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  • Mzuark@lemmygrad.ml
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    2 years ago

    I desperately want to understand why there’s such an overlap between anime fans and white supremacists.

    • roccopun@lemmygrad.ml
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      2 years ago

      Modern anime is dominated with right wing ideology, just like the original anime industry (before anime was even a word in the west) from decades ago were dominated by left wing ideology. In many ways it’s a reflection of the transition in Japanese society as well.

      On the one hand this will attract those who are already right leaning, and on the other hand it can implant their underlying one-sided narrative and logics to people in general making them increasingly sympathetic. You might notice this is how a lot of “harmless” ideological “soft power” works.

      Decades ago you had tropes like characters were going back to Japan in the 40’s and happily telling people how our country will be horribly defeated soon to a brainwashed society who didn’t react well and clearly still on the wrong side of history. Today this will get the author cancelled and death threats in under an hour.

      Instead today you have tropes like how the bad guys that genocide millions deserve your sympathy actually. How only a few supreme individuals can save society, and actually maybe the masses are stupid and vile and does not deserve your effort and kindness in the first place. How I can commit a million crimes but I’m just trying to protect my friends, butchering the entire world for bros is honorable actually, oh especially if the bro died or something, who knows right from wrong anyway? You can’t judge me!

      Of course white supremacists love it. If I supported my blonde haired aryan taking revenge on millions of jews because something something my bro died fighting one, or my wife or kids died totally because one of them stole my jobs or something, I would be attacked for being a POS. But if I’m just supporting my blue haired anime boy losing his cool and taking revenge on millions of rat people or something because his bro died, it’s quite touching actually and oh don’t you just agree how horrible those rat people are, pretending to be good all this time while it turns out it’s all an act and one of them could actually do this one bad thing this one time.

    • MkUltraVolunteer@lemmygrad.mlOP
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      2 years ago

      Some would argue Anime’s roots come from Japan’s effort to be accepted by whites in the west. It’s not a coincidence that anime characters are mostly white/European passing with really no Asian characteristics.

    • xxcvzvcxx@lemmygrad.ml
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      2 years ago

      Because anime is mainstream now. it’s like asking why there’s such an overlap between white supremacists and TV watchers.

    • 201dberg@lemmygrad.ml
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      2 years ago

      Anime comes from Japan which already is generally pretty racist. Almost all anime characters are drawn to look like typical white people and ethnic stereotypes are pretty obvious in anime. There’s also a good number of anime that low key supports a Nazi Germany type world. Some Isekai animes the main characters backstory is they come from a world where Nazi Germany won WW2. They play this down in the anime but it’s way stronger in the manga’s and even moreso in the novels. It really ruins anime for those of us that just like animated shows in general and want something with actual story which western media can barely even do with shows involving real humans.

      Also most anime fans overlap with being terminally online gamer types so all that too.

      • Mzuark@lemmygrad.ml
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        2 years ago

        It hurts because I really do like anime. But then I see all the blatant fascist propaganda or genocide denial it makes me sick to my stomach.

        • 201dberg@lemmygrad.ml
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          2 years ago

          There are still plenty that don’t do this. Seems like the trend is getting more obvious with more recent animes. Also there’s some pretty good ones coming out from China I hear. I absolutely love Scissors Seven. Easily in my top 10. It’s just so corny yet also has a serious note to it. Definitely recommend if you haven’t seen it.

      • NvMe24@lemmygrad.ml
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        2 years ago

        i mean shows like Gundam always show Zeon(or the Zeon equavilent) in a more positive light than the Federation, this is also very obvious in Thunderbolt from what i’ve remember

    • MkUltraVolunteer@lemmygrad.mlOP
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      2 years ago

      The amount of comments in that thread saying “he’s probably just young and stupid” is alarming. Nazis being normalized in real time.

      • Mzuark@lemmygrad.ml
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        2 years ago

        And then we’re going to be shocked when the next Nazi mass shooter pops up in America. Since we claim to hate them so much. Totally has nothing to do with this fascist shit becoming more and more accepted by the masses.