butterfly unbound

Wikipedia also states that professional ethics are not universal but vary from profession to profession and corporation to corporation. In general, professional ethics are the basis for trust between a professional and a client: The client trusts professionals because professionals behave in accordance to a certain set of usually unspoken rules that reinforce trust. For an executive having to answer to actionists, investors, and creditors it is part of the ethics of his profession to keep their interests first, otherwise he will lose their trust and his career will be over. We shouldn't forget this is not the executives' fault, nor the investors' fault, nor the creditors' fault, nor the actionists' fault. This is neither the fault of those involved in the project, nor of those managing the enterprise producing the drama. Eunjung broke the ethics of her profession when she got involved in such a scandal while being signed up for a drama, the girls broke the ethics of their profession when they got involved in such a scandal while endorsing certain products, and so on. The executives' job is not being nice people. Their profession involves managing other people's assets, and thus their professional ethic involves protecting those assets and the related interests. Sometimes they may have to make hard choices and hurt people, as it is expected of them. To do otherwise would be to betray the trust put on them by their clients. However, I want it to be clear that I am not taking one side over the other. To see Eunjung in the verge of losing pretty much everything she always fought to get is painful. Very painful, and it is frustrating to not be able to do anything. Yet the villains here are not the girls who made a mistake, nor the executives who do what they have to do to cope with the scandal. The villains are the netizens who blew this out of proportion and a certain CEO who should really invest in a spin doctor and shut his trap. Nothing of this would have happened were it not for the K-Netizens and KKS. Everyone else is a victim on this, Idol or Executive, staff member or project manager. If we forget that we are no different than the Netizens themselves. So I am just offering the other side of the discussion. Hating on the Executives for doing their job is no more sane than destroying a girl's life over a mistake and the fantasies built around it.

Which is exactly what is expected from a professional in their role, as modern executives are expected to be detached, cold, and efficient, and maximise profit regardless of morality or ethics: Their jobs depend on it, and their careers depend on it, and their professional lives depend on it, and their personal lives depend on it. This is what it means to be professional in such an enviroment, and any other attitude would be deemed as amateurish and irresponsible. Now, about it being opportunistic we should not forget corporate business is a highly hostile and predatorial enviroment, and predators are inherently opportunistic: Most pick their prey based on weakness and vulnerability as such behaviour is conductive to survival, which is something predators, executives, and corporations are all quite fond of. And regardless of our personal feelings towards T-Ara we should not forget it is, was, and will always be a corporate product and tool. While I feel bad for them I can't really get all "righteous anger" over this: They did choose to play the corporate game when they became idols, no one forced them. The most naive fans should use this chance to open their eyes to the enviroment they are implicitly supporting by being consumers of those products and deciding whether or not is it better for them to keep their distance from now on. In the end we can discuss ethics and morality all day long yet a single truth will remain unmoved: This is the reality of the corporate world, and this is the devil they willingly signed a pact with to have their chance at fame and stardom. It was such a devil before, it is such a devil now, and it will be such a devil tomorrow. And now they have to play by its rules, as it is not our definition of professionalism they have to cope with. It is the corporate world's. That is the same corporate world that gave us T-Ara's happy times. The corporate world that published the records we love because it was profitable to do so, the corporate world that produced TV Shows we love because it was profitable to do so, the corporate world that endorsed them because it was profitable to do so. Without it T-Ara would not exist to begin with. Raging about it is quite hypocrital. Instead, let's just hope, or pray, for them to find a way to play the corporate world so that they can make a glorious comeback and be seen as profitable once again. That is the one thing that can truly save T-Ara. But this is going quite off topic already. Let us not do so any further. This is the key, I believe. If I were an investor, a creditor, or an actionist this is the kind of person I would like to do business with. An executive that puts morality or kindness over profit is a liability in the corporate world, and few would want to have dealings with them. They are in this for the money, not to realize young girls' dreams. One could say the best executives are those who manage to keep the profits growing while being fair and moral, yes, but we do not have access to the insider information to truly pass such judgement. I believe my point is that the executives who decided this are not supervillains plotting in underground lairs, they are a bunch of suits doing their jobs and reacting to the changing enviroment created by the scandal's fallout in the way deemed proper by the principles their corner of the world holds dear: They are protecting the interests of their investors, creditors, actionists, and, to a lesser extent, employees. And their own as well: There are thousands beneath them waiting for them to slip to take their place, and there are hundreds above them waiting for them to slip to remove a danger to their own position. And as much as we love the girls we should not forget this whole situation is the result of T-Ara and Core Contents Media not doing their own jobs to begin with.

