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Gatekeeping, especially for consumer mediums, occupations and consumer identities, is interesting. Gatekeeping, in of itself, to me, is not “good” or “bad”. Gatekeeping is a matter of ability and power to restrict access and another’s willingness to perceive restricted access.
The attempt in question has a clear political objective with the history of this individual’s politics (as well, consistently so, with this general audience’s politics).
This loose, decentralized collection of losers can be called “Anime Right” if you need a label to distinguish
This loose, decentralized collection of losers can be called “Anime Right” if you need a label to distinguish
The general motto is “Gatekeep your hobbies” omitting who they mean. Some in the “Anime Right” mean it in an anti-semitic way, some insert “degenerates” as a slur to mean anybody LGBTQIA+ or BIPOC and proud of it, and also some mean it to gatekeep people who stigmatize pedophilia
With the type of person who fancy themselves as “centrist, center-right”, “classical liberal (lol)”, and the good ol’ “apolitical”, they are either complicit in these goals or are so helplessly ignorant of who they hang out with that they are an active obstacle and are tools
Particularly the “apolitical” crowd who are aggressively apolitical. We’ve reached a point in time where both Poe’s Law, Occam’s Razor, and the exception made by Godwin for Godwin’s own law lose all of their potency with distinguishing “apolitical” from these Alt-right chuds
At least in fandoms, this conundrum is apparent and rampant. How the Alt-Right has coopted and hide behind “apolitical” as a label, justification, and ends in-of-itself all at the same time is troubling and challenging to address their concentrated presence in fandoms.
So, we’re still left with this increasingly aging video as a foundational guide to address these issues given how the Anime Right is the epicenter of hate speech, cyber bullying, and harassment online. “Schrodinger’s Douchebag” is the best we got still
The reason why I don’t classify gatekeeping as “good” or “bad” is for several reasons.
First, again, it’s about who has the power and ability to successfully control access to these mediums. Let me expand this a tad
First, again, it’s about who has the power and ability to successfully control access to these mediums. Let me expand this a tad
1) With Society and the globalized economy structured the way it is rn, it’s impossible to restrict the flow of information, let alone people’s access, consumption and participation with said information and fandom.
I honestly believe that the “Anime Right” believes they can
I honestly believe that the “Anime Right” believes they can
2) Even if the Anime Right tries to gatekeep, all they will be doing is further solidifying their own personal social network. What they’re gatekeeping is not anime (or any given hobby, medium and occupation) itself, but what they are gatekeeping is acceptance among their groups
3) What’s problematic about this, despite the evident and inevitable failure of these efforts, is that this creates a sense of unearned supremacy and “ownership” over their hobbies, and by extension, their ability to continue to define things on their exclusive, explicit terms
This spills over into everything they touch: light novels, video games, manga, Vocaloid, conventions, JPop, and now VTubers as I’ve pointed out before with their unearned and perceived ownership over the women that they simp for.
4) Gatekeeping is about controlling access. None of us have the ability to do this. What is utilized is how politically charged the word itself is, which summons incredible reactions from everybody in the conversation. It’s amazing how this is never pointed out
An intended or unintended effect with uttering the word “gatekeeping” in a negative context is dissuading people away from *you* and people associated with you specifically, hence gatekeeping your groups and social network specifically rather than an entire fandom
3 weeks ago now I tried to do this with Pewdiepie with the intention to make sure that I never get his audience, and communities that I’m apart of or approved of my attempt and messaging made that decision to close off to that crowd to us
That effort was wildly successful
That effort was wildly successful
In short, nobody can actually gatekeep a hobby, occupation, consumer identity etc in fandoms. What you’re actually gatekeeping is access to the community/groups that you are apart of.
In short too, the word “gatekeep” is only as effective as your perception of it. Remember this
In short too, the word “gatekeep” is only as effective as your perception of it. Remember this
@threadreaderapp unroll
