Anime elitism: why I’m cooler than you and why that doesn’t matter (shockingly delayed editorial #2)
Maybe it’s the nature of the Internet that ‘elitist’ behaviour and views are so widespread, no matter how much they are derided. I believe that a contributing factor to the perception of elitism among anime fans though is that the fandom is a niche community: simultaneously small enough to have a sense of ‘us’ versus ‘everyone else’ yet large enough to contain cliques, lingo and who knows what else. Within this relatively small group of individuals there still seem to be borders in our minds that separate each of us, including those who are in our eyes, or consider themselves to be, ‘elite’.
Walking the line of good taste without falling into the trap of ignorance and arrogance is walking on a knife edge, like our hero here
Unfortunately, the assumption of elite groups implies superiority and inferiority, so I think the ‘elitist’ term is inaccurate and should be used only for reasons of convenience (which is why I’m resorting to using it in this post). What I’m examining here are the people who are seen as ‘top of the heap’ and how that manifests itself; furthermore I’m questioning how their position may not be a ‘horizontal’ separation of superior and inferior…using my elitist self as an example because I rule (sarcasm intentional).
Elitism can stem from any separation among fans; the issue of editorial and episodic bloggers, those interested in doujinshi, figurines, games or those who watch and blog raws, for instance. In regards to the latter I certainly see anime fans who can understand anything more challenging than Chi’s Sweet Home without the use of subtitles to be an elite group. You have to wonder though how many people read blog posts related to material that only a minority have seen yet since the rest of us are still waiting for the subbed versions. That’s something of a separate issue, mind; the episodic vs. editorial blogging debate is a whole different can of worms that’s best avoided too.
A factor that I believe perpetuates the ‘us and them’ mentality and defensive behaviour of our little community is the ever-constant presence of very vocal and very embarrassing fans, who are part of the reason for non-fans’ misconceptions of the medium. Giddy catgirls and mouthy Narutards may look like they’re responsible for holding back mainstream acceptance of anime fandom (not to mention the progress of human evolution) but if you look at any knee-jerk reaction from the public or the media, it’s pretty understandable as to why it’s a touchy subject and why we try to lift ourselves up and away from the rabid fanboys and fangirls. Many of us are keen to emphasise “I’m not like them,” which means we end up thinking of ourselves as superior.
Embarrassing fan or a parody genius with balls of steel? You decide
Because ‘outsiders’ look down on all of us indescriminately, anime elitism mainly comes from within the fandom. Quite a lot of elitists fall into the three subcategories that Owen helpfully outlined, along lines of what they consider to be good taste. Now, ‘good taste’ is the very definition of subjectivity of course - the quality and obscurity elitists are two sides of the same coin in my view, being selective through the respective perceived quality and obscurity of what they choose to watch; they are, in many ways, similar to DS’s purist definition, or, indeed, Hidoshi, who is ‘not an elitist, but has standards’ (the third subcategory can indeed by referred to as that of ‘idiots’). Since merely having a set of standards or criteria to work with is harmless there is I think such thing as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ expression of opinions, which comes across as ‘elitism’, for want of a better word.
I guess that, if I had to admit to any of the subsets, I’d come out as a quality elitist. I’m selective, I usually stick to my favourite genres/styles and I’m sceptical of the genres I don’t like. I over-analyse and step back and think before bashing or raving about it. I’ve been fortunate enough to watch a wide variety of stuff and have people comment on what I’ve written, which has given me a pretty high level of confidence in my definition of taste - I’m full of myself enough to have a bit left over to put online, basically.
Furthermore I don’t approve of saying something’s good because it has a lot of fan service, or uses high production values as its only selling-point. Conversely, I discourage writing something off because it’s slow, pretentious or hard to understand. I’m also hard to please - I can enjoy a wide variety (Re: my apologist post) but my standards for what makes something outstanding are very high. And so on.
‘Nuff said
While the idea of what makes someone elitist stems from others’ impressions of them, the deciding factor as to whether it’s ‘good’ or ‘bad’ elitism depends on how the elitist projects his or her views. If they state their opinions with confidence and conviction without putting other peoples’ down or disregarding the validity of an opposing arguments, I think they can still be ‘elite’; crucially they aren’t projecting an offensive sense of superiority or ignorance that’s a characteristic of the traditional definition.
Elite individuals have something of a responsibility in that their opinions should be well informed in order to carry weight in an argument or discussion - if you want to be in that position you sure as hell had better make sure you have your facts right and your “Listen up! My views are relevant and interesting!” attitude doesn’t overstep the line and become “I rule. You suck.” In short, elitism doesn’t have to be negative if the elitist is intelligent enough to know when to show restraint and courtesy.
