#and enjoying manga as a group activity is fun or there wouldnt be fandom for it

[kaurwreck]

I find your takes very interesting. And it’s clear to see you’re very smart, educated and well read! Honestly good for you and I’m completely serious (intelligence is something to be proud of! And literary intelligence is impressive to me) But some of us, while educated are still not very smart and just enjoying manga. Like me personally, I’m not ashamed to admit it. I didn’t like reading in high school but whatever. I enjoy the bsd story and then search for different theories and analyses. It’s very cool to see especially in this fandom. Yes some people refuse to acknowledge, blatantly neglect what are real references and don’t think about it in depth. some people don’t care and some people do. I’m in the middle. I look to others bc I know I’m not smart of enough to make some of the more deeper connections. But it’s also not that serious. Idk what my point was but for it was not to be rude and I’m sorry if it may seem that way! Anyway happy analyzing 🫡

I appreciate your effort to be polite, and I hear you. I generally try to reserve my frustration for matters of cultural- or subject matter-based sensitivity and respect.

Otherwise, I offer what I have to say because I understand that my approach to media analysis is within its own niche, which means I have a perspective to contribute to the conversation. I think literary analysis not only benefits from but necessitates engaging with a multiplicity of lenses. In other words, I'm also just enjoying manga, and I don't expect others to enjoy manga the same way I do; I'd rather there be lots of different approaches than only a few.

That also means I decide how serious it is to me. I don't care how much anyone else values it, I value contextualizing literature a lot, and I'm going to be vocal about what I value. In turn, others can decide the weight of that for themselves. My strong opinions on the matter do not impose any obligations on anyone else to agree with me, nor do they have any bearing on anyone else's behavior.

But, this is the social blogging platform where I informally blog to decompress between work tasks and to occasionally sort through my thoughts on media. I'm going to occasionally botch my wording or say something that won't reflect the expansiveness of my intent. Or, like earlier today, I'll express frustration with matters that, to borrow your language, aren't that serious. Nevertheless, the same as the above still stands: you can take what you want from it, including nothing.

Thank you for the kind words about my intelligence, but I don't think there's any value judgment in being intelligent or enjoying reading. I also have dyscalculia and enjoy black sesame ice cream. These are all value neutral facets of my preferences and how I experience the world, not sources of pride. I'm proud of where I've made choices that nurture my values and where I've sought to engage, even if to grapple, with what I find interesting or challenging.

tl;dr: sometimes I'm going to be moody in public, and y'all are going to have to decide for yourselves how to cope.