#puriteens

[animentality]

[autistichalsin]

I think one of the funniest things about puriteens and other young antis is that they simultaneously insist they and their demographic are too young to be able to read the content in question, AND are old enough to be able to engage with the content properly to produce a structurally sound rebuke based on the themes contained within.

You're not old enough to read it, but you are old enough to condemn it?

This would be like a cohort of under-21s trying to bring Prohibition back... and being taken seriously in doing so.

[hysteriamodes]

If you have a chance, this is such a good video on fandom policing and purity. The creator brings up a good point: if the next generation cannot think critically and follow blindly in fear of missing out, then they can fall victim to a movement with ill intentions. And, you know, if you don't get it, let me spell it out: cults and fascism.

What i found fascinating was a story of a 14-year-old girl that fell victim to essentially a Discord cult and that she was being groomed and brainwashed by a 24 adult woman. It's a good video about media literacy because then you have the following:

[orionsangel86]

My friend just linked me to this article in light of my rage at all the stupid bullshit comments to that dumb post that Neil Gaiman answered attacking any Good Omens meta that may suggest AziraCrow may want sex in the future.

This article focuses on Heartstopper and Red, White, and Royal Blue, but its relevant. Purity culture is insidious and a current plague infecting our fandom spaces. Don't let puritanicals use asexuality as a disguise and shield for their shitty views either. This has nothing to do with asexuality and everything to do with an infestation of conservative christian fundamentalist viewpoints within fandom spaces specifically aimed at attacking canon mlm media.

The fact that apparently in Good Omens fandom fans arent even allowed to make their own posts discussing potential themes and subtext within the show that dares to imply AziraCrow could have a sexual relationship without puritanicals going to Neil Gaimans inbox to complain that such discussions are offending their delicate puritanical sensibilities is horrifying to me. Its not an attack on your sexuality if fans claim that an intense ox eating scene is oddly sexually charged in their opinion.

We really must keep up the discussion against purity culture and stamp down on sex shaming within fandom.

Anyway it's an excellent article. Please read it.

[waambles]

Scrolling tumblr all day, rejoicing in a beautiful world of kinky transgender furries. Only to open TikTok and get three different videos of gays shitting on puppy play. Disgusting, horrendous, embarrassing, back to tumblr I go

[longing-for-rain]

Do you think that a lot of the kataang fans behavior has to do with the rise of puriteens online

Yes, I think it's definitely related to a lot of new fans' behavior.

I do want to say though, I really don't love the way "puriteens" are dunked on at times, because I think it is important to acknowledge the reason why this sentiment is so common. These kids are younger gen Z and older gen alpha kids that were raised in the age of social media. Speaking from experience a Zillenniel, I saw the beginnings of this when I was younger and just getting online.

Kids (especially girls, who make up the majority demographic of fandoms) are exposed to some pretty horrific things online from a young age. We are bombarded with sexual content, we are sexualized from a young age, we see ourselves talked about in dehumanizing ways, and when we get upset, we, even as children, are blamed for not "curating our experience" despite it being an open secret that this kind of content/sentiment pretty much unavoidable now. The people spreading it just don't want accountability. So I understand where they're coming from, I really do. They are tired of that kind of treatment, but they lack the maturity to understand the nuance, and that there is no black-and-white solution. There is space to talk about the problems in our culture without completely shutting down discussion of anything negative.

That being said, it's incredibly frustrating when they take it to extremes, especially when they're no longer teens and still act this way into adulthood. No, you can't hide from the world forever and pretend like problems don't exist. If you ignore it, it won't go away.

I see the sentiment a lot among the new wave of kataang fans (and similar groups of fans of other media) that "why does everyone hate the PURE couple" and "they are so sweet and innocent why do you want everything to be DARK instead?" It shows the harm in these kinds of mindsets, because while yes, kataang does have this cutesy aesthetic, it is very much a flawed relationship with challenges that both the show and fans sweep under the rug to maintain the illusion of its purity and cinnamon-roll-ness. The fans want a relationship devoid of conflict, so they pretend like the conflict that is already there and would arise in the relationship simply doesn't exist.

Meanwhile Zutara has an edgier aesthetic to it (despite actually being a sweet and wholesome relationship itself but that's another conversation) and comes with obvious challenges (like the characters beginning their story as enemies), but part of the beauty in that is the way the fans have interrogated those challenges and explored them in a meaningful way. Obviously not all fan content does this, but as someone who has enjoyed Zutara for...how long now? Almost 15 years? ...I generally see a very thoughtful approach to how both characters develop a strong relationship based on respect and understanding. Which is exactly what the show did with Zuko's arc. It's why he's such a loved character; yes, he is imperfect and flawed, but he confronted those flaws meaningfully and became a better person for it. It's what makes his story so memorable and inspiring. Zutara fans just apply the same logic to Zutara, and it's why the relationship is so memorable for us.

So yeah. I can understand where these kids are coming from, but they've got to grow up and recognize that they're only becoming their own worst enemies at this point.

[impostoradult]

I have complicated feelings toward the content of this research.

ON THE ONE HAND: I agree friendship and non-romantic/non-sexual relationships are under-developed and under-appreciated in modern media. 100% true and 100% a problem in our media landscape. I absolutely agree the overall balance is off and recalibrating it would probably be beneficial and warranted.

