A Petition to Ban Anime in the US?

[Prometheus]

So, while surfing the web to find sources for my research paper for my Japanese culture class I stumbled upon an interesting page:

http://www.petitiononline.com/cutiepie/petition.html

Apparently, some overly zealous christian parent (that apparently doesn't get out very much) started a petition online to ban anime in the US because it's a "perverse, evil, insiduous form of animation from the dark land of Japan, and is corrupting America's youth at unprecedented rates. And yes, that is a direct quote from the petition.

After reading this I almost fell out of my chair from laughing so hard. But then I started thinking about just how bad the misconceptions of Anime are in the US. The person that started this petition is obviously an extreme, but a very large number of people have negative views of anime. People that watch it are often seen as weird or nerdy. While that's never stopped me from loving and watching anime, the negative connotations associated with anime and the people that watch it does bother me sometimes.

Why do people view anime in such a negative way? I think it's due to this alienation factor of anime being so different from conventional pop culture in the US that people don't even give themselves the chance to enjoy it. They immediately dismiss it due to their preconceived notions that anime is too weird. One of my friends that lived across the street from me for years knew that I watched anime fairly often and always thought I was strange for doing so. But after convincing him to watch the first few episodes of Death Note, he was hooked. We watched the whole series, and he loved it. It felt like a great accomplishment that I was able to get him to put aside his prejudices about anime and actually enjoy it.

Why do you think so many people are totally against anime?

 

[LazyCat]

The funny thing is that both male leads of Love Hina and Ah My Goddess (and the main heroine for that matter) are over 18.

 

[Leggy]

"groups of young men on Love Hina-fueled rampages are raping children at a level unheard of since the 60s."

Say what??? What???

That's the most idiotic thing I've heard in a while!

I wonder what they think was going on in the sixties to make it higher then? Maybe Elvis and The Beatles?

At least that pile of garbage is old news. They want to send it to President Bush, who hasn't been president since 2008.

 

[gershy]

Says pedobear -_-
You would prefer them to be under 18 XD

I think it is just not useful to do these things , anime is too good to ban .

They are so naive that they are gonna say that the game of thrones is too "sexuel" -_-.

 

[Ghost Kitty~]

Hmm.... I guess they caught their kid watching random stuff =w= Seems like ignorance and stupidity in the highest order

 

[GlassNoodles]

Pretty much everyone I know thinks anime is weird or stupid.

I think it's mostly because 1) most people only see the anime that get aired on [as], which typically aren't fantastic. 2) anything that isn't on mainstream TV is subtitled, and anime in general is foreign, which is scary and strange to 'mericans.

Also, it's animation. And most people are too absorbed with social stereotypes and norms that they can't bring themselves to enjoy something 'cartoony' because it's 'made for kids.'


It really just boils down to close-mindedness. Either that, or they're under the impression that all anime is tentacle porn lol.

 

[FinalPyre]

I'm rather cautious about where I bring up anime. I normally don't bring it up unless I already know the people well enough that they won't get a bad first impression because of it.

Growing up in a Christian community, I watched as just about every main pop-culture thing from Japan, or even some things from America were deemed as evil and banned. Especially prejudiced against Japan though.

Also there is always this fun fact: Japan being one of the few places where you can get away with drawn loli/shota porn also has some of the lowest child-rape statistics in the world. Some of the places with the most strict child porn laws that incorporate art have some of the highest child rape statistics. Perhaps Japan is doing it right.

 

[GlassNoodles]

I'm rather cautious about where I bring up anime. I normally don't bring it up unless I already know the people well enough that they won't get a bad first impression because of it.

Growing up in a Christian community, I watched as just about every main pop-culture thing from Japan, or even some things from America were deemed as evil and banned. Especially prejudiced against Japan though.

Also there is always this fun fact: Japan being one of the few places where you can get away with drawn loli/shota porn also has some of the lowest child-rape statistics in the world. Some of the places with the most strict child porn laws that incorporate art have some of the highest child rape statistics. Perhaps Japan is doing it right.

