Butthurts, Circlejerks, Labels and Jellyfish

In the past few years there's been a rise in the number of anime and manga fans, and subsequently Cosplayers. People being people, and by that I mean a stupid ignorant mass that is the general demographic of society, brought with them a rudeness and aggressive outspoken attitude that the spoilt youth tend to harbour.

The community as I've said before is like a big dumb animal incapable of fine motor control, much like me after my second white wine spritzer. It responded with a flurry of activists who very harshly in turn with almost bullying tactics to label the newer harsh ones so permanently that it was unthinkable they would grow into a member of the community that we could one day appreciate. This happened, this can't unhappen, but this response action grew and deformed like white blood cells attacking it's own body in a horrific irony of ever escalating actions. Honesty is out of the window and in comes the fear of speaking your own mind, instead I see people ignoring the truth and praising completely ridiculous shit and each other. Hell go build a campfire so you can keep warm cracking each other off. If someone does speak their mind holy mother fuck here comes a lynching harder than all of the MCM Expo Forum moderators coming down on someone for saying they don't want to buy a wristband.

Craft foam is not a good replacement for a backbone.

One of the things that pisses me off more than my Barber's shutting at 5.30 when they said they shut at 6 is when the inevitable "reason" comes out. Problems, life dilemmas, baggage, all out in the public view as if you'd get arrested for doing that out in the street. Some people suffer from problems, nasty heavyweight bonecrushing paralysing stuff that's like trying to carry my monthly food shopping in one go. I've got about 250 people from the community on my facebook. How many have real problems? 10, 15 at a stretch. The rest are able to actually take a step outside of the door, talk on a mobile phone, talk to new people.

For every emotion there's an "extreme" and these never get explored. I'll tell you about one guy, not saying who. He attends classes to cope with anger issues, his home life is not fantastic because his family are idiots and the parent who is the world to him is disintegrating in front of his eyes. He puts on a brave face and doesn't tell anyone that he's always 3 steps from screaming and hurting people like he used to do many years before the community knew of him. But you wouldn't know it, because he knows that getting attention doesn't fix anything, just unfiltered anger kept on a tether that could snap so very easily. He appears as any other guy but you wouldn't know beyond that is a wall of rage. If you ever feel insecure, or paranoid once or twice then get over it, good for you. You don't have it on 24/7, or constantly fighting back your demons when you're trying to be a good person but getting shit thrown back in your face. Toughen the fuck up.

I find there's a lot of "Us vs You" and segregation in places where it shouldn't, especially in the anime/manga/cosplay community. We pride ourselves on being open to all, yet get past the free hugs and the facade of open minds and you'll see we're really not. You'll get invited to events/cons/expos/meet ups and then on the day you'll find yourself in a group of strangers none of whom wish to talk to you if your cosplay isn't ridiculously awesome or if you don't have something to offer them. Thankfully it's not all like that, just the ever increasing vast majority.

I came to realise that it's all a power struggle for a small collection of people who wish to have a little control and attention from others. Maybe it's how they get by, but if you aren't liked for being who you are when you take the costume off.. you're wasting your time whatever you do.

~Warai Otoko

Perspective

Every individual who has the gift of all (or most) of their physical senses, perceives the world in their own way. Some people see everything as it is, some see more, some see less. It's all a matter of processing the information presented to us.

You'll come across certain individuals who do or don't think about how they see the world and how the world sees them.

The introvert may think too much about it, and is paranoid as to how they'd be seen by the world. They stay quiet, on the sidelines and watch. They wait for the right moment to say something safe. The extrovert may upset a lot of people, but not care how they are seen. We've all come across someone who is both liked a hell of a lot, yet is tolerated at the best of times.

I've talked about how it is with the community, how suddenly you'll feel in a different world full of drama, turmoil and heightened emotions. What we see and how we are seen are not fixed and universal, and unless you max out your effort and try to please everyone you'll have as much negativity towards you as you will positivity. That's just how it is, some people won't like you just "because".

I don't mind anymore, or rather I don't care if anyone wishes to be superficial around me purely for my attention. I can see what you're doing and you're mistaking my apathy for blindness.

Try to please everyone and you lose your integrity. Act like you don't care and you'll lose friends, and if you don't think about what you say if you choose to gossip about someone's private life then you've already set yourself down a very miserable path. You don't get anywhere through talking smack or spreading rumours unless it's to remove obstacles out of the way or your incredible talent. If you're mediocre, bland, average, hell if your talent is even above average, great, amazing or wonderful; it's still not enough to pull you through if you're making yourself out to be a gossiping little shit. It all adds up. People may say they forgive and/or forget, but there'll always be that lingering feeling, how you've wronged them. You'd be very lucky if things go back to how they were, the best you could do is make something better than it was.


I don't usually type things without it inherently having a purpose or message. Otherwise what's the bloody point, I'm not here for attention or to show you how hilarious I can make metaphors like how the last time the Tory party all pulled together was in the showers in the boys changing room at Eton college. Hell I can't even tell you what to do because then I'd be a douche for telling you what to do and softer than Mr Stay Puft at an opium den.

It used to be that we'd have a handful of friends and slowly branch out, the faster we gain friends the faster we lose them. Anyone you have known for less than a week is not your friend, they're someone you know. Though I could easily extend that to months, years even.

If you're not hurting anyone, go do what you do. There'll be haters, and that's their problem not yours. But if you are making someone's life difficult then you're just a c*** aren't you.

Just think about it, not a lot. Just enough.
~Warai Otoko

Ps. Fuck you.