As for those ‘embarrassing fans’, they do draw undesirable attention from the occasional ignoranus (someone who is both stupid and an arsehole) but these supposed critics are usually attention-seekers who don’t bother with logical reasoning for their arguments - no better than the annoying brats they’re mocking. At the end of the day though, the embarrassing fans will grow out of it in time when they discover new shows or move onto other interests; as Impz pointed out, their voices merely happen to be louder than the rest of us, the validity of their views notwithstanding.
In terms of my own position though, does a declaration of being picky and over-analytical automatically come with a stance of superiority? I don’t think it does. Maybe it’s just me but many supposedly ‘elitist’ stances are just staunch conviction and having a firm grasp of what I like and don’t like. It’s also a sarchasm (the gulf between myself and those who don’t get my odd sense of humour) but most importantly sharing the love without putting myself on a pedestal above the people I share the enthusiasm and converse with on a regular basis. There’s a difference between having a set of defined opinions and standards, informed or otherwise, and beating everyone else over the head with them.
By way of thanks for reading to the end, may I present an example of cosplay done right. I APPROVE
Posted on April 19th, 2008 @ 6:26 pm
Restraint and courtesy? I remember those - back when I didn’t know what the internet was, yes. Good times. Excuse me while I wipe a tear from my eye.
I don’t really have much to say on the elitist furore (though evidently at times what I do have to say rhymes), since I don’t think I have good taste. I’m sure you don’t need reminding for the umpteenth time what my favourite anime is. For me, though, ‘elitist’ still carries the weight of an insult, despite efforts in certain quarters to reclaim it.
Also, the options presented in your second caption are hardly mutually exclusive. And even if he’s the former but not the latter, he still has balls of steel.
Posted on April 19th, 2008 @ 8:57 pm
It’s always good to catch yourself when you realize how much you know and have experienced in addition to how that info might affect how you see others because of it. I myself recently had to come to terms with the realization that my thoughts about “embarrassing fans” we’re unfounded and certainly elitist in attitude. And even if no-one else considered them elitist, I do, and that’s the important thing for me.
It’s also why you tend not to see me give strong opinions on my blog, since I’m not sure that I can fire off one without sounding either conceited or seriously un-informed. It’s why I get annoyed at people who bash things that they don’t need to bash, especially when it apparently shouldn’t matter to them in the first place.
Posted on April 19th, 2008 @ 9:00 pm
I completely agree with this statement and it sums me up as well, but I resent that this counts as elitism. Elitism in my mind is the active exclusion/attack of those who you view to be inferior to yourself, and what you’ve described is knowing your own tastes. I don’t believe the two are the same.
Elitism is an external action that consists of, as you say, ‘putting other peoples’ [tastes] down or disregarding the validity of an opposing arguments’. There’s no offensive attack in simply having a set of standards, or as I’ve said elsewhere, knowing your taste. It just seems like a lazy misuse of a loaded word when people fling it at those who like things traditionally associated with a superior attitude (in this case, ‘fringe’ anime).
P.S. You only approve of that cosplay because she’s hot! : D
Posted on April 19th, 2008 @ 11:53 pm
I <3 Internet!
You never know when there is a cheeky 13-year-old brat behind that comment!
I don’t terribly mind elitests or retards, they’re all funny in their own ways! I find hypocritical people annoying but I would prefer to ignore them rather than shout and scream or use the heavy handed ‘delete’ button.
The internet is like real life in that there are readers of the Guardian, Sun, Times and (unfortunately) Daily mail. People should go read whatever newspaper suits them. I think the Daily Mail are elitest plonkers but I just laugh at their befuddled viewpoints. If that is true then my perception of elite is anyone who has a veiwpoint I don’t agree with!
If some poster blows up over something innocuous like Kanokon or Naruto, then the joke’s on the poster.
For the record though, I think the anime blogging community looks after it’s own and that’s nice but could be misinterpreted as quite elitest.
P.P.S. I, for blind, innocent curiosity, wonder if the cosplayer above is Asian or Western?
Posted on April 20th, 2008 @ 2:14 am
Agreed. If being picky automatically meant you had some kind of superiority thing, everyone in some category or other suffers from that. I was forced to become picky about what I watch due to lack of time. Am I part of the elite? Hardly.
Posted on April 20th, 2008 @ 3:59 am
Like Caitlin, I would agree with you. I usually only watch one or two series in a season and it’s primarily because I don’t have time to watch everything. I also mentioned in this article of mine the reasons why we are picky when we choose. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we put ourselves above others. It just means we have individual tastes and are unique from one another.
Posted on April 20th, 2008 @ 4:41 am
I still dont understand elitism, do ppl really reach the endz of the internet, do they ever reach the end of anything with claim to fame? truly… I had to look it up. There must be a lot of elite ppl who have experienced all experiences and properly perceived them in their view and mine as well… I should just kill myself if these people really exist, because… they can live in my shoes with all that bad ass experience and free time on their hands.