People will always want what they can't have. Making something forbidden, to some people, makes it equally irresistible...even if they didn't particularly care about it before.

 

[Ghost Kitty~]

Hmm... maybe i just dont talk to people much so dunno much about other's views on anime... =w=

Something to release their lust on? :/

 

[FinalPyre]

[MENTION=25661]GenKiDan[/MENTION]; that is a tried and proven argument, but I think in this case [MENTION=8332]samyeung46[/MENTION]; argument is probably more valid to the situation.

 

[Will98]

[MENTION=1649]Prometheus[/MENTION]

Thanks for posting that link. Reading that really made my day.

[MENTION=37707]FinalPyre[/MENTION] Yup, back in history when Japan's pedos and bears were on the loose, the administration decided to bring forth the creation of lolis and shotas. This effectively reduced offenses by above people and everybody could go about their lives again.

 

[unownHGSS]

That..was the most ridiculous petition I have ever seen. Surprised that it even managed to get 8k+ signatures..Oh well..

It just makes me sad that there are so many people who have such a negative view on Anime. They're all so prejudiced that it's nerdy/geeky without ever watching one of them. I myself am sort of..cautious about bringing it up in public or wherever. Only my closest friends know that I'm into Anime/Anime related stuff. Even here in The Netherlands where it's even not all that well known, you still get the stamp of 'geek' when you mention you watch it. So for that reason I'm happy that they at least hold those Anime conventions so that all those who love Anime can fully express them selves in any form like cosplay without other people's condescending looks.

 

[Rucking Fetard]

I would understand if those parents never know about "anime" at all and caught their kid watching an anime where fanservice is the PLOT itself (not literally, but you know what I mean)
But well, opinions.
Like how we are here saying "that's ridiculous! anime is normal!", people out there are saying "anime? wtf dude" and the such.

My country here doesn't seem to care at all about anime, though most people know anime as "hentai" lol

 

[LioNeeZ]

well I think they are against anime for no reason, I mean surely you could blame the voilence on an anime as much as you can on video games, but the main point that voilent people will be this way and I really douth that they need any bloody inspirement by comic books,video games,anime and etc.

I might also add that there are some books out there that are waaaaay more voilent and preverted than any anime or video game or even movie, just imagine of the descriptions of killing and raping that there are in some books, and yet those people think that some visuals are way more horoffic when the words sunk deep into a person mind, and god knows what he is thinking about when he is reading this or what images show up in hes head as he reads more of it.

Remember, these are the same people that want to ban video games by accusing them of having negative influance on the youth, there is no way to talk sense with them.

 

[Ignis]

There's no need to be overly concerned over this. Something like this won't have a steady foothold for long. Various forms of art are a medium of expression and as such qualify under First Amendment protection. When California imposed a law to restrict sale and rental of violent video games to minors, it was thoroughly struck down by courts up to the SCOTUS.

Granted, the video game industry has some powerful lobbyists such as the ESA (Entertainment Software Association), but putting a blanket ban on anime -- an entire form of art -- would no doubt up the ante.

Besides, we're talking about a country where PORN, which would more objectively fit some of the smearing words used in the petition, is such a profitable venture that even deserves legal protection.

Also there is always this fun fact: Japan being one of the few places where you can get away with drawn loli/shota porn also has some of the lowest child-rape statistics in the world. Some of the places with the most strict child porn laws that incorporate art have some of the highest child rape statistics. Perhaps Japan is doing it right.

This needs to be said more. Moralists tend to jump onto the grandstanding bandwagon ever so quickly, empirical research be damned. It's just that handling the direct causes such as mental disorder and bad parenting/parental treatment is so hard, while imposing secondary, tertiary, quaternary liabilities generates headlines.

I would guess some of the people who started the petition just caught their sons watching Boku no Pico red-handed.

 

[Anne]

Some people hate what they don't understand. u_u

 

[Second_Flight]

I would guess some of the people who started the petition just caught their sons watching Boku no Pico red-handed.

So Ignis-san like watch boku no picco...

