Calling KPop Demon Hunters

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America needs the KPop Demon Hunters. Consider the recent tragedies in support of my argument. Is it possible to arrange for the three evil-slaying animated entertainers to rescue us from the demons of violence, racism, xenophobia, and homophobia in America?

Not really, but contemplate the idea for a moment.

The KPop Demon Hunters film features three fictional Korean pop singers who fight evil entities by day and entertain crowds by night. In their quest to save humankind, they encounter rivals in the spiritual and natural world.

My wife and I complied with our children’s requests to watch the popular musical/action movie last week. From the storyline to the music, animation, and dialogue, we came to understand the hype.

“All we get to do is live with our pain. It’s all we deserve.” I recorded these two lines from a scene in the movie.

The words clicked when I pictured school shootings, church massacres, arrests over rainbows, and Trump’s threats to send the National Guard to Chicago.

We’ve become a nation infatuated with violence. Start your day with the news, and one reporter will report on a recent homicide or world conflict. If you allow notifications on any of your devices, by mid-afternoon, you will receive at least one story about death.  

Why? America values violence. Peace is what we preach; conflict is what we praise.

It starts from a young age.

A couple of weeks ago, my son received an invitation to a friend’s house. The host’s mom sent me a text message to schedule an afternoon of swimming, playing, and eating. My wife and I agreed to let him go.

I dropped him off on a warm Sunday. Later, when I picked him up, the tan on his chest and the smile on his face revealed he enjoyed himself. On the way home, I asked him about his day. 

He explained how they played games and the rules for getting “killed” or out. I corrected his language in the moment and later recognized the hypocrisy.  

As a child, instead of saying “you lost” or “you’re out,” in sports or video game matches with my friends, I often said, “you died” or “I killed you…” Much has changed over the years, but certain aspects of our language have not.

I still have my moments when I say things like, “She killed the game. Dude is a killah.”

Do you use similar phrases?  Where does this leave us?

By force, we take what we believe is ours and will hurt anyone or anything that obstructs us from achievement. That’s the code of masculinity and power embedded in our social DNA. I’ve lived by these norms for most of my life.

Due to social and historical events, people we label as white, men, and heterosexual receive individual and systemic privileges. If you care to challenge the status quo, violence will put you in your position.

You have two options: behind bars or below dirt. It’s America, you have the freedom to choose.

Choice matters, unless we consider abortion. I digress.

Some argue that an evil spirit surrounds injustices. It prompts politicians to authorize arrests across rainbows on crosswalks in Florida. The demonic spirit encourages some to fight violence with more violence, instead of alleviating the conditions that support self-defeating behaviors.

Back to my opener…

Could the KPop Demon Hunters fix or at least offer a Band-Aid to America’s problems? Probably not, although fictional, they also use violence to destroy demons. Sprits must fight spirits.

Either we get in tune with our spiritual selves, or “All we get to do is live with our pain. It’s all we deserve.”

What are your thoughts? Comment below.

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