Fs sometimes get overexcited (I mean, Hayes is writing for Redbull.com; it’s not exactly a respected publication), I admire their passion for their group. And the truth is, fans of other K-pop groups have the same kind of passion.  And at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what you say about E.L.Fs and Super Junior: people who like Super Junior will still like Super Junior.

So, rock on, E.L.Fs!!!!

Image  allkpoplovers

Justin Hayes, Korean Grand Prix Six of the Best: Things You Never Knew About Mokpo, Redbull