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TBH a lot of what fuels me is spite for the Gundam gatekeepers of the 00s.
Two of my favorite Gundam shows are ones they DESPISED (ZZ, G). One of them they flat out never acknowledged (X).
Two of my favorite Gundam shows are ones they DESPISED (ZZ, G). One of them they flat out never acknowledged (X).
I oftentimes see talk of gatekeeping in this fandom and I find it pretty disheartening tbh. The reasons I& #39;m given are always "oh people will come in and want to change this fandom to their own agenda".
1) Since when does that ever happen? I& #39;m never given concrete examples...
1) Since when does that ever happen? I& #39;m never given concrete examples...
and it always just ends up sounding like boogeymen people make up to justify their shit behavior.
If someone comes into the fandom because they& #39;re interested in shipping characters, is that really a big deal? Just like the rest of us they& #39;ll come to enjoy a lot more than that...
If someone comes into the fandom because they& #39;re interested in shipping characters, is that really a big deal? Just like the rest of us they& #39;ll come to enjoy a lot more than that...
...and stay to enjoy everything else Gundam has to offer. If that& #39;s how they enjoy the show, I say let them if they& #39;re not hurting anyone.
2) Gatekeeping just turns away new fans. Gundam is still niche in the west. It& #39;s a hard truth to swallow but let& #39;s face it, the average anime fan looks at mecha and turns their nose up. So new blood is always super important.
I don& #39;t think Gundam is on life support, but...
I don& #39;t think Gundam is on life support, but...
...new fans are always good. So quit turning people away. You& #39;re not doing this community any favors in doing so.
3) Is there any time to gatekeep?
I want to establish that I honestly really hate the term because of how loaded it is, but I would say there is exactly *1* instance in which it should be done and is actually justified.
I want to establish that I honestly really hate the term because of how loaded it is, but I would say there is exactly *1* instance in which it should be done and is actually justified.
When an individual is so unambiguously toxic that it& #39;s evident their presence would only cause harm to the community, *THAT* is the time to gatekeep. A good example I can cite? S**g. I don& #39;t need to say any more than that.
Inb4 people start saying I said gatekeeping everyone is good...no, you& #39;re missing the point, stop chasing your strawmen. I have bumped into quite a few unpleasant individuals in my time here on Gundam twitter and my first question I always had was...
"Why are you here?"
"Why are you here?"
The last time I did a thread about gatekeeping I attracted the attention of 3 very toxic individuals who I am 99% certain are legit actual nazis? They had some...very choice words to say about me.
Mind, I was able to brush them off because chud trolls are just that, but...
Mind, I was able to brush them off because chud trolls are just that, but...
...I can& #39;t say the same for other mutuals they went after. About to post some reciepts here...
I have all three of these (Mr. White Devil was probably the least egregious of the three, but that& #39;s like saying arson isn& #39;t as bad as murder lmao) blocked just because YIKES.
Anyways-- these are the kind of people to gatekeep against. This behavior flies in the face of Gundam.
Anyways-- these are the kind of people to gatekeep against. This behavior flies in the face of Gundam.
Gundam isn& #39;t this sacred cow that you need to follow a strict moral code to enjoy, but if you& #39;re a bigot with a lot of hate in you, I severely question whether you were listening or paying attention to anything the shows had to say at all.
So, I guess to really end this thread, I do enjoy the fact that we have as active of a community that we do have. Let& #39;s just try not to forget we were all new to Gundam at some point, alright?
