Thoughts?
I was flipping channels yesterday while I waited for dinner to finish cooking, and I came across a teenage girl with a load of Fullmetal Alchemist posters adoring her walls. You don't see that sort of thing every day, so I stopped to see what the show was. Turned out, it was Made on MTV. She was cast as the "geeky and awkward anime dork" who wanted to be turned into a swan with her dream prom date by her side come time for the annual event. After watching the episode, I became rather annoyed with some of the things that were said or implied.
Part of her transformation into her new self was to remove all the anime posters from her walls and to avoid talking about anime with boys. Actually, she was told that she really needed to work on her conversational skills because boys just didn't like to hear about anime, comics, and other dorky pursuits. The two boys she went on test dates with (both of questionable intelligence) confirmed this by saying they did not like her speaking of such things. Which is odd to me because what else is she going to talk to them about? School? No, that's too boring for them as well. Current events? They probably don't even know who is running for president this year. Her career or their careers? None of them have careers. Philosophical ideas or social observations? Woah, dude, too deep. So, what? 50 Cent? The last Adam Sandler movie? Sheesh.
I really don't think one's interests cause any sort of personality defect (excessive shyness, social awkwardness, etc). Those traits are going to be with that person regardless of their interests. I will concede that those with difficulty interacting with others might gravitate toward more solo and/or dorky pursuits, but that is most certainly not a given. Basically, I see the MTV program as a way of turning one of *them* into one of *us*. We'll being one of those poor outsider kids into our circle of hip coolness at da club.
I was a bit put off by the assertion that any girl who enjoys anime must be socially awkward and undesirable. I'm not exactly a social butterfly, but that's just me and it is by choice. When necessary, I'm actually quite good at interacting with others in any situation. I don't feel awkward, and I don't think I come across that way either. As for the undesirable bit, I think many guys out there who pursue those same interest (i.e. comics, manga, anime, books) would find a girl's interest in them to be very desirable. I managed to get a fairly awesome boyfriend without changing and/or hiding my interests.
Those in-the-know on the program told the girl that she was using the anime as a way of hiding from the real world. That certainly could be accurate in her case, but I think more often than not, people don't get into anime because they can't string together a sentence in front of the opposite sex. Of course, anime is a form of escapism, but so are most other forms of entertainment, including movies, books, television programs, and even music to an extent. I'm confident I have never immersed myself in a fandom or interest to avoid real life. I've got a job, and I've got a boyfriend. I'm even girly sometimes when I go to get my hair done or spend ridiculous amounts of money on skin hydration or smelly perfumes. I use media (books, anime, movies) as a stimulating way to pass the time or give me something to think about and discuss with others. I don't think I've ever used them in place of social interaction when I desired that social interaction. Because I'm not afraid of people or parties; I just don't like them. I find an evening at home with a good movie to be much more relaxing and rewarding than an evening surrounded by people I barely know. It's simply a personal preference, not the symptom of my intense fear of social situations. Because that doesn't exist. I just don't like socializing all that much.
Anyway, I was a bit peeved by their assumptions about people who choose to live their lives differently than the mainstream, people who choose to stay at home and watch an excellent anime series on DVD than going out to a club to strut like a peacock. Of course, they gave this poor girl a Cinderella dress, complete with makeover, so she would look nice at her prom. But, did they have to trash her honest interests so much in the process?
Thoughts?
I recently downloaded a load of music, some of which is top-notch. I might dump a load of music in a post later this week.
Work is... work. Sometimes it makes my eye twitch.
Part of her transformation into her new self was to remove all the anime posters from her walls and to avoid talking about anime with boys. Actually, she was told that she really needed to work on her conversational skills because boys just didn't like to hear about anime, comics, and other dorky pursuits. The two boys she went on test dates with (both of questionable intelligence) confirmed this by saying they did not like her speaking of such things. Which is odd to me because what else is she going to talk to them about? School? No, that's too boring for them as well. Current events? They probably don't even know who is running for president this year. Her career or their careers? None of them have careers. Philosophical ideas or social observations? Woah, dude, too deep. So, what? 50 Cent? The last Adam Sandler movie? Sheesh.
I really don't think one's interests cause any sort of personality defect (excessive shyness, social awkwardness, etc). Those traits are going to be with that person regardless of their interests. I will concede that those with difficulty interacting with others might gravitate toward more solo and/or dorky pursuits, but that is most certainly not a given. Basically, I see the MTV program as a way of turning one of *them* into one of *us*. We'll being one of those poor outsider kids into our circle of hip coolness at da club.
I was a bit put off by the assertion that any girl who enjoys anime must be socially awkward and undesirable. I'm not exactly a social butterfly, but that's just me and it is by choice. When necessary, I'm actually quite good at interacting with others in any situation. I don't feel awkward, and I don't think I come across that way either. As for the undesirable bit, I think many guys out there who pursue those same interest (i.e. comics, manga, anime, books) would find a girl's interest in them to be very desirable. I managed to get a fairly awesome boyfriend without changing and/or hiding my interests.
Those in-the-know on the program told the girl that she was using the anime as a way of hiding from the real world. That certainly could be accurate in her case, but I think more often than not, people don't get into anime because they can't string together a sentence in front of the opposite sex. Of course, anime is a form of escapism, but so are most other forms of entertainment, including movies, books, television programs, and even music to an extent. I'm confident I have never immersed myself in a fandom or interest to avoid real life. I've got a job, and I've got a boyfriend. I'm even girly sometimes when I go to get my hair done or spend ridiculous amounts of money on skin hydration or smelly perfumes. I use media (books, anime, movies) as a stimulating way to pass the time or give me something to think about and discuss with others. I don't think I've ever used them in place of social interaction when I desired that social interaction. Because I'm not afraid of people or parties; I just don't like them. I find an evening at home with a good movie to be much more relaxing and rewarding than an evening surrounded by people I barely know. It's simply a personal preference, not the symptom of my intense fear of social situations. Because that doesn't exist. I just don't like socializing all that much.
Anyway, I was a bit peeved by their assumptions about people who choose to live their lives differently than the mainstream, people who choose to stay at home and watch an excellent anime series on DVD than going out to a club to strut like a peacock. Of course, they gave this poor girl a Cinderella dress, complete with makeover, so she would look nice at her prom. But, did they have to trash her honest interests so much in the process?
Thoughts?
I recently downloaded a load of music, some of which is top-notch. I might dump a load of music in a post later this week.
Work is... work. Sometimes it makes my eye twitch.