Pedophilia isn't cute
I've had this rant written for a while, but I decided to post it when I saw an icon that really pissed me off.
What is it with people portraying Spain and France but especially Spain as pedophiles and making it cute and funny? I have no problem with people wanting to explore that possibility in a character, but I have never seen it done with any amount of taste in the Hetalia fandom.
Instead, every time I go to forums, LJ communities, Deviantart, YouTube etc. I see countless comments about Spain being a complete pedo. And these comments are always made in a good-hearted "lol, look at that Spain, molesting children again :3" fashion. Are people really so ignorant and stupid that they don't realise what a serious issue child molestation is? It's not cute or funny in any shape or form.
What perhaps baffles me the most is that the majority of these comments are made by Spamano shippers. It wouldn't be in any way adorable if Spain had molested Romano as a child, and I can't imagine how someone can think that it would speak in favour of the pairing. Quite the opposite, unless you want to portray the relationship as unhealthy.
Furthermore, I hate this implication that if Spain (or someone else) shows any affection towards children, it automatically means he's sexually interested in them. Loving children and showing them affection is perfectly normal behaviour, and I would argue that it's especially in character for someone like Spain. Can't people honestly see a difference between liking children and being sexually attracted to them?
And if they can see the difference, why do they joke about it? Maybe I'm a total spoilsport, but pedophilia jokes just aren't at all funny to me. They piss me off every time, and anyone who makes them automatically comes off as a horrible person to me.
What is it with people portraying Spain and France but especially Spain as pedophiles and making it cute and funny? I have no problem with people wanting to explore that possibility in a character, but I have never seen it done with any amount of taste in the Hetalia fandom.
Instead, every time I go to forums, LJ communities, Deviantart, YouTube etc. I see countless comments about Spain being a complete pedo. And these comments are always made in a good-hearted "lol, look at that Spain, molesting children again :3" fashion. Are people really so ignorant and stupid that they don't realise what a serious issue child molestation is? It's not cute or funny in any shape or form.
What perhaps baffles me the most is that the majority of these comments are made by Spamano shippers. It wouldn't be in any way adorable if Spain had molested Romano as a child, and I can't imagine how someone can think that it would speak in favour of the pairing. Quite the opposite, unless you want to portray the relationship as unhealthy.
Furthermore, I hate this implication that if Spain (or someone else) shows any affection towards children, it automatically means he's sexually interested in them. Loving children and showing them affection is perfectly normal behaviour, and I would argue that it's especially in character for someone like Spain. Can't people honestly see a difference between liking children and being sexually attracted to them?
And if they can see the difference, why do they joke about it? Maybe I'm a total spoilsport, but pedophilia jokes just aren't at all funny to me. They piss me off every time, and anyone who makes them automatically comes off as a horrible person to me.