#applying real life scenarios to cartoons just doesn't work

[astriddestelle]

Another old show rewatch rant. This is more generalized but we as older watchers need to be mindful of the fact that these are KIDS shows.

Like I’m not saying a kids show can’t have substance but some of yall be taking scenes that are literally made for rule of funny or rule of cringe way too seriously.

Like omg yes Danny’s parents are hilariously incompetent and lowkey neglectful but to apply real life abuse to a cartoon about halfghost please be for real. If they were attentive parents you wouldn’t have a show, like the only reason Danny is able to get away with idk being a ghost superhero is cause his parents are oblivious it’s made for plot.

Aang kissing Katara without consent isn’t some makings of a future pedophile. My dude is 12 and about to possibly die tomorrow like- and it’s not like a stranger, they’ve kissed before in the cave of two lovers, had multiple moments of flirting and what not. Was it dumb yeah the whole point is to show how jealous and stupid Aang was being and people take it way more than it is.

Same with Katara saying you didn’t love her the way I did to Sokka, like bruh it was written for shock and to showcase how much her moms death effected her vs Sokka. Just because you didn’t see her apologize doesn’t mean she didnt. You don’t seem them go to the bathroom do you?

Total Drama is fictional the characters do insane challenges why are yall so up in arms about characters getting hurt (not including Zeke cause wtf) like by the next season everyone is back to normal. People never heard of toon logic.

Adrien and Marinette being idiots and come on. If they were smart the show wouldn’t exist. Same logic can be applied to the rest of the class. Bro if her class was smart there'd be no drama with Lila.

When it's being used for fanfic sure go crazy but when its used as a the end all and being taken as canon facts I'm like did we watch the same show?

I know it’s frustrating but relax a little guys. It's all just for fun.

[shrimpmandan]

What do you think about portraying problematic things in a good light in fiction? As someone who's more of an anti than proshipper, it baffles me when some people call out offensive portrayals of people belonging to marginalized groups but don't care when abuse/pedophilia etc. are glorified in fiction. It's totally fine to explore darker topics in fiction just out of curiosity or to cope with trauma but I think seeing traumatic things that happen to real people being glorified is kinda worrying.

I'd be glad to hear what you think. Have a nice day!

TL;DR: it's a recontextualization thing.

It's important to note of course that what someone finds enjoyable in fiction does not equate to what they find acceptable in real life, not 1-to-1, and it rarely ever correlates. That's not to say it never does, but I'll get back to that.

What I mean by "recontextualization" is that it can be a recontextualization of trauma. "If I portray my abuse as something positive or something that I wanted to happen, or that felt good, or that I was comforted and cared for afterwards-- maybe it won't hurt as much now." You can actually see this in real-world BDSM and the like, e.g. with rape victims using CNC to recontextualize and process their trauma with someone they trust and who cares about them. A lot of trauma victims see it as a reclamation of their sexuality, and you can easily apply this to incest, toxic relationships, and minor/adult relationships being portrayed in fiction as well.

But of course, it's not like you NEED to be a rape victim to have a CNC kink, yeah? 50-60% of women have one, and not all of them are rape victims. Some of them are drawn to the taboo. The power exchange. The "removal" of their autonomy in the context of a roleplay. That doesn't mean those women glorify rape, or think rape is a good thing. It just excites them, whether sexually or nonsexually. Would the same not apply to taboo relationships being explored in fiction-- the good, the bad, and the ugly?

I think you could also apply this to prejudice in fiction, to a degree. There's always this assumption that those types of works-- those involving raceplay, misogyny play, homophobia / transphobia play, and so on-- are written by bigots. Or that the only way you COULD enjoy that content is if you're a bigot yourself. News flash? I'm a bi man and I adore when homophobia is present in fiction. And that could include exploring the perspective of why someone might think homophobia is a good thing, or it being nothing more than a component to some vapid smut. There are PLENTY of minorities who project their trauma with dealing with prejudice into their works, and you can apply that 'recontextualization' argument here, too. A woman who has a misogyny kink as a way of reclaiming her oppression and for the illusion of having her autonomy violated, even though she consents to and has just as much power as her "aggressor" in the fantasy scenario, just as an example.

Of course, this all isn't to say people don't make bigoted or deplorable content for the EXPLICIT purpose of normalizing certain things or causing harm. Propaganda cartoons exist, wrought with racism and sexism and homophobia. There are people who genuinely believe that pedophilia is a good thing, or that BDSM relationships are abusive.

Anti-censorship is not anti-criticism and I feel like that might be where you're confused; you can support freedom of expression wholeheartedly while still critiquing the way something is portrayed in fiction, whether it be something taboo like incest, or something heavy like prejudice. The issue comes in when we accuse ALL portrayals of these things as being glorification. When we throw victims of oppression and trauma under the bus for not expressing their trauma in the "right way", whether it's "too heavy" or "too light-hearted". When we hound authors by immediately assuming malice and hate as opposed to ignorance and an opportunity for growth and education. When we put fanfiction writers who get maybe a few thousand hits tops on most of their works on the same scale as published, best-selling authors.

Yes, these things happen to real people. That's why we write about them. I think I'm pretty much allowed to glorify whatever I want in fiction when I've lived through nearly everything taboo, disgusting, and harmful you can think of. And hell, just because I have a thing for kidnapping doesn't mean I'm disrespecting my mother who was actually kidnapped in the actual real-world by an actual predator. Or is the taboo and traumatic only bad to portray as anything but "100% bad" when it comes to things that make you personally squirmy?