First, while I'll admit without any problem to the fact that buying multiple copies is a common practice in AKB fandom because of the management's smart techniques (enclosing different bonus pictures depending on the shop you buy your CDs from, enclosing handshake event tickets etc) it is impossible to say that all their sales just boil down to a handful of rabid fans. There are people in areas that don't have handshake events, there are people who don't care that much about pics, there are people who genuinely like the songs (AKB songs are of REALLY good quality, and the lyrics are amongs the best lyrics in the whole Japanese MUSIC world, not only pop, let alone idol pop).
AKB are "popular idols" now.
To not recognize that is to be disrespectful and mean to the girls.
I understand that people can be not interested in AKB for the most varied reason, and I've never been one to object on people's taste.
Yet, before you look down on them, please read this.
These girls started from NOTHING. They weren't made by a powerful agency and debuted with a readymade fanbase - they started by performing in front of SEVEN people. It's hard to imagine it just by seeing their smiles on tv shows and billboards, but they went through a lot more tears and hardships than you imagine. They didn't have anything, and had to build all they have now with their OWN hands, not with cunning PR campaigns, going through disappointment, breakdowns, betrayals, accepting it all and improving even more.
Being in AKB is not like being in any other idol group. "Joining AKB" is not the fulfillment of their dream. AKB is like a seedbed for them to train and get known and eventually graduate and start their own careers in the showbusiness. Therefore, despite being friends and war comrades, at the end of the day, they're rivals. And showing the competition they are willingly or, most times, unwillingly having is part of the AKB project.
Cruel, I know. But still, thanks to this, the AKB members work twice as hard and make twice as much effort to shine than any other idol I've ever seen, male or female. And that makes them twice as endearing, and you really want to cheer for them, support them, be their ally.
I'm not asking you to like it, I'm just asking you to try to understand.
So, elections.
You say that buying multiple copies is a waste. I agree.
But please, try to put yourself in our shoes.
Elections are a cruel event. None of the girls is happy with it. But still, they exist.
So going by that, if you had someone you really, really liked, wouldn't you want her to make it? Wouldn't you want to see her smile? Wouldn't you want to give her a chance to shine and to get one step closer to her dream?
The girls are important people to us. I'm sure Johnny's fans especially understand how important an idol can be in someone's life - our feelings are the same. Your love for Aiba or Ryo is the same as my love for Sae or someone's love for Yuko. So, since they are so important, it's only natural that we want them to do well.
It's normal that we want them to feel loved.
Once again, I'm not asking you to like AKB. I'm just asking you to try to understand.
You're of course free to say all you want.
But I think that looking down on people's strenuous efforts and the results that they're finally obtaining after years of hardships and scorning their supporters' feelings is just disgraceful as a human being.
Yes, even though they sold a million copies, it's not like a million people bought the single.
This is true.
Yet, a handful of girls with their sole forces arrived to a point where they can make 500.000 people buy more than a million copies of their single.
Think about it and reply honestly: isn't it amazing anyway?