with recent events i would like to remind the tl that being critical of media does not mean “i know this is bad but i like it so i ignore it, but it’s still there!!!”
it means being aware of how it effects other people, and whether or not your consumption spreads bigotry

a good rule of thumb is this: if you took out the problematic elements of media, does it still have substance? does it still have a meaning? a message?
if the answer is no, then that means you should probably drop it, because that means the core theme + message IS problematic

i just think people center themselves too much in their interests. it‘s never about you. it’s always about the bigger picture. just because you may be able to ignore something doesn’t mean it doesn’t harm or traumatize someone else

as an example, if you take out the homophobia in something, and there’s no longer a plot; that means the plot /was/ the homophobia. the very Point of the media was to spread homophobic concepts, and so on.

tl;dr: media criticism relies on selflessness. to be critical means you have to get over yourself sometimes and have some self discipline. in the long run, the safety of other people is more important than our own feelings, and i really want to encourage this line of thought