S.E.S member Bada is facing criticism from international fans for her ignorant comment about Africa.
Recently, a clip of Bada on the popular variety show The Return Of Superman went viral on social media. In the video, she and her 4-year-old daughter Rua were seen enjoying a meal with So Yoo Jin, actress and the wife of celebrity chef Paik Jong Won, and her daughter Seeun.
While eating, Bada was seen encouraging Rua not to waste any food on her plate. During dessert time, when Rua saw her mother only eat the strawberry topping of her cupcake and suspected that she was going to waste the bread, she decided to turn the tables and school her mother the same way. But in her childish attempt to scold Bada, Rua said, “Kids in Africa don’t get to eat bread. They eat soil.”
Bada was taken aback by this comment, because it was almost verbatim of what she had taught Rua previously. In the flashback clip, she is seen telling Rua that African children don’t get to eat good food like them, implying that she should be grateful and finish her plate.
While on the surface, the comment might seem like a well-meaning one aimed at teaching kids to be grateful for their food, in reality, it is a highly ignorant comment that pushes an entire continent under the umbrella of the stereotypical image of oppression and poverty. Many netizens criticized Bada for making such sweeping statements about Africa on national television without any knowledge of how different cultures and nationalities in the continent enjoy a flourishing lifestyle. They also called her out for teaching such ignorant views to her child.
i have always hated the “starving kids in africa” trope bc while it is definitely true in some parts of the continent it’s only used in non-african (mostly western) media to guilt trip which results in a game of pity olympics far beyond the intention of the original statement https://t.co/9d6a6DJLAM
— autumn⁷ (@ghiblijoonies) March 25, 2024
Shame on her for teaching that baby that…
— ENNY🤎 (@FinesseEness) March 25, 2024
ON TV! She CLEARLY has base/rooted ignorance about the continent that she thinks it’s fact. she doesn’t even realize she will get international backlash for thinking this way/ saying it on tv. All this shows is how she will never be globally famous. This clip will always pop up.
— Jimin’s Exposed Left Shoulder (@Bora4ver) March 25, 2024
in whole ass 2024, this is what people are teaching their children
— mo (@filled_popcorn) March 25, 2024
not only is she spreading misinformation, she is doing it on national tv in front of a child in the mimicking stage 😐 https://t.co/yJW0SQ2xvc pic.twitter.com/D2E4OtloAU
— %L🍋 (@dprlucky) March 25, 2024