Mini Rant: Mainstream Fears

I was checking out the EX news site to find out info for the meeting of DAI when some of the stories really caught my eye and made me think. Mostly it was seeing all the anime shows coming to American TV. Gundam Wing, Detective Conan, Escaflowne, all the Pokeman clones... it's really starting to make a dent. And this is what scares me.

Now I am not so foolish to think that this will destroy anime. We have this wonderful thing called freedom of choice and I can choose not to watch these American TV redubs and edits. Just as I don't have to watch dubbed anime videos. And if the commerical sub market goes tits-up, I'm still one who can enjoy anime raw. So this is no problem unless there is an embargo on the Japanese animation goods.

What I am worried about is the impact on the places where anime fans gather; conventions, club meetings, and stores. Now that Ma, Pa, and the Kids are headed to anime conventions looking for stuff in the dealer's room, they will encounter a world that they are not familiar with and will definitely scare them. Some will adapt, others will not.

Anyone who attends fandom conventions, anime or other, knows what I am talking about. This is where we can run wild. Stay up the entire weekend, party at night, run around in costumes by day, debate other fans, watch un-PC anime, look at or sell beautiful artwork, blow a paycheck on that Ranma 1/2 box set, sing badly at karaoke contests... you name it. It leads to a rather hedonistic air at times and people tend to act their freakiest then. Behaviors that they otherwise wouldn't do in real life. This is our escape.

(Ranter's Note: For those who read this and then go to a con expecting some mindbending experience, you will be sorely disappointed. A convention is what you make of it. Cons are not and should not be expected to put everything out for you on a silver platter. They simply provide the tools. It is up to you what you do with it.)

But already I've been hearing cries about cleaning up conventions. This started happening when the 14-year old Sailor Moon girls started showing up. And now with the Pokemon pre-teens and their parents arriving, I've been hearing more and more pressure for cons to 'clean up their acts'. No more adult material in the dealer's room, no inuendo filled cos-play skits, no racey anime programs in the video rooms, and keep those bikini girls & beefcake boys covered up. And I think this is wrong. Not wagging it in everyone's face is one thing; removing it completely is another.

There are reasonable precautions; a disclaimer on entry forms, age checking for adult anime rooms, seperate sections for adult fan artwork; require dealers keep their adult products separate and marked as such. After that, it is the responsibility of the attendee to make the choices.

So I would like to put out this plea to convention heads everywhere. I realize that cons want as many people as possible to cover their expenses and to provide money for more activities. But please remember that this is an escape for some of us and to place some of the responsiblity back on the shoulders of those who attend. You should only have the responsiblity to warn people what might be going on. If they still attend or send their kids in alone, they have accepted the risks of being offended. Do not chase out the fans in favor of a fickle mainstream audience.

Of course, that's just my opinion.... I'm might be right....