 

[Ignis]

...No. I saw a few seconds of it when a friend played it on her laptop in class and that was it.

 

[Ghost Kitty~]

If only we could shove them in a room and force them to watch anime (or poke out their eyes) then they might understand it a bit... then again... they might just complain more =w=

 

[T-ELOS]

People are quick to point the blame somewhere else, and it's easiest to point the blame on something you don't understand. Whoever wrote this petition is making themselves look like a fool.

 

[GenKiDan]

[MENTION=25661]GenKiDan[/MENTION]; that is a tried and proven argument, but I think in this case [MENTION=8332]samyeung46[/MENTION]; argument is probably more valid to the situation.

Eh ^^ I'm here now, but I wonder if you mentioned the wrong guy or....

If only we could shove them in a room and force them to watch anime (or poke out their eyes) then they might understand it a bit... then again... they might just complain more =w=

:o Please don't, I don't even want them to see what they don't understand okey....If they don't have the ability to understand it, they will only come out more twisted, and ....well, it would, be terribly awkwards!, it's not meant for their eyes, but ours :p Lets just keep them out of the loop and have our own thing going among ourselves ^^

//

Other than that, I think I'm past the stage of actually caring, what they think shouldn't effect me. Even though I must be honest and say that I don't think I can disagree with any claim that certain stuff can encourage and enhance certain things which could in a relative way be said to be less than "good" depending on certain moralistic standpoints. Though there sometimes comes a clash of certain truths at times which is unaligned with what we either are, or how we are, in those instances it takes some character to be honest with oneself, and not seek justification, as is mosts people first and instinctual reaction. If so I'd rather admit what ever the truth may be to the best of my ability, but what ever that might lead to or be, is nobodies business ;j

They've talked about banning porn in Britain I remember. The way some things develop I wouldn't be surprised anymore if they where able to ban it honestly, but it would be in a different paradigm than is currently present. We think "that would never work in todays world", or America...it's just that it might not be the same world anymore...Things have been luring on the horizon for a great time already and change might come quicker than what most are aware of.

 

[Ghost Kitty~]

But you could choose something that they wont disagree with just to prove that theyre idiots for generalizing anime with two shows :/

Hmm my thought is they can find stuff and not go pedobear so theyll basically turn into one of those otaku that give them a bad name but otaku nonetheless ;p Then theyll maybe be weighing the option of actually doing that crap and getting in jail (where they wont be able to watch anime or do anything) or just continue as they had been =w=

 

[FinalPyre]

Yup, back in history when Japan's pedos and bears were on the loose, the administration decided to bring forth the creation of lolis and shotas. This effectively reduced offenses by above people and everybody could go about their lives again.

Is this actually loosely based on historical fact? Very interesting if it is.


[MENTION=25661]GenKiDan[/MENTION]; Sorry, my bad! I think I just saw the picture of Yuno, and the forefront 'G' in glass noodles and thought it was you! XD

 

[Selvaria Bles]

to be honest as ridiculous as it sounds, the fact that somebody even suggested it tells us something, how far anime has progressed.

however the fact anime has been pushing boundaries with every new series that's been released, its still wrong to ban anime on the whole, even categorize all anime as an unacceptable society source of media or entertainment. I still believe the onus is on the parents to regulate what their kids watch. Simple if you think so and so is going to have an adverse effect on your child, don't let them watch.

 

[xXPsychoKittyDXx]

i think this is because some people always want something to complain about, some people always wanna find something else to pin the blame on for their child acting up or whatever because they don't wanna look at their own parenting failures. also people always wanna say stuff they don't know about or aren't used to and stuff from other countries is "weird" or something bad, but they don't even wanna give it a chance and actually look at it. also, as was said before, a lot of people wanna act like they're too "mature" to be watching "cartoons" but the fact is that some cartoons (anime and non-anime) are actually intended for an adult audience and have mature themes. i don't think a petition like this is really gonna go anywhere though, they don't even really have a good factual reason for wanting to ban it anyways. a lot of people are just closed minded though.