Lets Talk About Respect...

Respect: one simple word, easy to remember. But where has it gone?

In the last week alone, my For You page showed me someone pooping at 5SOS, someone pooping at Noah Kahan, someone asking 5SOS about their sex life at soundcheck, someone yelling at Calum Hood during his solo song that he's a cheater, someone asking Calum Hood during soundcheck if he would preorm a sexual act with them, and someone trying to sneak into a hotel they think Taylor Swift might be in for her wedding. That list alone includes biohazards, sexual harassment, and stalking.

What's even wilder is #poopgate happened in both situations where the person had seats. Seats that, if you get up to go to the toilet, will still be there when you come back! And even if you are in the pit, fans around you will clear a path for you to reach the toilet. Sure, you may not get your exact spot back, but let's not ruin the experience for others; that is so gross!

The problem is that at some point, people stopped seeing their favourite artists as humans and instead saw them as circus animals you can poke, prod, and harass, then act surprised when they bite back. And when they bite back, a lot of people get even madder, such as when Chappell Roan asked paparazzi to back off, when Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson say "larry" isn't real, and instead of respecting that, fans write their own narrative where they are "closeted by management". Even when the artists themselves draw a line, the respect still doesn't come.

Let's just also consider that someone's sexuality isn't your business, whether they are out or not, nor is their relationship any of your business. The only thing you have the right to know about is what they have willingly told you themselves! Let's not speculate on who they might be dating, when a couple might get married, have a kid, if they look like they broke up, if you think someone is a beard, if you think someone is secretly in a same sex relationship, if someone is secretly trans because they dressed more masculine or more feminine. How does that affect you? Oh right, it doesn’t!

And the disrespect doesn't stop there. Fans push other fans in the pit, bully plus-sized fans, tell disabled fans they don't deserve to be there, and use money, looks, social status, time spent in the fandom, and times noticed by the artist as a way to measure who is worthy of being part of the conversation.

Enough is enough. It's time we protect the creative community, keep the pit clean, use soundcheck to ask about inspirations behind the album or era with considerate questions, yell only the lyrics during songs, respect the artists, stop speculating on personal lives, welcome fellow fans with open arms, and protect the music culture and shared experience rather than tear each other down.

These artists bare their souls to us, taking their deepest moments and turning them into words we feel in our own souls, words we connect with, the reason we want to sing along in the pit. We need to remember that. We need to remember respect.

TLDR? Your fav owes you nothing! Not free merch for being a long-time fan, not their time for waiting outside their hotel, not a free ticket to your next show because you fainted, not a ticket upgrade because you feel wronged in some way. NOTHING!