Eunjung is not quite popular right now, and they can get away with being mean to her. The way they did things gave them the ability to look for another actress for the role while still both benefiting from the scandal and having the option to let Eunjung stay or make her leave depending on how things did play out. And so far it seems they got away with it, which while unfair reinforces the idea it was the right thing to do from a professional (detached, cold, "it's nothing personal") perspective focused on efficiency and revenue. Just to make myself clear I am not saying it was nice of them to act in such a way but that the maneuver itself seems well played. The entertainment industry is a hellhole, and we all knew that.

I wouldn't say this is unprofessional, myself. The job of those making such decisions is not to be nice people but to generate as much revenue as possible. If they believe Eunjung will reduce their revenue or have the choice to replace Eunjung for a girl that would bring more revenue this behaviour is not at all surprising, and T-Ara's position of weakness allow them to try and get away with things they wouldn't be able to otherwise do. I am not a hater but it was T-Ara's and CCM's failure to do their own job which caused this, with everyone else just reacting to the enviroment such failure created. It may not be nice but it's still their job. If anything they seem to have left the door open to change their minds if it is better for them to do so. We will have to wait to see whether or not the reaction is such as for them to reconsider.

The interview's video is heartbreaking. This is no longer about Hwayoung, T-Ara, or bullying, but about a bunch of assholes hurting them to feel important and powerful in the great order of things, and about so called reporters pandering at those very assholes without integrity nor respect. They have paid for it whether they did it or not. To keep this up is just sickening.

Being a supporter does not imply being mindless, nor blind and deaf to the reality of the Entertainment industry. An idol's image is part of the product she's selling, thus we are rarely allowed to perceive the whole truth, nor even half of it. Being a fan implies a certain level of voluntary gullibility, yet there's a point in which to support someone implies trying to perceive what is true and what is just smoke and mirrors. Situations like this, where everyone is scrambling to save face and public declarations of support and gratefulness become bartering chips.

We do know they did let her get thrown out and remained silent while KKS tried his best to soil her image and reputation, for example. By which I mean not everyone who has jumped ship, switched allegiances, or became disenchanted did so because of the bullying rumors. Oversimplifying the people you are against isn't quite intellectually honest. We should be trying to calm things down instead of submerging ourselves even deeper in the "Us vs Them" mentality that has been spreading.

Do not despair. She apologized to "her CCM Family." To be more vague about it she would have to say nothing at all.

Switch it to "their careers are badly hurt" if it pleases you to do so. My point wasn't to offend anyone but that it will be harder for them to salvage anything at all the longer the infernal media circus plays itself, KKS lies and contradict himself, stories true and false are dig up, and evidence both real and fabricated is found against them. This is already nearing the point beyond which neither truth nor reason are of importance, if it hasn't gone beyond already.

This. Their careers are probably finished, yet their lives will go on. Right now it is about those lives they should be thinking about, and about how do they want people to perceive them. Every little bit of respect and sympathy they manage to salvage may be what stops their careers' downfall just before they become unrecoverable. Even if not, they will still need the respect and sympathy to build a normal life in a country where everyone knows them, and where everyone is forming an opinion on them based on this.

The irony is overwhelming.

I am not so sure her word would carry any weight after the threats and with her sister still under contractual obligation. This may have already taken a life of its own.

Has there been any confirmation about this being either true or false? http://oniontaker.co...y#axzz227tAuCCq I am finding quite difficult to keep up with everything myself.

When the same individual contradicted his own lies in public just a bit earlier I find it hard to take this seriously.

So now I have grown to despise those I considered my ultimate Kpop biases and am rooting for someone I used to deem irrelevant. The world has gone mad. T-Ara's dead for me. I cannot condone what transpired here.