Stay classy, Hetalia cosplayers
How do you know it's cosplay season?
You start seeing garbage like this:
Or this:
This one takes my breath away! It's even macro'd!
And who can forget this classic:
Some of you may be wondering, "What the hell bullshit spawned this crap?"
This did.
Axis Powers Hetalia is a web comic/manga/anime that uses anthropomorphisms of nations in humorous situations. The main storyline takes place between WWI and WWII. The characters get their personalities from ethnic stereotypes, which means Italians are lazy, Japanese are xenophobic, Germans are anally retentive and suffer from OCD, Americans are stupid and eat all the time, The French try to get into everyone's pants, and so on.
The idea of anthropomorphisms to depict nations isn't new, political cartoonists have used it for centuries to illustrate the absurd.
Being a historyphile, I was immediately drawn to this manga upon discovery and enjoy it very much. I also discovered the dark, soul-sucking universe known as "fandom" and all of the ugliness it creates. If you're curious about what I mean, go don't do it here. Being naive, I had no idea that popular culture created communities like this. I decided just because some people like that sort of thing, doesn't mean I have to. I ignore quite a lot of what some factions of the Hetalia fandom create and focus on what I like - The history and cultural interactions of the characters.
But any amateur or professional historian can tell you that history isn't always funny. The creator of Hetalia has touched on darker themes in the past. These comics however are not typical and he usually keeps the storyline light and humorous. The fans on the other hand don't always follow his example. Fan art and fiction often depict the darker side of Hetalia characters in history, including rape, and in some rare instances, snuff.
I wonder how Hetalia fans can claim to love Hetalia as much as they do, then commit these acts as the characters they claim they love. If they were to pay closer attention to the actual comics, they would see right away that Germany never once in any strip gives the Nazi salute, even when he's in the presence of his "crazy" boss (And yes, Germany plainly states that his boss is pretty crazy). There are no Hetalia comics showing Germany gassing other people either.
Or perhaps these fans think that because the holocaust happened 65 years ago, that it's okay to reenact those kinds of events while cosplaying Hetalia characters? Most people who were alive then have passed away, so there's no one left to offend, right?
Wrong.
That anyone would think historically based acts of hate, even if it is for a photo op is okay to do, even decades after the fact should be hunted down and forced on a tour to the holocaust museum, or perhaps a tour of a concentration camp in Poland. Entire towns in Eastern Europe were rounded up and executed for being Jews. There are people still alive who remember and can tell you about it. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to matter to some people. They're just insensitive bastards, or even think the Nazis had the right idea and use Hetalia cosplay as a way to get away with reenacting what they really would like to do. Or maybe they're just plain stupid and can't seem to get it that it's wrong to do this kind of thing. It makes me wonder if 65 years from now, people will cosplay stuff like this:
Or even this:
Because by then everyone involved will be dead and it will be okay, right? It's just cosplay for fun, as in pretending. It's not real.
It is real. I cringe when I see Abu Ghraib photos because I have the mental capacity to see the similarities between what American soldiers did to these people in Iraq, and what Nazi soldiers did to people in their prison camps 65 years ago.
Perceptions are very important. Other people can and will take offense to even make-believe fictional hate crimes, because other people have lived it, or have a relative who lived it. It will always be real to them, as it should be real to everyone.
I know that Hetalia cosplayers who keep their brains with them at all times have posted dos and donts of Hetalia cosplay. In some countries symbols used for historical reenactments (and that includes cosplay!) or any other kind of public display are illegal. They create the perception of fear and hate associated with them. Here in America we are having the same issues with symbols of the Confederacy, however it is not illegal to display them. Even if it is not illegal in the US, use some common sense, empathy and self restraint and just don't. If you have issues with following simple common sense guidelines, then perhaps you shouldn't be cosplaying in the first place.
Think about it.
You start seeing garbage like this:
Or this:
This one takes my breath away! It's even macro'd!
And who can forget this classic:
Some of you may be wondering, "What the hell bullshit spawned this crap?"
This did.
Axis Powers Hetalia is a web comic/manga/anime that uses anthropomorphisms of nations in humorous situations. The main storyline takes place between WWI and WWII. The characters get their personalities from ethnic stereotypes, which means Italians are lazy, Japanese are xenophobic, Germans are anally retentive and suffer from OCD, Americans are stupid and eat all the time, The French try to get into everyone's pants, and so on.
The idea of anthropomorphisms to depict nations isn't new, political cartoonists have used it for centuries to illustrate the absurd.
Being a historyphile, I was immediately drawn to this manga upon discovery and enjoy it very much. I also discovered the dark, soul-sucking universe known as "fandom" and all of the ugliness it creates. If you're curious about what I mean, go don't do it here. Being naive, I had no idea that popular culture created communities like this. I decided just because some people like that sort of thing, doesn't mean I have to. I ignore quite a lot of what some factions of the Hetalia fandom create and focus on what I like - The history and cultural interactions of the characters.
But any amateur or professional historian can tell you that history isn't always funny. The creator of Hetalia has touched on darker themes in the past. These comics however are not typical and he usually keeps the storyline light and humorous. The fans on the other hand don't always follow his example. Fan art and fiction often depict the darker side of Hetalia characters in history, including rape, and in some rare instances, snuff.
I wonder how Hetalia fans can claim to love Hetalia as much as they do, then commit these acts as the characters they claim they love. If they were to pay closer attention to the actual comics, they would see right away that Germany never once in any strip gives the Nazi salute, even when he's in the presence of his "crazy" boss (And yes, Germany plainly states that his boss is pretty crazy). There are no Hetalia comics showing Germany gassing other people either.
Or perhaps these fans think that because the holocaust happened 65 years ago, that it's okay to reenact those kinds of events while cosplaying Hetalia characters? Most people who were alive then have passed away, so there's no one left to offend, right?
Wrong.
That anyone would think historically based acts of hate, even if it is for a photo op is okay to do, even decades after the fact should be hunted down and forced on a tour to the holocaust museum, or perhaps a tour of a concentration camp in Poland. Entire towns in Eastern Europe were rounded up and executed for being Jews. There are people still alive who remember and can tell you about it. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to matter to some people. They're just insensitive bastards, or even think the Nazis had the right idea and use Hetalia cosplay as a way to get away with reenacting what they really would like to do. Or maybe they're just plain stupid and can't seem to get it that it's wrong to do this kind of thing. It makes me wonder if 65 years from now, people will cosplay stuff like this:
Or even this:
Because by then everyone involved will be dead and it will be okay, right? It's just cosplay for fun, as in pretending. It's not real.
It is real. I cringe when I see Abu Ghraib photos because I have the mental capacity to see the similarities between what American soldiers did to these people in Iraq, and what Nazi soldiers did to people in their prison camps 65 years ago.
Perceptions are very important. Other people can and will take offense to even make-believe fictional hate crimes, because other people have lived it, or have a relative who lived it. It will always be real to them, as it should be real to everyone.
I know that Hetalia cosplayers who keep their brains with them at all times have posted dos and donts of Hetalia cosplay. In some countries symbols used for historical reenactments (and that includes cosplay!) or any other kind of public display are illegal. They create the perception of fear and hate associated with them. Here in America we are having the same issues with symbols of the Confederacy, however it is not illegal to display them. Even if it is not illegal in the US, use some common sense, empathy and self restraint and just don't. If you have issues with following simple common sense guidelines, then perhaps you shouldn't be cosplaying in the first place.
Think about it.