BTS fans furious over 'racist' caricature depicting their Grammys loss, 'Racism Is Not Comedy' trends

BTS fans have expressed their anger over a 'racist' caricature depicting the loss at the Grammys recently. The K-pop group was nominated for the first time at the prestigious awards show but did not win.

K-pop group BTS faced defeat at the Grammys after the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance award to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande. While fans were upset, a caricature showing the members beaten physically by the Grammys award has made its way to social media.

BTS members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook at the Grammys 2021. (Big Hit Entertainment)

Trading stickers released by Garbage Pail Kids, a parody of the Cabbage Patch Kids, are known for featuring characters who have suffered unfortunate fates. In lieu of the recently-concluded Grammys, the company behind the trading stickers, The Topps Company, released a Grammy-themed Garbage Pail Kids series called the 'Shammy Awards' collection.

The collection featured BTS, Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and other Grammy nominees and winners. While the caricatures were meant to poke fun at the artists, they seem to have gone a bit too far with the sticker featuring BTS. In the image, circulating on social media, a cartoon image of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook placed in a 'Whac-a-Mole' game setup was seen while a hand holding the Grammy award is seen in the frame. The picture depicts the Grammy being hit on each member, leaving them with bruises on their faces. The sticker is titled, "BTS Bruisers".

The portrayal received flak from the group's fandom on social media. They are calling out the company behind the sticker for the racist depiction and chanting, "Racism Is Not Comedy."

Last month, BTS faced another racist treatment when German host Matthias Matuschik deemed their cover of Coldplay's Fix You, performed during their special MTV Unplugged episode, as 'blasphemy'. He compared the group to Covid-19 and called them 'some crappy virus that hopefully there will be a vaccine for soon as well.'

As reported by Associated Press, the RJ said, "I have nothing against South Korea, you can’t accuse me of xenophobia only because this boyband is from South Korea... I have a car from South Korea. I have the coolest car around.” He made things worse when he added that BTS “will be vacationing in North Korea for the next 20 years.” The statements led to a massive backlash with the radio station, Bayern 3, apologising for the statements.