[ SECRET POST #5355 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #5355 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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03. https://i.imgur.com/Wgi9JyJ.jpg
[linked for illustrated/implied child nudity? nonsexual/nothing shows, just in case]



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04.



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05.
[Lucifer Within Us]


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06. [WARNING for discussion of sexual abuse]

















Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #766.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

01. https://i.imgur.com/O5FL29b.png

[feotakahari]

I’ve seen campaigns that were definitely about the power. There was this one guy in the MLP fandom who nobody paid attention to, and then he led a campaign against “sexist” fic and could prompt harassment against anyone he didn’t like, and then everyone got bored and he was left impotently trying to get someone to listen again. But I’ve also seen folks who really seem to think they’re surrounded by dangerous sexual predators in disguise.

[(Anonymous)]

In the MLP fandom, they're probably not wrong. Bronies yikes.

[(Anonymous)]

I wish I could believe that, because at least then I'd be able to find some empathy. Feeling helpless is kind of the default in the world right now, and finding an outlet for frustration and anger would at least be kind of understandable.

Unfortunately, the arguments I've seen pointing out the correlation between anti rhetoric and the loss of understanding of 'fiction vs. reality' just seems way more logical. It's in the same category as the kind of parasocial relationships you see more and more between fans and their fave celebs, where a 'like' on Instagram or whatever somehow equals "we're BFFs now".

I'd love to think antis are just lashing out at imaginary boogeymen to make themselves feel more in control of their lives or whatever... but honestly, I just think they really, genuinely believe that writing two teenagers having sex in fanfic is the exact same thing as real-life CSA.

[feotakahari]

Yesterday, I compared them to TERFs. The anon who I was talking to thought that was overblown, but I do think there’s something to it. TERFs have this worldview that’s sort of demon-haunted. The enemy lurks in every shadow and must be constantly pointed out to prevent them from subverting all you hold dear. I’ve seen antis go the same way.

[(Anonymous)]

I think that's a pretty solid comparison, TBH. In both cases it all stems from (what they believe to be) a legitimate concern, blown up out of all proportion until even unrelated and/or innocent things become twisted into so-called proof of the perceived evil thing.

(which, it hopefully goes without saying, was never there in the first place.)

[(Anonymous)]

Also both obsessed with having an enemy at all times to point their swords at, and being perfectly happy to hunt one down or make one up if there isn't a suitable canditate around at the time.

[(Anonymous)]

I am the anon of the dr jekyll and mr hyde secret the other day, and while I still don't have any comment on the TERF and transpeople comparison, I really think that proshippers are also obsessed with pwning the concept of antis on the internet in the same way that I feel matches up with how your post imagines antis do. I still don't think that proshippers get a pass for that, and I really feel that it's the same culture war nonsense that is supposedly really bad for 'antis' but perfectly fine for proshippers.

It's all dumb and obsessive posturing pots calling kettles black, but luckily outliers are rare in terms of actual harm caused besides the mental wear of slap fights. It's just modern day shipwars dressed in the most social justice terms to express outrage, character defame, and show how evil the opponent is.

[feotakahari]

“I really think that proshippers are also obsessed with pwning the concept of antis on the internet in the same way that I feel matches up with how your post imagines antis do.”

You’re not wrong about the “pwning” part, but “I’m going to look for randos on the Internet and complain about how bad their takes are” is different from “I’m gonna look for randos on the Internet and report them to child abuse hotlines.”

[(Anonymous)]

This right here.

The fact that they are willing to waste the time of people who are investigating actual child abuse just to score points in a shipwar is completely bananas.

[(Anonymous)]

I haven't seen child abuse hotline report harassment calls, but funny that you mention it, because I was actually bombarded with rude anons and the occasional death threat for a while because I mentioned "please don't submit underage ships to me because I personally am not comfortable with that". Apparently my own personal preferences on my own blog was enough to be called Stalin over.

I'm just going to assume that if anything bad happens, it's an outlier and not representative of an entire group of people. Or perhaps it's not an outlier, and my own experience is valid. I just wish that it was taken seriously, but this is the internet and preferences in fics must be treated with life or death importance.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, I think the problem with your points here is that you have a serious hate-on for proshippers -- understandable, given your experience -- but consistently refuse to acknowledge the harm done by antis.

