Theme by nostrich.
Logo by vivdesigns.
Keep updated with Manga Therapy by subscribing to my RSS feed! "Like", "Follow", or "+1" me for more lovely conversations about manga & Japanese pop culture!
Text with 1 note
Must-Read: Melinda Beasi’s Thoughts On The Canada Customs Case
Browsing through the Twitterverse, I found a very good & enlightening op-ed by the Manga Bookshelf’s own Melinda Beasi on the state of the case involving a man who was arrested in Canada for bringing over “questionable” manga. Here’s an excerpt from the article that I believe CAN happen given the state of how absurd people can be in this day and age.
“The truth is, my fear may be premature, but it isn’t crazy. We absolutely can’t trust our communities with our lives when it comes to comics, and I’ve seen the proof of that first-hand. It was only a couple of months ago, for instance, that a local commenter at Manga Bookshelf — someone essentially in my community — let me know that she considered an interest in romance comics featuring teen characters to be tantamount to pedophilia.”
For those who haven’t experienced this, like it or not, we will face people who may believe in some crazy extreme logic or have some sort of irrational fear. The problem is how to face those individuals & prejudices. It seems like no matter how much education we provide, not everyone will listen. I, myself, have friends who know about my anime/manga interests. However, I may not tell all of them about certain specific subjects or genres I’m into. This reminds me of what is going on with the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan trying to label anime/manga as child pornography.
The world seems to be trying to make otaku (and general fans of anime/manga) feel ashamed. And for what? So, we can be “outstanding citizens” under their terms? Tch….
Melinda’s article can be read here.
As a reminder to those attending New York Comic-Con, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund will have a panel entitled ““CBLDF: Defending Manga” (7:30pm - 8:30pm) at Room 1A23 next Saturday about the Canada Customs case and how readers can help.
