Paul's Passing Thoughts

Notice: this is an informal post commenting on the book’s research; documentation and citations will be in the book.  

In my research for the upcoming book, something perplexed me. This is certain: the Fandom began as a counterculture sex cult; that’s what it is predicated on, and that’s the core ideology. Another thing is certain: the ideology it began with drives its behavior presently.

By “counterculture,” I mean the rejection of all cultural norms regarding sex. That necessarily includes pedophilia and just about everything else unimageable. The Fandom began with room parties at Sci-Fi conventions that were sexually oriented, and graduated to conventions that were clearly sexually oriented. In a video walkthrough of the second conference, virtually every cartoonist present was displaying cartoon porn. Another video walkthrough of an early conference featured the table display of a popular Fandom fanzine called, “Furversion,” a play on the word, “perversion.” In the zine, readers were referred to as “furverts,” a play on the word, “pervert.”  The art theme in all issues of Furversion were sexual in nature.  At one of the initial conference panel discussions, Fandom authors discussed the following openly: the Fandom is a bridge between sexual wokeness and culture. The focus of my book follows: this puts children in the crossfire.

So, knowing all of this, my research led to some confusion. That is, the cozy relationship between the Fandom hierarchy and world renowned Japanese cartoonists. Mark Merlino, the father of the Fandom, is directly responsible for the integration of Japanese magna, or Anime, into “anthropomorphic” Fandom art. In the early days of the Fandom, Merlino aggressively sought to make the Japanese artists participants in the Fandom and did so successfully. This surprised me greatly, because at least so far, the Japanese artists look to be on the up and up. This is strange bedfellow indeed. These guys actually did appearances at the conferences and as far as I know, still do.

After several hours of research, I am less confused about this relationship. Though the idea needs some more digging, the Japanese artists may have wanted access, or a conduit to have their works published in America due to publishing laws here versus Japan. But far less doubtful is the idea that Merlino was interested in Anime for the same purpose that Anime is controversial in Japan. In Japan, child porn was recently outlawed in 2014, and cartoon child porn is a gray area because of Anime. The Anime genre projects innocence and cuteness, which is a Japanese cultural obsession. Anime art presents characters that project an uncertain age that is going to be determined by individual perception. That’s key. Any given Anime character can be perceived as being anywhere between 12 and 25 years old. In addition, single Anime characters can project multiple genders and is a perfect genre for projecting counterculture sexual ideas.

Consequently, Anime child porn is huge in Japan, and the art depicts everything under the sexual sun including rape and other abuses.  After all, the reasoning goes, it’s fantasy and not real children. Let’s pause here. I know, I know, I know. Let me say it one more time; I know, Anime is enjoyed for completely innocent purposes. Hopefully, you get it; this post isn’t condemning Anime, it’s connecting the dots regarding the use of Anime by the Fandom. If you don’t get that, and you comment on this post, your comment will be moderated and NOT posted. Please, don’t be silly.

In addition, and documented by Japanese authorities, Anime child porn being deemed legal at the front door, is then used to groom children for sexual abuse at the back door. Children are shown the publications of children with adults in sexual situations; so, it must be ok and normal, right? Art, especially cartoon art, is the ultimate child grooming tool for anything from sex to ideology.  Animation is a gateway into a child’s psyche.

Here is where we get into something else that was initially a little confusing about the Fandom. While claiming to be a “hobby,” it also claims to be a “subculture” that promotes “anthropomorphic art.” I initially wrote this accepted contradiction off as run-of-the-mill low information Americanism. I have another theory based on research.

In America, under Federal law, people have been put in prison for the possession of Anime child porn. Some of those convictions were appealed leading to changes in the law. What are those changes? Possession of cartoon porn is now downgraded to being  prosecuted under obscenity laws and not child exploitation laws. Furthermore, and this is the crux, one is only guilty of possessing cartoon child porn if “the content has NO political or scientific purpose/value.“

Now exit your thoughts to several videos of Furry panel discussions I have watched. There is a continuing emphasis on the Fandom saving the world from draconian sexual laws…through…Fandom “anthropomorphic art,” and…anthropomorphism is a…”science.”

Bingo.

So, am I suggesting that the Fandom is using Anime and anthropomorphism for an end-around-play for child porn laws? Absolutely. Am I also suggesting that it is being used by the Fandom to groom children for elicit acts? Absolutely. Does this mean everyone in the Fandom is using it for that? NO.

As explained in the book, all movements will have those along for the ride who don’t understand the dynamics of countercultures, subcultures, sects, and cults, and how core ideology drives any given movement. Yes, some involved in the Fandom, perhaps many, are hobby enthusiasts and unwitting participants. That is a common dynamic of all movements whether religious, political, or anti-humanity.

With that said, the core ideology of the Fandom is absolutely irrefutable because of the behavior it exhibited in the beginning. Sex of the counterculture variety was clearly the theme. Plus, promoters of the conferences said so; that might be a clue. And as will be documented in the later chapters of the book, in our day, the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.

paul