Shinee, BTS fans unite against those 'disrespecting' Jonghyun after Spotify tells Shawol to stream 'Stay Gold'
Spotify has landed itself in hot water after trying to promote BTS' single 'Stay Gold' on a playlist dedicated to Shinee's Jonghyun. The issue first came to light when Shinee's fandom, Shawols, noticed that a song from another artiste was added to a memorial playlist created in the late Jonghyun's honor. After asking Spotify to rectify the error, the SpotifyCares Twitter account responded stating the issue was being looked at by the appropriate team and would be fixed shortly. When the user thanked the account, however, they responded by linking to BTS' 'Stay Gold', adding, "You're welcome! Just remember to [stream]."
Following the exchange, some within the BTS fandom, Army, were accused of mocking the situation and making light of a tragic memory for the Shawols. One Shawol shared, "TW// December 18 You all have no shame or respect for Jonghyun and to all you bishes kekekeing in the comments get some help it’s not funny." December 18 marks the untimely death of the Shinee vocalist, and the playlist in question was a way for his fans to continue honoring his memory.
Clarifying why the situation is an issue, one Shawol shared "They are making light of the fact that Spotify was being disrespectful. They laughed at the situation and then added stream stay gold as if it was a joke to disrespect the memorial playlist of a beloved artiste." Another said, "I’m so f**king upset about this, I remember that day and how AWFUL and HEARTBREAKING IT WAS as a new Shawol, two of my friends who were also shawols cried in my arms as I comforted them bc there was nothing else I could do, it’s not a f**king joke, this is so f**king SICKENING."
Many pointed to one specific Twitter account that tweeted screenshots of the exchange along with the caption, "DID SPOTIFY JUST-??? which prompted others to jump in and comment on Spotify's apparent promoting of BTS. Those criticizing the user stated, "What the f**k, how dare you mock Jonghyun. I can't believe this person also has almost 30k followers to...the f**king audacity."
Another Shawol stated, "People under the post were laughing and called it funny, which is disrespectful." Some apologized for originally liking the post in question, stating, "I’m going to be totally honest here. I liked it too until I saw this post and I remember what happened to Shinee, and I feel so bad to not realize now the f**ked up reasons why ppl were liking it. I'm really sorry," while some defended the original poster, stating, "He laughed at Spotify what I guess this is serious but maybe he didn't laugh at Jonghyun."
Others pointed out that apart from this specific account, there were many others making light of the situation with comments like "The taste," as well as, "Spotify really be supporting tho." Fellow Armys soon called out the accounts making jokes as well. One stated that those mocking the situation should be reported, adding, "It's clear enough they think it's funny and for sure they won't delete the tweet," while another shared, "I'm so disgusted, how come a person can be that insensitive and disrespectful, so done."
In response to those defending the poster, one Shawol pointed out, "GOD FORBID If the tables were turned and a bts members MEMORIAL PLAYLIST was used to promote another artiste you would understand how f**ked those comments were."
The Army also made it clear they didn't approve of the jokes, stating, "As an ARMY... Some of you ARMYs that are laughing and disrespectful Jonghyun. You need to stop it's not cool at all you are putting a bad name on the fandom." Many users shared their disbelief at people's choice to make jokes in the situation, stating, "The fact that people still disrespect and mock Jonghyun to this day is downright shameful and gross. Grow up, have some decency, and think before you tweet...god it's not that hard to not disrespect those who have passed."