but you do understand that people are still allowed to criticize it right? That's what people are doing, it's also harmful because it can romanticize this kind of behavior. most people are fully aware something is fictional, like I personally don't hate this one bc it isn't as bad as others but I'm still fully aware of it
Btw I genuinely like this one bc like I said it isn't as bad as others so don't take the shit I said out of context okay I like this one but it isn't exempt from being criticized bc the ml literally fucking sucks. I'm not gonna argue against the bad things about it bc theyre true
I think it’s totally reasonable to do this even as someone who doesn’t. An important part of media literacy is recognizing themes in popular fiction and seeing how they may manifest in reality. While you and I may recognize that a pushy partner or one that threatens to harm themselve is abusive, many people do not and some media normalizes it. And that affects younger people that are extremely vulnerable to being manipulated in a relationship and do not have the whole “who am I” thing worked out. There is another point where these stories are about gay men for primarily straight women so there may be a disconnect in real-world consequences of this stories.
It’s important to remember that people are allowed to feel uncomfortable with some media. And they are allowed to talk about that discomfort. If you don’t like it, that’s fine, but maybe a discussion board is not for you.
I agree with you, I didn't even say anything to the contrary.
This was very specifically aimed at people who, as I said in my post, will condemn others for writing or reading and enjoying /appreciating a story that doesn't sit right with them personally. Especially when the sole reasoning behind it is that "the acts or ideas portrayed in this work clash with my moral compass or would be harmful irl". That's fine to think and discuss as much or as little as a reader wants to, but it doesn't give them any valid basis upon which they'll accuse others of being abusive, morally corrupt or romanticizing harmful behaviours.
That's not what I said. However, I DO find that the people most aggressively critical of these sorts of media, use the term "romanticizing" rather loosely and miss recognizing what the actual intent of a creator is when using themes that are lacking in realistic detail, are morally questionable or even outright abusive.
Just because we feel uncomfortable reading specific content, it doesn't mean said content and its creator & following should be persecuted and assumed to be perpetrators of what characters in a story do.
Alot more analysis and evidence is required to stand behind such claims (which is important to correctly assess so we can protect each other and those most vulnerable if they are truly harmful) and in most cases, they have been indeed exaggerated and false. Yet, it's a very common reaction in particular these days. Instead of thinking "oh this is making me uncomfortable, let's think or discuss why that is, how is the author approaching it, what's the aim of this story, how do I want to process it and also whether I want to continue consuming this content. " many immediately resort to " the author is problematic, if you like the story so are you".
Idk if it's funny or sad that ppl will judge every single fictional work (written or illustrated) by the standard of "would this be appropriate conduct in real life", to categorize it as a whole as problematic, which includes the creator and the ppl enjoying it as if that means they inherently condone the stuff that take place in it.
Not every work's purpose is to showcase perfect examples of how to behave irl and educate ppl, ESPECIALLY with small details (like sex prep in a lot of smut stories). Some are just entertainment, exploration of topics (light or heavy) in a non-realistic manner, fiction-exclusive fantasies etc.. And not everything caters to what we personally like, in which case, just move along.
Also, if you're not able to differentiate between reality and what takes place in a work of fiction and go to copy stuff irl > that's a you problem, not a media problem. So do work on that..