You know what? You’re absolutely right. It’s just unfortunate that you’re actually the first anti I’ve ever seen to even suggest civil discussion as an option. I think a factor that may have played a part in how you’ve been perceived is the people you’re surrounding yourself with. You may not personally carry such extreme views, but myself and others have had very negative, draining experiences with the people you’ve tagged or mentioned, which may have caused us to lump you in with them unfairly. You honestly seem like a better person than to be associated with those that ARE a part of purity culture. The other major contributing factor is that those of us with a dissenting opinion have become used to being generalized ourselves by those people. I’ve been falsely labeled a “pedophile” and a “pedophile apologist” when I am, myself, a CSA victim. When you really stop to think about the potential ramifications involved, that’s pretty unnacceptable and hurtful to hear.

I do wish to apologize for my own hostility towards your other post that crossed my dash. There was no reason for me to be out of line, nor to use vulgarity. If you’re willing to listen, I would like to try to explain what I see as the underlying causes, and why people are defending this issue. I will try my best to do so curtly, but I’m afraid that having ADHD makes it very difficult for me to be concise with my words.

There is one main point that a lot of people are trying to get across, and that’s the fact that cartoon characters are unlike anything in reality. They are combinations of lines and shapes with outlandish proportions that look nothing like an actual human being (when it comes to anime, I have art books that talk about the fact that faces can be interchangeable between genders, and how age is a very vaguely-defined concept. The same character design in anime could be said to be anywhere from 14 to 44, and people would accept whatever age is given. A lot of times, older characters are only portrayed as exaggerated little raisin people. Even in Western animation, a character is sometimes aged simply by placing the exact same head on a slightly taller body. It is all highly stylized and simplified, and FAR removed from how real human beings actually age).

I don’t know if there is a term for it, but people can become attracted to certain combinations of shapes. Think about the fact that there are people out there attracted to the clock from “Don’t Hug Me, I’m Scared”, or Cuphead, or Benson from “Regular Show”, or a character from “Gravity Falls” that’s literally just a triangle with eyes. For whatever reason, something there is just aesthetically appealing to them. Otherwise, it could be simply that the character has a relatable quality, or an engaging personality (I will personally admit that I really like the personality of a certain Youtuber, even though he's never shown his face). Think of it like how two people might get to know each other and begin dating online before they ever meet in person. The right personality can actually make a person more attractive (while I have questioned whether it is enough to warrant a separate category of sexuality, I believe this is part of what it means for a person that identifies as "demisexual").

The other major thing that people keep trying to express is that a massive percentage of shippers are minors. Teens, and most often girls. Many are LGBT. Others may have social anxiety when it comes to interacting with other people. Cartoon characters–fictional characters–feel “safe” to them. These characters don’t physically threaten, pressure, or intimidate them. Moreover, fictional characters can’t reject them, or make fun of them. This is what makes fiction an attractive avenue through which to explore what they don’t feel safe or comfortable doing in reality.

To try to put a button on this, there are an awful lot of people using fiction as escapism–as a sanctuary from the harshness of reality–that are facing some extremely serious, damning accusations for it, which simply doesn’t seem fair when you take any of the above into consideration. I know that I’M against pedophilia, incest, rape, etc. in the real world (so much so that I wanted to make it my calling to bring abusers to justice). I know other people feel the same way. Seeing those things in fiction, however, is not the same thing. It is a cathartic experience. One needs only to think of how countless people enjoy horror films. Real murder leaves me outraged. Real gore makes me quickly look away out of disgust. In a film, it is a means of coming to terms with the existence of these things without putting myself in real danger, or it can be an impressive display of artistic talent, and the effect that lighting, framing, and music can have in heightening our emotions.

Regarding tagging, and hiding NSFW content: I agree that it should always be properly tagged, because that’s how the filters that are in place are going to catch it. Tumblr blogs marked as NSFW will not show up in a Google Safe Search, nor will content from sites like Paheal. Fandoms did come together years ago under a project called “Safe Search Wrap Up” to report and eliminate adult content from showing up in a Safe Search. For the most popular fandoms, I think you’ll notice if you made a search yourself that it has been quite successful. However, Google also tailors itself to your personal searches. If some people are claiming to always find adult content, this is likely because they were intentionally searching for it in the first place.

TL:DR: They’re young. You can be attracted to cartoons when you’re young, and cartoons provide a safe, non-threatening way for those who are not confident around other people to express and explore scenarios that they cannot in reality. For the sake of mental health and well-being, that right should always be protected, even if some of those scenarios are darker ones explored out of fear or morbid curiosity that yourself or others may not agree with, or be personally comfortable with.

I really do hope you’ve taken the time to read and consider these points. If not, I still fully understand, as it is a lot of text. If you have anything to add, I am very willing to listen. Either way, thank you for your time.