Everyone is free, and without proper premise, everyone deserves respect, a simple attempt at understanding, perhaps that is why they fail, but I don’t know, I only know myself. write in sand
cheers
Posted on April 20th, 2008 @ 12:28 pm
@IKnight: there’s always going to be a negative attachment to the ‘elitist’ label, which is what prompted me to question the accuracy of the ways in which it’s used. And yeah, Sailor Bubba does indeed have balls of steel. What a legend!
@TheBigN: cheers for the link, strange I hadn’t read that post before already! I guess that if you’re going to do any bashing, your own blog is the place to do it; kudos for taking such a thoughtful approach and not actually exercising that ‘right to rant’!
@Hige: exactly. The term ‘elitist’ is misused I think - elitism is prevalent particularly on the ‘net, and conversely certain opinions are deemed ‘elitist’ when they aren’t. As for the Tifa cosplay, I don’t know what you mean… ¬_¬ at least it erased the after-image of Sailor Bubba from my mind!
@Teeif: maybe it really is the nature of the internet - it’s such an open arena that people are free to say what they like, even if that extends to being free to be stupid. The content of blogs is rather transient but newspapers are even more so - perhaps they can get away with questionable writing because it will be all forgotten by the time the next issue is on the shelves.
@Caitlin and Michael: I know exactly what you mean! Being selective is all too easy to be mistaken for elitism, but for many of us rejecting a lot of potential viewing is necessary, especially with the sheer quantity of stuff on offer these days. Basically there’s only so much time in the day so I can’t watch everything.
@Ryan A: I’m not sure what you’re getting at there but I suppose elitists are trying to attain some sort of fame or noteriety on the internet. Sadly being well-known online is something of an illusion unless they can become famous writers or celebs in real life or something. That does happen but I daresay not very often.
Posted on April 20th, 2008 @ 3:29 pm
Sailor Bubba, that’s his name! I knew he was famous. He frequently cameos in my nightmares.
Posted on April 20th, 2008 @ 7:10 pm
Wow, that post of mine that you linked to took me back. I’m kinda afraid to click on it, if only because I’ll probably be embarrassed at what I wrote or something. Anyway, tsundereisms aside…
It’s kind of interesting to see how my stance of this has evolved after 9 whole months. Aside from the whole apologist slant that I’ve been dabbling in, if you take into account how I’ve been projecting my opinions, I’d have to say that I’ve taken to mixing in baiting (or “trolling” as the internet usually phrases it, even if it’s a crude term that doesn’t really capture what I do) for satisfactory results.
I guess what I’m ultimately aiming for is a breed of provocative elitism, something that gets people thinking while being a firebrand and stating where I stand all at the same time. It keeps me on my toes and helps build up a backlog of post drafts (if only to reply to other posts… someday). Obviously, results may vary and this style doesn’t suit everyone, but I’m quite pleased with what it’s done so far, and hope to continue in this vein for as long as I can keep it up.
I’d lump your brand of elitism together with N’s as having a distinctly friendly/pacifist slant, which works! It’s nice to see you come to your own conclusion about this on where you stand, and I can see it at work in your posts. Keep up the elitist spirit!
Posted on April 21st, 2008 @ 9:27 pm
@Hige: yeah, Sailor Bubba. The other ‘crossplay’ stalwart is Man-Faye, who has also scaled the heights of questionable greatness at US cons too. *shudders*
@Owen: tsunereisms are always welcome around here! ^_^ It was really interesting to trawl back and dig out those posts that Impz and you wrote - while some of the people have changed somewhat in the intervening months, the issues haven’t. I’m just glad I’ve managed to set out my response to all that, even at this late stage. Third rewrite’s a charm I suppose!
Posted on April 24th, 2008 @ 3:40 am
I’d associate true-blue (and negative) elitism with being close-minded, applicable to someone who doesn’t understand why a certain subset of people will find show X enjoyable or worthwhile. Hence, the elitist labelling of “people who watch show X are stupid…”.
Good elitism will be of the provocative kind, as mentioned by Owen, where the elitist is able to state his stand on a certain issue and know where his/her bias (or the show-haters’ bias) are coming from, not for the sake of branding one’s opinion as more superior than another, but rather for the sake of making people think and rethink their current close-minded stand on the issue. Ultimately, for the sake of promoting open-mindedness, fostering understanding in the community, and all that
Posted on April 30th, 2008 @ 11:44 pm
Interesting… I don’t really have anything to add right now. But it’s still interesting.
Posted on May 2nd, 2008 @ 7:26 am
[...] was mostly inspired by reading Martin’s interesting post on elitism, whose title really says everything I just said. Possibly related posts: (automatically [...]