ON THE OTHER HAND: I am REALLY frightened and disturbed by young liberal people internalizing the notion that sex needs to be "necessary" or "justified" in a piece of media. And here's why...

Because the idea of sex needing to be highly "justified" in order to exist a highly puritanical idea that -- at the deepest level -- is responsible for a lot of modern and historical queerphobia.

The reason it seemed logical to treat gay sex (and therefore queer people) as 'sinful'/bad/wrong/against God's plan/etc. is because it served "no purpose." It was just decadence with no "higher value" (i.e., procreation). That's the root of so much homophobia and queerphobia both now and in the past. And it truly scares me that young queer people are starting to uncritically reiterate that idea without any appreciation for how damaging it has been, and how much pain it has caused.

We need to be really, Really, REALLY, REALLY careful with this whole Is the Sex 'Justified' framework we are starting to bring (back) to the way we approach sexual content within the public sphere (entertainment media, social media, etc.). That framework treats sex as Guilty Until Proven Innocent. Which is VERY dangerous to queer communities and queer people.

~*~*~

And I do want to stress, it's not that I've never seen uses of sex in media that seemed perfunctory or gratuitous IN THE SENSE THAT it was clearly just so a woman could take her top off purely to be titillating, or a male character could be shown as extra ~macho~/manly because he fucks. I've seen that, and I don't love it either.

But we can critique those uses of sex in media WITHOUT falling into the trap of - Sex is BY DEFAULT Gratuitous/Guilty until Proven Innocent (innocent meaning justified 800 ways to Sunday). That is taking the whole thing way too far in the other direction. And believe me, most of history exists in that other direction and IT WAS VERY VERY BAD. You don't want any piece that, I assure you.

[sjbattleangel]

Double D facts book: "It's perfectly fine to dislike something and criticize it. Just know that anti-fandom/hatedom isn't real political activism."

[sandinmybed]

something i find frustrating about Life lately is how people just absolutely refuse to experience any discomfort. and i dont mean this in the boomer "wah kids have it too easy theyre all pushovers and pussies" way, but i mean people will go crazy over anything thats not totally 100% sanitised and comfortable and pure and whatever the fuck. a show has a sex scene and you dont like it? people used to just look away for a second and maybe cringe. now it's a whole thinkpiece. people would rather ghost their friends or let issues fester rather than ever address an issue in their relationship with them. they wont let their friends vent in case it makes them uncomfortable. like can you just buck the fuck up and let things be a bit awkward sometimes? it wont kill you.

[going2hell4everythingbutbeingbi]

i swear some of yall are sounding catholic out here. "if you have a bad thought you're a bad person" "you can't consume media that's not 100% morally pure" do you realize how insane you're being

[mobiblackout]

If you are harassing real people because of fiction they write/read, please fuck off, you are anything but morally superior.

[animentality]

[this-world-of-beautiful-monsters]

Saw someone bitching about how "puriteen" is "embarassing" because it's "rude and condescending..." and--it's supposed to be rude and condescending, for heavens' sake. I try not to use it for that very reason, but I understand that people are using it to express their frustration with children who refuse to take the opportunity to learn how kink or fiction or literally anything works and the many, many profoundly immature (and breathtakingly irresponsible) adults who encourage them. It's not supposed to be nice, it's supposed to make a point; it's an admittedly harsh reminder to grow up and get off the internet before someone gets hurt (and stop invalidating CSA survivors while you're at it).

[hysteriamodes]

Minors who go into kinky, adult-oriented content and then proceed to complain about "proshippers"? I just have one question:

Why in the hell are you looking at 18+ content? It says it's 18+, you have no business interacting with it or the content creator.

The only person to blame here is yourself. Stay out of adult spaces.

[ginnvngagap]

honestly the only thought that gives me hope amidst the rise of christofascist anti-sex rhetoric in woke clothing with ThE yOuThS is remembering that back when I was 16-20 during the YouTube anti-SJW era I was firmly on the right and I managed to get educated out of that trashfire, so maybe the gen Z baby puritans can, too? please?

[reikiajakoiranruohoja]

Since I am on a roll and I feel this needs to be said/explained. The reason why the modern teenagers and young adults decrying dark content and their writers baffles me, is that my generation spent years working to destigmatize dark content and many other things. When I was a teen in the 00s, gay characters were seen as unsuitable for children's media, trans characters were jokes, animation was still strongly seen for children and Christian moral guardians patrolled to keep things this way.

These were the days of a gay kiss being automatically PG-13. You could lose your whole library of work if you wrote smut. Christian moral guardians destroyed massive amounts of content under the guise of 'protecting children.' These were also the days before content warnings became common. While there were some warnings, they could be very generic such as NSFW which could mean anything you did not want to be seen reading publicly. Some even prided themselves on not giving warnings to the 'snowflakes.' We had to fight tooth and nail to get LTGBAQ content accepted, get people to actually use warnings and offer safe spaces for all kinds of fic. So when I see teenagers saying they want more censorship and the removal of certain content entirely, I can't help but think this; "We made this free space for you so you would never have to deal with what we did, why do you want the old ways back?"