I have seen a lot of name-calling and abuse directed at folks who enjoy or play video games in the last few weeks. It's true that, given that anime is a specialised media, people often judge others based on their interests and hobbies. This is especially true among anime fans. As a result, those who are unfamiliar with it are likely to have a skewed, misinformed, or ignorant opinion of it and to associate it with a particular stereotype or label.
I was bullied when I was younger, particularly in the sixth grade. While my sister and I were the only Asian students at the school I attended, there were other Asian students who were largely interested in sports or other hobbies. This may have contributed to some of the bullying, but they also targeted me because I was a Pokémon fan. I didn't have many friends at the time, so I played with my Gameboy Colour by myself much of the break. My friend-making did not really take off until I entered the seventh grade Still, I kept most of my interests to myself until I started college, where I made more accepting friends who also like anime and/or video games. I haven't encountered bullying again after then.
So why do people often make fun of or treat those who enjoy anime and/or video games badly? I believe that in addition to not being viewed as "cool," one of the causes is that people are ignorant about these media and thus stereotype or denigrate those who use them. Because Kirino and Haruka, the female heroines in Ore no Imouto and Nogizaka Haruka, were avid fans of anime and the otaku subculture, we witness examples of this in both works. But because they didn't want their parents to find out, their reputation to be damaged, or to lose any friends, they were scared to share their enthusiasm for it.Eventually, their father learns about it and swiftly disapproves of their activities, labelling them as nasty and twisted without considering the entire picture. They didn't change their minds and accept it until they were convinced otherwise. I believe this is especially true in real life, since there have been cases where a person who dislikes a particular hobby or interest tries it for themselves due to a recommendation or out of curiosity and discovers that they genuinely enjoy it. Even still, I believe that peer pressure to be deemed cool in a group is a component in why individuals prejudge a pastime or interest even if they don't mean it in order to avoid feeling ostracised.
I discussed my opinions on why people often despise gamers and otakus in one of my editorials. Because of the bad behaviour of a small percentage, persons who like certain sorts of media are often seen adversely by society. For example, in the 1990s, otakus suffered a great deal of embarrassment because Miyazaki Tsutomu, who killed four girls, was an anime and slasher film fan. The media consequently dubbed him a "Otaku murderer," inciting moral panic against everybody who appreciates anime or is involved in the Otaku subculture. The same is happening with video games, as the media consistently exploits them as the victim of gun violence. Although there is little scientific evidence to support the claim that video games generate sexism against women, they are now being held accountable for encouraging such behaviour (the same can be said about video games producing violence).
It makes sense that the media would conveniently point the finger of blame at a particular set of individuals for enjoying a particular pastime. It is also hurtful, illiterate, and demeaning. It reminded me of playground bullying in elementary school when I saw the endless stream of pointless articles titled "Gamers are Over" (which is untrue) and those against video games calling gamers derogatory names like terrorists, MRAs (men's rights activists), misgynerds, racists, "worse than ISIS," or anything else juvenile you could think of. Similar actions are also seen in those who are uninterested in anime, labelling fans as perverts, geeks, manchildish, weeaboos, or anyone else who is unduly fixated with Japan.
Although I do support gender equality and humanism, I won't go into detail about sexism because it's a very touchy subject that I don't want to discuss further. However, I believe that these bully tactics not only make those who instigate it look foolish, but they also harass all the innocent people who are going about their business because of a few bad apples. The unfortunate reality is that there will always be fans in the fandom who act inappropriately and cause trouble for everyone else. However, this does not justify inciting moral panic or demeaning a group of innocent individuals who partake in a particular hobby because of a single misbehaviour or just because you disagree with someone on a particular issue.
Yumeka finally raises a crucial point at the end when she talks about how she was teased because she was an anime fan. "I like individuals, but not people so much," the woman says. I do agree with that viewpoint because I think that as long as fans are not hurting other people, they should be allowed to enjoy their hobbies without worrying about criticism. Even if they disagree with them or have different tastes, I believe that individuals should respect each other's interests and hobbies. I am aware that, particularly in elementary school, there will be peer pressure to fit in and be popular, which can negatively affect one's self-esteem. It shouldn't cause you any trouble. In spite of the events of late, I believe that bullying is lessening as video games and anime, together with the Japanese Otaku subculture, gain enough traction to become mainstream.
Having said that, have you ever been the target of bullying because you enjoy video games, anime, manga, or the otaku subculture? In that case, how do you handle it? What are your thoughts on the mainstream media's scapegoating of video games, anime, or a particular demographic of hobbyists?
Comments
Post a Comment