Seriously, people should stop calling everything they don’t like or care about “mid”.
Summary:
Otaku are inherently competitive, often trying to argue which show is better.
These arguments aren’t exclusive to the anime fandom.
Many of these arguments are provocative and full of buzzwords, which is bad — they should instead be constructive.
It seems like a lot of anime fans end up arguing on the internet with others. With fans praising their own favorite shows while criticizing others, it often feels like the anime fandom is an eternal battlefield. Many find this a normal state of being; others, however, feel like that kind of behavior is stupid and childish. Why are otaku like that — and should something be done about this?
All fandoms are like that — not just anime
This kind of behavior, of course, is not exclusive to anime fans. Any fandom that is large enough would behave like that — fans would always seek self-assertion by trying to prove others that what they like is actually “objectively” good. Anime fans are no different, and with how many different anime exist out there, it’s obvious that no one would share the same opinion. And with everyone having at least some points of disagreement with each other, the arguments are unavoidable. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be approached in a more civil manner.
Baiting others for engagement is unhealthy
Many arguments among anime fans are, by the very nature, provocative. Even if you might not necessarily think something is terrible, you might exaggerate the opinion to bait out engagement. While that may achieve short-term results, it’s unhealthy in the long run: after all, there’s no reason to say something you don’t actually think. With many meaningless buzzwords like “mid” and “peak” thrown around, it often feels like arguments about anime are circular and don’t achieve anything.
These buzzwords, while easy to understand, can actually mean whatever people want — and it often feels like people only use them to put others down. That’s not a good mindset, and it’s in part influenced by X (formerly Twitter) — with the length limits for tweets, it’s really hard to say something meaningful. All constructive criticism requires longer write-ups and explanations, which is not something that’s possible to do in a short form.
Arguments aren’t bad per se
However, arguments aren’t necessarily bad per se — they are only bad if the only purpose is to invoke rage and offend someone. Constructive arguments and constructive criticism are actually healthy and good for the fandom — while you might not agree with the points others make, you can at least see the thought process behind their opinions. The point, however, shouldn’t be to prove that some anime is better or worse than another: after all, many points boil down to personal opinions.
Seriously, people should stop calling everything they don’t like or care about “mid”.
Summary:
Otaku are inherently competitive, often trying to argue which show is better.
These arguments aren’t exclusive to the anime fandom.
Many of these arguments are provocative and full of buzzwords, which is bad — they should instead be constructive.
It seems like a lot of anime fans end up arguing on the internet with others. With fans praising their own favorite shows while criticizing others, it often feels like the anime fandom is an eternal battlefield. Many find this a normal state of being; others, however, feel like that kind of behavior is stupid and childish. Why are otaku like that — and should something be done about this?
All fandoms are like that — not just anime
This kind of behavior, of course, is not exclusive to anime fans. Any fandom that is large enough would behave like that — fans would always seek self-assertion by trying to prove others that what they like is actually “objectively” good. Anime fans are no different, and with how many different anime exist out there, it’s obvious that no one would share the same opinion. And with everyone having at least some points of disagreement with each other, the arguments are unavoidable. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be approached in a more civil manner.
Baiting others for engagement is unhealthy
Many arguments among anime fans are, by the very nature, provocative. Even if you might not necessarily think something is terrible, you might exaggerate the opinion to bait out engagement. While that may achieve short-term results, it’s unhealthy in the long run: after all, there’s no reason to say something you don’t actually think. With many meaningless buzzwords like “mid” and “peak” thrown around, it often feels like arguments about anime are circular and don’t achieve anything.
These buzzwords, while easy to understand, can actually mean whatever people want — and it often feels like people only use them to put others down. That’s not a good mindset, and it’s in part influenced by X (formerly Twitter) — with the length limits for tweets, it’s really hard to say something meaningful. All constructive criticism requires longer write-ups and explanations, which is not something that’s possible to do in a short form.
Arguments aren’t bad per se
However, arguments aren’t necessarily bad per se — they are only bad if the only purpose is to invoke rage and offend someone. Constructive arguments and constructive criticism are actually healthy and good for the fandom — while you might not agree with the points others make, you can at least see the thought process behind their opinions. The point, however, shouldn’t be to prove that some anime is better or worse than another: after all, many points boil down to personal opinions.
