I cant tell you the amount of times i see people say "wow that book/anime/media is problematic" or "i wish i could consume this media but its problematic" "we dont talk about (enter media here)". If you ask why youre usually given some run of the mill list theyve ripped from a twitter post/tiktok video or just say they dont know, only that someone told them it is. please for gods sake people need to start consuming media for themselves. since i was young i was intrigued by stuff i suppose most people would deem "problematic" (i fucking hate this word). the allure of something deemed unsuitable for most was strong and i ended up watching a lot of movies or anime a lot of people would usually have issues with and you probably wouldnt be shocked at all to learn i enjoyed a lot of it and even the stuff i didnt end up liking broadened my view on many things. One example i suppose would be the movie lolita, based off of the famous book. Someone near me mentioned the lolita fashion and was met with uproar over the very name and corelating it with the book. None of these people have any idea what the book is actually about, exploring the sick mind of a pedophile and how he rationalizes his preditory behavior. Its very clear to anyone with a minimum of 2 braincells and a highschool reading level that the book operates under an "unreliable narrator", what he says does not reflect in the actions of the other characters. so many people struggle with the idea that the person relaying information to us, fictional or otherwise, may not be telling the truth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The authors intent is clearly not to fetishize the situation. People enjoy the book and movie the same way theyd enjoy media exploring media centered around serial killers or those with mental illnesses, how they see the world in their twisted lense and rationalize their actions. However the books name has been reduced to a reactionary buzzword to make everyone gasp and ask if youre just a pedophile, even dragging lolita fashion into the bad rep. This all stems from the issue of people just taking the opinions of others at face value without ever exploring it for themselves. I meet a lot of people in anime spaces that say they wish they could watch an anime but theyve heard bad things about the fan service. if someone told you to eat a bunch of earthworms would you? how far would this undying trust go in a complete stranger with entirely different taste and morals than you go? "this character i liked is problematic" I hate to break it to the young people i see say this, but every human on earth is problematic. we all do or say things that hurt others, we all waver morally in situations. This obsession to only like and consume squeaky clean stuff is just creating a moral standard no one on earth could ever live up to. The word problematic just needs nuked from everyones vocab. You can like fiction that is fucked up. you can like characters that do fucked up things. they are there as cautionary tales, relatable figures, or just to enjoy the shitiness. Fiction is not reality, enjoying fiction has no affect on your reality unless you are unable to differentiate which would be extremely concerning. People who play violent videogames do not commit violence irl. people who listen to serial killer podcasts are not serial killers themselves. liking an anime guy that gets nosebleeds when his classmates skirt flies up is not going to turn you into an irredeemable pervert. i feel horrible for people who fall into this mindset because im sure it burdens them with tremendous amounts of anxiety not trusting themselves to turn into a monster if they read/watched the wrong thing. Being opinionated, consuming things and making a real thought out response from yourself is intellectualism. taking what you did and didnt like from a bit of media is critical thinking. its important to cultivate our brains to do this instead of relying on some internet randos to tell you exactly what to like, feel, and think. Everything is subjective, everything is relative, every bit of everything is different to each person who reads/watches it. We all process stuff differently based on past experiences and what weve gone through in our pasts. train your brain to THINK THINK THINK!!! Throw yourself in head first watch that weird anime youve been eyeing up if you dislike it oh well youve wasted maybe 15 minutes of your time, if you liked it youve gained something new. Think and consume and grow and read and love and hate! "i loved everything except for the toothbrushing scene" GREAT!! you enjoyed everything else except for a 2 minute scene im glad you found something new, not everyone will enjoy every scene thats normal. Anyways that is my message it is to explore and open yourself up to being super opinionated, come to your own conclusions. :D