i've kept quiet out of an abundance of caution not to potentially escalate things more than it already is, but at this point, i can no longer continue that silence in good conscience. hongjoong did tell us in the past that it was important to him that we make ateez aware of things should someone make a mistake. that in itself speaks of how important it is to him to learn and grow and do the best that he can, same for all eight. however there is a significant difference between informing someone of something (which yes there are many people, myself included, who weren't aware of the boycott) and turning that into something harmful. yes the situation is horrible, and it is important to let people know of ways to potentially help if they are able to. but the way i've seen some people continuously posting over the past several days is not helping anyone. hongjoong has proven so many times for years, even before debut and even without being known well, that he cares immensely for so many people. the only reason any of his acts of kindness have been spoken of are either because people already noticed and he clarified his thoughts (like with polished man campaign) or because atiny's money was directly involved (donations from the photography exhibitions). at no point has he ever made any of it about himself, only to inform and to spread more awareness. so the idea that he doesn't actually care and is actually in support of horrific acts is a disgusting twisting of his character and everything he is and stands for as a person. how does anyone think that tearing down a person, who has only shown a loving and caring heart, for making an honest mistake is going to ease the suffering of the victims right now? you cannot place the genuine weight and tragedy of a horrific situation on the back of any one person. to do so is itself a disservice to the very people needing all of our care and compassion right now. and what of the impact on this one very human, imperfect, living, breathing, feeling person from all of this? what will be enough? there are multiple reasons as have already been pointed out why hongjoong and/or kq could not be able to address this, at least at this time. that doesn't mean the concerns aren't seen. it doesn't mean none of them care. possibly jeopardizing at least one person's mental health when the group has already had multiple instances of people attacking them this year isn't going to fix anything. if you genuinely care about making a positive impact, there are better ways to go about it than this. because at this point, it feels more like a decent number of people were just waiting for an opportunity for him to do the impossible of being perfect and make a mistake as an excuse to tear him down. to clarify, yes the situation with palestine is horrific and it is important for all of us to do our individual best, as with anything else, and that includes spreading correct information in a way that further promotes compassion. just please understand when good intentions can turn to something destructive. moving forward, i ask everyone to please be mindful of your words and actions. don't turn your justified anger and pain at a tragedy into targeting people who are in their own ways trying to make a difference in a nuanced and complicated world. thank you for your time in reading this and take care. #ateez #hongjoong