It seems everything in the United States has a political dimension to it, even to what type of bath soap you decide to buy! Anime, unfortunately, is no different. It’s not unusual for me to receive an ugly message that touches on political or racial topics. I’m more troubled by the lack of understanding such messages show than troubled as the sender hopes to achieve. Most of them show a remarkably poor level of historical knowledge and general learning. Yeah, it’s elitist of me to write that! But I’ve been called a (I beg your pardon for this) “snowflake Neo Nazi Jew” (?) and other similarly contradictory or conspiracy theory-based accusations for writing about anime topics as I do. They are good for a laugh! But I don’t think that’s the reaction the sender wants.
For the longest time, I chalked these up to the usual Internet trolling. My generation, after all, invented trolling! And, to be elitist again, today’s trolls fail to understand the art of trolling. They are too blunt and crude and lack the subtle digs trolling in the old dial-up modem days had. The best trolling happens when the target doesn’t know they are being trolled! But I’m getting off topic. As I received these messages, I noticed they had a political theme to them. Most come from the alt-right.
The alt-right part of the anime community is a strange amalgamation. When I’m flamed (is that the word the kids use today?), it’s usually for articles about fan service and community terms like anime tourist. You’d think I’d be flamed for sometimes supporting fan service. After all, American conservatism supports, at least expresses support, for abstinence, waiting until marriage, modest dress, traditional roles, and so on. Fan service, among the anime disliking people I know, is seen as immodest, way too sexual, too violent, child sexual abuse material, and so on. But in the alt-right side of the anime community, they have the opposite stance. The messages I’ve received defend fan service and all the other Japanese elements and tropes associated with anime. Considering many of anime’s elements can be labeled using the American progressive or liberal (which isn’t a good way of cross-culture labeling), this stance is curious. The messages use alt-right coded language and slurs to defend a progressive–or even, if you allow me to futz the labels, Democratic–message. Anime often features strong female characters that take male roles in stories and more passive male characters taking female roles in stories, such as in the recent Dealing with the Mikadono Sisters is a Breeze.
If we apply the definition of the word conservative outside the usual American political understanding, this defense makes sense. Fan service is seen as a part of what makes anime anime and reducing it would be a change, a lack of conservation, relative to this reference point. They don’t want something they enjoy to change in a direction they view as worse. And taking a stand against fan service or anime tropes in general can be seen as a “liberal” attack.
In a similar way, my articles about anime community terminology apparently seem to feel like an attack to some of these fans, considering the vehemence of the messages relating to these articles. Again, these use alt-right terms and racial slurs most of the time. Although, I do get some on the alt-left side as well. There’s not much separating the alt-right or alt-left in American politics. Politics is a circle. When you go to far left or right, you end in the same place, although it can be hard to see that because of the groupthink involved.
Most of the time these political messages tell me:
- The messenger didn’t read the article. Much of the time, I address their complaints in the article, often falling on their side of the topic. I like fan service when it enhances the narrative, for example.
- They are young. Trolling is immature, after all.
- Need to spend more time reading books, actually watching anime, and less time online in general.
These (again, American) politically-coded messages points to how indoctrination is easy to fall into, even as anime fans. When everything is politicized, the manipulation techniques infect everything. The need to belong to a group easily backfires in unhealthy ways. It must be exhausting to have to defend oneself and one’s group all the time, even down to when opinions about animation differs from you. These people become victims of groupthink, to the point where they don’t realize they aren’t the independent thinkers they believe themselves to be. I’ve heard many people talk about being “sheepdogs” instead of sheep. They never realized the fact they use such coded language reveals how they are indeed the sheep following the lingo and thinking of their political party and in-group. The American left does the same thing using different terms. Even the anime community does this. And no, I don’t believe myself immune to it. It’s a very human habit that needs to be curbed the best you can because, at times, it can be detrimental.
Applying American political lenses to Japanese-exported entertainment strikes me as incongruous, even though I will also do it for discussion purposes. Anime isn’t made in American contexts. The messages, characters, and narratives differ because of that different context. Granted, American politics and views have an outside influence on most things because of America’s superpower status. When Rome was a superpower, it even exerted some influence in China, according to various Roman writings and Chinese references I’ve encountered in the scholarly literature. And I’m aware that I apply American (non-political) lenses to anime too. I do this, in part, because most of JP’s readers are American or Westerners. But to mix American alt-right views with anime’s messages is a curious development. Granted, once a work is published, the original creator’s message no longer matters as much as how the audience interprets the work. With luck, the audience will see the original creator’s message, but the creator has no real say in the matter.
I prefer to keep politics out of anime, at least as much as I can. Social trends are more interesting than politics, which is another word for procrastination or immaturity from my perspective.
I had debated about writing this post, considering it’s mostly a rant that will draw more messages calling me a fucktard or Dachau perpetrator (while denying the Holocaust in the same message). I’m feeding the trolls with this article. But at the same time, these messages I’ve seen point to the American politicization of everything and the decrease in information literacy. The combination of the two prevents people from realizing they are being manipulated by the political messaging. The messaging of their group makes them believe they are on the correct side of thinking. And I can understand the concern about losing something they enjoy and hold dear. Sadly, the thought patterns behind the messages infect much of American life now, to the point I would be more surprised if I never received these sorts of messages. Information literacy–that is, the ability to discern, fact check, and consider a variety of contradicting ideas at once–isn’t taught in general education. An informationally literate population would be less vulnerable to marketing and political messages, after all. Yeah, that is getting close to a conspiracy theory. This lack of information literacy isn’t designed by some cabal. It’s baked into American culture, gaining a momentum of its own that doesn’t need some sort of design behind it.
John Adams wrote that “wisdom and knowledge, as well as virtue, diffused generally among the people” were necessary to protect rights and liberties (Black, 2020). Good education, information literacy and sound character are necessary for democracies to function. This applies to any sort of community, including the anime community, that wants to function amicably.
Anyway, I appreciate you enduring this rantish article. Mostly, I’m concerned about the lack of information literacy I see in some sections of the anime community and greater American society. And I get it. Information literacy doesn’t come naturally or easily. I didn’t study it in depth until my masters degree. And that fact is quite a problem. Information literacy, like secondary languages, ought to be introduced in age-appropriate ways from the start of education. Likewise, I understand the concern behind the trolling messages. The writers don’t want to see something they enjoy, something that has become a part of their identity, like anime or manga, disparaged. Of course, some also just want to try to make a random stranger feel upset for…some reason. As you can see, it made me feel more thoughtful toward the greater society trend than anything else. And they are good for a small laugh and a face palm!
References
Black, Derek (2020) America’s Founders Recognized the Need for Public Education. Democracy Requires Maintaining That Commitment Time. https://time.com/5891261/early-american-education-history/
Matt Alt once said that the beauty of anime is that it really unites everyone of all colors, genders, and ideologies. Everyone can find something within it. The beauty of anime is that Japan doesn’t care what most people in the outside world think. For American exceptionalism, this is inspiring because we are taught to not care as well. At least, that’s how I see it.
I agree with Matt Alt’s sentiment. If only people could focus on what is held in common in their enjoyment instead of trolling each other. The not-caring is something creators at one point or another have to come to terms with. Once you publish something, you lose control over that something. People will receive it as they will. Realizing that gives you more freedom to create what you enjoy or want to create.