The internet can be a little too much and too cruel to people sometimes.
Everyone who is a fan of K-Pop, J-Pop, and is active on TikTok and Twitter must have seen the now-deleted video of three girls, dressed in green, pink, and red, who were saying their heartfelt greetings on cam.
So they’re an aspiring American indie J-Pop idol group named Sorb3t (pronounced just like the cold dessert), consisting of three members—Berry, Alice, and Ashe. They have been active on TikTok, documenting their beginnings as a trio and promoting their in-person performances at various events.
However, after their now-deleted TikTok of the group’s introduction prior to their performance at a local cosplay con, their dreams seem to have been crushed by a wave of excessive harassment, harsh comments AND getting doxed on the internet. This eventually led the trio to take some time to heal and temporarily step away from social media.
Berry, the member who was accused of cultural appropriation and for forcibly trying to sound Japanese, addressed the comments and apologized to the people she had offended.
This, however, did not stop the mean things being said about her and her group Sorb3t. At the same time, people have also started donating more to their ko-fi page and sending encouraging messages to the girls.
https://twitter.com/voookster/status/1662345477541761024?s=20
unironically worried about the mental health of the sorb3t girlies. haven’t seen such an intense dogpiling in a while. stay strong girlies
— i💤y (@angelengage) May 26, 2023
i said this earlier but other than being harmlessly “cringe” the only thing offensive is the forced half done japanese accent.
but people coming after them for every other reason. makes me sad. people really are That mean
— i💤y (@angelengage) May 26, 2023
Ppl making fun of Sorb3t be the same mfs who have maladaptive daydreams about being idols themselves 😭😭
— memi (@Kat4omo1) May 25, 2023
Here’s my message to all those ppl hating on Kaigai Idols and Sorb3t right now.
There is plenty of us here: pic.twitter.com/GW2kcwbmIR
— Anna Lost In Tokyo 🗼 (@TokyoLostAlice) May 31, 2023
I really didn't want to talk about the Sorb3t situation anymore. But this has gone way too far now. This entire situation has been completely blown out of proportion by people who are trying to speak as an authority on things they don't understand on any level.
— ♡Amy♡ (@AimxAim) May 30, 2023
so the sorb3t girls are already being doxxed, then the alleged nice guys decide to make fun them while they’re down, and then still want to act like the hero 💀 https://t.co/HLjJbxQIuQ
— ༊ (@thecIubs) May 31, 2023
https://twitter.com/yaoicordat2500/status/1663731492445638657?s=20
So I haven’t been talking about the Sorb3t situation on here due to everyone already stating the points I wanted to make eloquently
but last night I just remembered how it’s strange that Kpop fans specifically have this history of attacking other groups that aren’t their faves?
— Viola⁹⁹ @ 🧍 (@secretlyviola2) June 1, 2023
i know i said i wasnt gonna say more abt sorb3t but hearing they got d0xxed broke my heart. i hope everyone realizes it went too far… donated to their ko-fi to send a supportive message, who wants to match me?https://t.co/KjcZZU1rYx pic.twitter.com/fZxxxIZG4O
— Sasha ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა (@angelicdotsasha) May 27, 2023
https://twitter.com/bussyqueefs/status/1663272192443035648?s=20
I'm a former "Kaigai idol", I did this for 6 years and sometimes I miss being on stage dancing with my friends.
Sorb3t did nothing wrong, I support them with my heart and I hope they survive this
Trying to have fun as an idol while living overseas is not a crime. pic.twitter.com/4u9PTyWspp— Nana ʚ♡ɞ (@Nanapupurin_) May 29, 2023
https://twitter.com/key_meek/status/1662798941262602240?s=20
Tbh I feel bad for this girls and all the harassment they’re getting, specially on tiktok from people who just don’t even bother to understand THEY’RE NOT kpop idols. Like it’s so funny to see people discovering the kaigai idols scene and acting like they’re some sort of police https://t.co/3C0EADOOZP
— ˚₊‧꒰ა Jemimemu ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ NEEDY ANGEL アイドル (@jemimemu) May 25, 2023
Could it be that a lot of people are also misinformed about the entire premise of being a J-pop idol? ICYDK, J-Pop idols can also be from outside Japan! They are called ‘Kaigai’ idols. In Japanese, the word ‘kaigai’ literally means “overseas,” and they are people who have a strong admiration for J-Pop, J-Rock, or Japanese music. Some of these ‘kaigai’ idols are actually very much supported by Japanese audiences, such as LADYBEARD (Richard Magarey) from the J-Pop group BABYBEARD, Paida, Ann Lewis, A-MUSE, and NEONism.
Much like how there are non-Korean K-Pop idols and groups, there are also non-Japanese J-Pop idols. However, because of how popular K-Pop culture has been throughout the years, it’s become some sort of the standard when it comes to judging both aspiring K-Pop and J-Pop idols, especially in the West.
While that is just a tip-of-the-iceberg introduction to the concept of J-Idol culture, the point of this is that people were just too quick to call out Sorb3t for their cultural appropriation without even knowing the basics of it. To some, it may look cringe. Fine! But, considering they were funding the entire project themselves, the group didn’t deserve to warrant such a vicious reaction from chronically online people.
People on the internet are just too mean. Sorb3t just wanted to realize their dreams of performing on stage, but now, their confidence was just taken away by mean people. People like that just deserve a ducking slap on the face.
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