# BTS-have you heard of them? The ads have officially turned sentient **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 3, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426 "2019-05-03T16:00:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/1 "2019-05-03T16:00:18Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MBdVXkSdhwU/maxresdefault.jpg "BTS (방탄소년단) 'DNA' Official MV") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBdVXkSdhwU) I officially renounce everything I said in my Tupac thread. With that said, I bid you farewell Straight Dope. I’m packing up and moving to the moon. This world is no longer something I can call home, I don’t know the first thing about things that always made sense to me. Watching that damn video, I had no fucking clue whether i was watching a boy band, a girl band or a clay band. I couldnt shake myself of the terrifying certainty that underneath those garish outfits, everything was smooth. Everything. Or, the BTS band is like the characters in the episode of South Park in which ads had finally become sentient. Maybe theze things arent human?? Maybe they are all actually just ads that ultimately, at a time programmed in their software when they’ve got us wrapped around their fingers, will drop the charade and start pushing Hyundai’s in earnest. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/2 "2019-05-03T16:15:49Z")
BTS is by far the most popular band in the world right now. I don’t understand it myself. In my opinion some of their songs are pretty good, but many are mediocre. But their fandom is far, far bigger than any other musician right now. Say anything bad about them on Twitter, say, and you’ll have the wrath of thousands come down on your head in milliseconds. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/3 "2019-05-03T16:24:07Z")
Apparently a boy band. > **[BTS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BTS_(band))** > > BTS (Korean: 방탄소년단; RR: Bangtan Sonyeondan; lit. Bulletproof Boy Scouts), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, who co-write and co-produce the majority of their material. Originally a hip hop group, their musical style has evolved to incorporate a wide range of genres, while their lyricism has focused on subjects including mental health, the troubles of school-age youth and coming of age... ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/4 "2019-05-03T16:26:06Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > [https://youtu.be/MBdVXkSdhwU](https://youtu.be/MBdVXkSdhwU) > > I officially renounce everything I said in my Tupac thread. With that said, I bid you farewell Straight Dope. I’m packing up and moving to the moon. This world is no longer something I can call home, I don’t know the first thing about things that always made sense to me. Hahaha 🙂 The singers in that video definitely have some sort of sexual orientation. I guarantee it! ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/5 "2019-05-03T16:34:38Z")
Put it this way: a little while ago BTS announced a stadium tour with five stops: The Rose Bowl in L.A., Soldier Field in Chicago, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Wembley Stadium in London, and Stade de France in Paris. All five stops sold out in less than an hour. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/6 "2019-05-03T16:38:53Z")
Personally I love kpop, but I’m more drawn to the girl groups, as my signature indicates. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/7 "2019-05-03T16:39:30Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > BTS is by far the most popular band in the world right now. I don’t understand it myself. In my opinion some of their songs are pretty good, but many are mediocre. That’s true of pretty much any band, though. Heck, some of the Beatles work was mediocre, and they filled basically the same niche. K-Pop is just generally popular these days, as parts of the world that have only recently had the ability to reach large audiences start developing their own musical traditions and phenomena. This isn’t my cup of tea, but even I can recognize that it’s light-years better than, say, “Gangnam Style” or that weird Chinese Apple Tree song. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/8 "2019-05-03T16:45:41Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Apparently a boy band. > > [BTS - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BTS_(band)) More like a bot band, haw haw haw. Although, IMO, to be called a ‘band’, at least one member should play some sort of musical instrument. Anyway, I already knew about them from their recent appearance on SNL, so for once I may be slightly ahead of the curve, pop-culture-wise. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/9 "2019-05-03T16:47:54Z")
The music at the link in the OP sounds sorta like the logical extension of Northern Soul/Disco/Rap/Kiddy Pop. So… not unexpected. But, very homogenized. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/10 "2019-05-03T16:53:33Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > This world is no longer something I can call home, I don’t know the first thing about things that always made sense to me. That’s how I felt when I heard MMA was adding a maternity division. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/11 "2019-05-03T16:55:00Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > BTS is by far the most popular band in the world right now. I have never heard of them. The rock that I live under is apparently even more impenetrable than I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/12 "2019-05-03T16:55:21Z")
The lil’wrekker assures me they are very cool. I defer to her on all pop culture. I do remember them during the Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/13 "2019-05-03T16:57:45Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Hahaha 🙂 > > The singers in that video definitely have some sort of sexual orientation. I guarantee it! Sure. _Some sort_ We might not even recognize it as a sexual orientation tho. Scary thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/14 "2019-05-03T16:58:05Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > I have never heard of them. The rock that I live under is apparently even more impenetrable than I thought. I’d venture that a full 50% of the visitors members of the SDMB have also never hard of them. We’re not in their target demographics. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/15 "2019-05-03T17:02:21Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Sure. _Some sort_ We might not even recognize it as a sexual orientation tho. Scary thoughts. Aw man, you went and blew it! Why is it “Scary thoughts”? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/16 "2019-05-03T17:03:09Z")
Ahh, yes, that special moment in every young person’s life when they suddenly realize that a new generation has come up behind them and pop culture is no longer aimed at them. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/17 "2019-05-03T17:08:24Z")
My 13 year old looooves BTS. As stated they’re huge right now. They’ve been on Ellen a few times, they played (or attended?) the Grammys, other artists have worked with them or expressed interest in working with them. They’re the current Backstreet Boys/N’sync. I had to explain to my, again 13 year old, daughter that no, she can’t go see them in Chicago, 90 miles away, at Soldier Field. On top of all that, I know she loves them, but she’s going to be disappointed with $200 nosebleed seats for her first concert. Too big of a venue, too far away, too expensive. Anyway, unless you’re really, really on top of pop culture it’s entirely possible not to notice them. I certainly wouldn’t have heard of them if it wasn’t for my kid. However, ask just about any middle school or high school aged kid and they’ll know who they were. At least as much as you knew of New Kids on the Block when you were that age. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/18 "2019-05-03T17:13:03Z")
Do the letters BTS stand for anything in particular? ETA: (in answer to the question posed in the thread title: no.) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/19 "2019-05-03T17:17:57Z")
What I don’t understand is why they are boycotting Israel. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426/20 "2019-05-03T17:38:22Z")
Obligatory Simpsons quote: “I used to be with it, but then they changed what it was. Now what I’m with isn’t it, and what’s it seems weird and scary to me. It’ll happen to you, too.” I listen to KPop and I’ve known BTS for a few years now. They’re alright and have a few catchy songs, though as far a boy bands go I prefer VIXX and Monsta X, and my all-time favorite was Big Bang. > [@suranyi](#): > > Personally I love kpop, but I’m more drawn to the girl groups, as my signature indicates. I’m more into acts like Taeyeon or BOL4, myself. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bts-have-you-heard-of-them-the-ads-have-officially-turned-sentient/833426.md?page=2)