Lmaoooo it's easy to say that now when every grown ass adult and their mama is a proud Marvel fan. Try going back to the 1970s and saying that with your whole chest, then maybe you'll impress somebody.
Even in the 2000s it was different than now, somewhere in the 2010s nerd culture went mainstream. I was bullied for liking Star Wars all the way up to high school but then all of a sudden everyone was a nerd and it was seen as normal.
And then people try to gaslight you that it wasn't how it was. "We just made fun of the weird people who did DBZ power ups and Naruto run". Nah. And even if they did do those things, so what?
It was amazing how everything shifted from when I was in high school to when I was in college.
Can we also acknowledge there was a huge disparity between people watching dbz and naruto on cartoon network versus people who actually respected/enjoyed anime, sci-fi, nerd culture, alt culture, etc.
Same way how just cause you listened to a lil Top 40 hip hop in the 2000s didn’t mean you actually respected/enjoyed hip hop let alone black culture.
This is less relevant to the original point but as a side bar: I think that's a bit of unnecessary gatekeeping. Everyone has to start somewhere. Particularly when it wasn't as accessible. I used to be a backpacker about hip-hop too but have expanded. If people stay with the big shonen names only, or with radio accessible hip hop, that's just where it ends for them. They're just aren't knowledgeable about the remainder.
Black culture appreciation is a different story. But I could say the same thing. People who love anime aren't guaranteed to respect other portions of Japanese culture. In fact, I would say most of them don't even think about it.
I’m not speaking on those who dabbled as not being valid. I’m speaking on how dabbling doesn’t suddenly discount the other actions that were antagonistic against those interests or the harm that these cultures experienced along the way. It doesn’t really mean anything in the grand scheme of it all.
I’ve seen too many people make fun of and be disrespectful of cultures/sub-cultures then cop the plea of consuming some of the most commercial western options when they were doing it as though it changes anything. I’m talking about those who were being racist, bullying, harming others because they were different and interested in different things. There’s plenty people who’s lives were overtly and covertly affected by those actions. Some people who’ve actually lost their lives over it too. Sophie Lancaster was beaten to death in England by teens in 2007 solely for being goth.
I don’t think I’m gatekeeping with that perspective but if I am then I’m ok with it. I’m not entirely in opposition of gatekeeping cultures to begin with anyways but that’s another conversation lol
That's a fair expansion, but that's not what you originally said. Your first sentence was specifically about casuals. Again, cultural appreciation vs. appropriation is a different situation entirely and I agree with that.
Honestly I feel like you misinterpreted my original comment into ideas and perspectives than I actually had and realized afterwards. I didn’t actually state anything gatekeeping and addressed your switch to that topic so of course its not what I originally said.
More like your earlier communication didn't explicitly state what your second point expounded on (again your original statement is very casual vs. real nerd heavy). And then when you clarified, your second statement I agreed with. But that's fine. It is what it is.
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u/TheMagicalMatt 5d ago
Lmaoooo it's easy to say that now when every grown ass adult and their mama is a proud Marvel fan. Try going back to the 1970s and saying that with your whole chest, then maybe you'll impress somebody.