This thread wasn't about proshippers at all, but you brought them into it nonetheless, without even bothering to acknowledge the problematic elements of antis that the thread was actually about in the first place.

It just comes off as defending one group while vilifying the other, and ultimately, while both groups certainly have their harmful elements, as others in this thread have pointed out one is infinitely more harmful as a whole than the other.

[(Anonymous)]

Yep. I also think the constant obsession with calling people pedophiles is linked to some of the same fears that lead people to conspiracy theories like QAnon. And I think it's dangerous because it's conditioning young people to be in a constant state of unjustified reactive fear (and also obscuring the real warning signs for the real thing)

[(Anonymous)]

I saw an interesting theory that young women use being an "anti" as a socially acceptable way to Mean Girl others. It's "not nice" to make fun of people for things like their clothes or body or things they can't help. And it's sort of become socially unacceptable in fandom to mock people too much for not being good writers/artists (or even to give con crit that could be interpreted as too harsh if unasked for)...but you CAN pick on them if everyone agrees they're doing something Morally Unacceptable.

[(Anonymous)]

It's certainly not just young women, but I do believe this theory otherwise. People like to hide behind "morality" because that makes their bullying seem acceptable. In fandom circles that's usually anti behaviour, though I have also seen it happen among proshippers.

[(Anonymous)]

THIS THIS THIS (also agreeing that it's not only women, and some of them aren't that young).

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, same as the "white women" memes - it's just misogyny. (And the same people made "Karen" useless, too, by applying it to any middle-aged woman with an opinion, rather than the specific racist and classist problem it originally named.)

[(Anonymous)]

I honestly just think this is just a problem that has it's roots in IRL social problems, specifically the IRL social problem of changing your mind on an issue. Like it's super rare to see a random stranger on the internet say "actually, here's a more nuanced take on a previous opinion I had, there were some issues I'd like to address and give a clarification of." You might see that from friends, but I'd imagine it'd be done in private with you, not on a public stage. On the public stage of the internet when people get questioned even slightly difficultly, people tend to dig their heels in and feel like they have to defend themselves.

Idk, I just only share my opinions with friends for this reason.

[(Anonymous)]

SA

Also people are mean over petty shit, so even a milquetoast opinion will piss someone else to the point of bullying, so even more heel-digging in will happen. People just want to share opinions and be liked for it.

[(Anonymous)]

idk back when my anxiety and depression were at its worst i would seek out people saying shit i know i'd get angry at and then argue because, as cliche as it sounds, it was the only way i'd feel some energy

there's probably loads of reasons why people do it. some people might feel that internet crusades are the only way they can assert some control over a world that feels deeply hostile and fandom where (roughly) everyone is in your weight class. some people might have unresolved trauma and just get triggered. some people see "pedophile" and don't read further because it's so ingrained in our society that that is the most heinous shit imaginable
idk

[sabotabby]

idk back when my anxiety and depression were at its worst i would seek out people saying shit i know i'd get angry at and then argue because, as cliche as it sounds, it was the only way i'd feel some energy

I think there are multiple explanations as well but I used to do this too, and it's a habit I consciously had to break for my own health and others.

[(Anonymous)]

Not to the extent of what we associate with antis today (ie. I never went as far as death and violence threats/wishes), but I used to have a wank blog on Tumblr where I would basically do the same thing because, yeah, undiagnosed depression. I also didn't really have friends at the time (probably related to the depression) and circlejerking about how much I hated Sterek shippers with other anti-Sterek people made me feel like I did have friends, so...

I don't know.

[(Anonymous)]

I feel like it's perceived moral superiority, a culture that seems to encourage and reward moral outrage, and entitlement. Which seems like a familiar recipe.

Re: I don't know.

[(Anonymous)]

Definitely VERY big on the entitlement.

[(Anonymous)]

Idk if it's just anger or a desire to hurt people or just regular cruelty but I agree that it takes this form because we've made so many strides on other bullying topics.