Apples to Oranges

APPLES

Written by: Anna Moon Designed by: Alex & Mheer

TO ORANGES

Edited by: Vera Checked by: Aury

Similies. Metaphors. Generalizations. Analogies.

Comparisons are an important part of human knowledge and understanding — they are everywhere, because there ’ s no easier way to describe something that’s similar to something we ’ re

things, and their usefulness is undeniable.

A well-known example comes to us from the gaming community to

games. In the late 2000s, FromSoftware released the popular and divisive Dark Souls series, followed by a bevy of sequels and similarly-styled games throughout the 2010s. What has made these games so divisive and even controversial is their level of

ask, they ’ re easy games, and if you ’ re struggling you just need to dichotomy has led people to use these games as a litmus test for game

something like “If you liked Dark Souls, you ’ll like this, because it’ s really hard.” Polygon has an excellent video breaking down the “Dark Souls of decades” and discussing the “Dark Souls descriptor” and how this descriptor is used to compare games to the Souls franchise.

analysis and reveals the biggest argument against the usefulness of comparisons: they ’ re often used to compare things that aren’t especially similar. Any game that is viewed as

being compared to Dark Souls, even if the mechanics of the game and its compared to the Twilight franchise, Anne Rice, or Dracula, and a

become “the next Harry Potter.”

Music doesn ’t escape this subtle generalization monster. Given the number of new artists appearing every year, arguably the music scene is one of the larger perpetrators of the generalization comparison than any other — how many times have we heard that a new artist sounds like someone else? Sometimes the

descriptor is accurate, but as with all stereotypes, a comparison of this nature often glosses over the deeper facts in favor of shallow surface value and neglects subtle facets in favor of broad strokes.

Unsurprisingly, BTS has been

comparisons also isn ’t limited to the gaming world. For example, a series of books about vampires will likely be to compare. Most notably, BTS has been compared to popular Western male groups, such as

*NSYNC, and the Backstreet Boys. All of these comparisons are separate from the innate comparisons to their fellow K-pop groups.

In some ways, it makes sense from a Western, “ general public” perspective — after all, all of these

genre, all of these groups were successful, and all of these groups are made up of talented, attractive men. However — and this is a big “however” — the similarities do not extend far beyond these three things. Let this be clear: that is neither an insult to the other non-BTS groups nor a compliment to BTS. It is a statement which is factually correct. Allow us to demonstrate with the following three points: similar because they both have a similar physical aesthetic, but

Direction are both from the UK, but they are musically and aesthetically on

Breaking it down into these categories makes it easier to analyze, but they are by no means clear-cut. For our purposes, however, using one comparison descriptor is enough to demonstrate the weaknesses of the construct as a whole.

BTS has frequently been compared to

their US success really started to skyrocket (note: American success is not the only measure of success. It just comparisons really amped up to coincide with the jump in stateside success). It really came to a head when BTS appeared on

Colbert, dressed in crisp black suits and standing before a drum set in a throwback homage to

Show” in 1964.

Ed Sullivan Show,” the US went wild for them, a trend which never stopped. According to CBS’

Beatles have won 8 Grammys, have sold over 600 million albums worldwide, and have had 21 number 1 singles on the “Billboard

Each statement provides facets for

categories makes a group distinct from its fellows, even if one or two

Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC are both American groups, but can you say they ’ re the same? No — you can make the argument that they ’ re

Hot 100.” Two Beatles albums have actually climbed the charts in the past decade — Abbey Road and

peaked at number 1 in 2019 and 2018, respectively. Objectively

and when they burst onto the US music scene in the 60s, they took the West by storm.

BTS’ meteoric rise to popularity in the West does seem similar to the

in the 60s, so this comparison

Beatles once then opens the

time the comparison is used, the meaning of it and the reasoning behind it shifts. What began as a useful comparison between two groups of musicians who both had a stunningly swift rise to the top becomes a power struggle that has nothing to do with the original concept.

One recent example of this is the TIME “bookazine” article “BTS vs.

centered around the concept of “who did it better,” which turns a simile into a battle for dominance,

to the classics.

Leaving aside the other issues running rampant in this article, the entire concept of “who ’s the compared in this way, as it does a grave disservice to both by leaving out some key points of discussion.

TIME

enough, comparing tour successes and number-one-charting albums on Billboard. However, the article ends

when in reality, there is no contest at all. has existed for only seven years, and they have begun to match

album charting and tour sales. In 2019, BTS signed another seven-year contract to continue pursuing their craft. After BTS has been on the scene for over 50 years, who knows what the numbers may say? At that point, the comparison of success stories might be safely made — when there is more data to set upon the table.

and BTS, as well as the cultural

nature of success. While both groups

Beatles had the advantage of being English-speaking Europeans, making their transition a great deal easier than Korean-born and Korean-speaking BTS’. BTS, however, had the advantages of social media and the internet to help carry their

Beatles had no access to until well

points directly cancel each other out, but TIME only mentions one of them in their article, and it is unlikely to be a coincidence that they would downplay the fact that BTS had a much harder road to tread because they are Asian instead of European.

Another important distinction is this:

Beatles were active from 1960 to 1970 and have had their music in the public ear for half a century. BTS has It is undeniable that comparisons do have their uses; they ’ re a great place to begin when looking at something new. But like generalizations, they gloss over important details, hiding unique colors beneath a monochrome facade. Each compared entity loses some of its luster in the comparison, a fate which neither one deserves. Comparisons are easy; it’s true. In the end, though, do they add any value to the conversation when they over-simplify and diminish? Simplicity may be easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best answer — and when it involves BTS, it certainly isn’t the correct one.