I have often thought about making a post like this for sometime. Us fans of "problematic" art have had to deal with the same BS talking points from antis for quite some time. So I figured I might as well lay out a proper response to the most common arguments that I've seen from them. So that the next time anyone gives you grief for being a fan of shota/loli/cub art, you can just send them this list and carry on with your day. :)
1. "Shota/Loli/Cub art is literal CSEM!"
No it is not. And frankly it is quite insulting at this point that people likes to conflate the two. The reason why shota/loli/cub art is not CSEM is due to one simple distinction: CSEM victimizes real people, shota/loli/cub art victimizes nobody. CSEM requires the actual assault and abuse of children and should be rightfully prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Owning actual CSEM is properly prosecuted as well as owning it only further encourages an industry built upon abuse. Meanwhile, shota/loli/cub art is of FICTIONAL CHARACTERS. The characters featured in artwork DO NOT EXIST. There is no victimizing occurring. Nobody is being hurt because somebody drew Bart Simpson or young Simba in a sexual manner. Again, conflating somebody drawing porn of characters like Peedee Fryman or Max Goof to situations where real children are being abused is frankly insulting and diminishes the trauma that real victims go through.
Now, I will concede that there is one gray area here. And that is when someone draws realistic art of a live action character. Like, for example, the Harry Potter kids or the kids from It. In these cases, the art is being based off real child actors and thus is actually problematic. The only ways out of this uncomfortable territory are if the characters seen in the artwork are stylized enough to basically have next to no resemblance to the live action interpretations and/or are based off examples of the characters not based in reality (such as their portrayal in a comic or something that isn't based off the real life actors). But, even then, I have always found art based on any real person to be quite iffy territory. The only situation where I think it's 100% okay is if it is art drawn of a consenting adult. Otherwise, it's an area that I feel should be best avoided whenever possible.
2. "If you like shota/loli/cub then you are a pedo!"
Again, no. Simply enjoying artwork of fictional characters does not equate to having those feelings for real people. Now, yes, there are actual pedos who enjoy artwork of this nature. But they do not represent everyone who likes this artwork. Judging all fans of this artwork based on their worst members is just another example of guilt by association. It's like saying if Nazis drank milk then you drinking milk too also makes you a Nazi.
Many, like me, simply find the style of the fictional characters in question to be appealing. The way they are drawn. Their personalities. Their voices. Their body types. The animation style. Any number of factors can com into play that can affect why we can find certain animated characters attractive or not. These are characters created by adults, animated by adults, and (certainly more often than not) voiced by adults as well. There is nothing wrong for an adult to find an appeal in fictional creations such as these. And many of these characters were actually older than us when we were first introduced to them. I was certainly younger than characters like Aang, Jake Long, Simba, and Beast Boy (among others) when I was first introduced to them. There is nothing wrong with carrying an interest in a FICTIONAL CHARACTER into your adulthood. Not to mention that there are also cases where victims of abuse draw this artwork as a source of comfort and to help themselves cope with whatever happened to them in the past.
And since I brought it up, whether a character is voiced by an adult or a child has no relevance in this case either. There is nothing wrong in finding the voice of a character appealing, especially since it is matching up well with whatever character you are seeing on the screen. Just because somebody has an interest in Steven Universe does not equate to them actually wanting to do anything to his voice actor. And that goes for any other voiced character. I like Rocket Raccoon's voice but I don't want anything to do with his VA. I want my sexy raccoon dammit!
3. "Liking shota/loli/cub art will turn you into a pedo and make you want to act it out IRL!"
This would just go to show someone's inability to distinguish fiction and reality. Someone's interest in a fictional action or fantasy does not mean that they're going to garner an interest in carrying it out in reality. When I play Grand Theft Auto, I like to run over people with cars and shoot everyone who comes near me. That does not mean I want to actually go out into the real world and act out what I do in a video game. I like slasher movies but that doesn't mean I'm going to become a serial killer. Yes, there are instances where sick people have garnered inspiration from fantasy in order to carry out their actions. But that is more so on the part of a damaged mind that can't distinguish between fiction and reality than anything to do with the actual fiction itself. Playing violent video games does not make a gamer violent. Watching a movie about a terrible person does not make the viewer a terrible person. And liking art of fictional underage characters does not inspire the viewer into wanting to actually harm real minors.
4. "Shota/Loli/Cub art can be used to groom kids!"
ANYTHING can be used to groom kids. There's a reason why the stereotypical vehicle for a pedo has "Free Candy" written on it. Candy. Video games. Adult porn. Family connections. An abuser will use anything they can to groom a child. The only factor at fault when it comes to grooming is the actions of the groomers themselves. Whatever potential item that is used for the grooming is irrelevant and should not be blamed.
And, on this note, pretty much all fans of this artwork that I've seen have often preached about not wanting anything to do with minors. We don't want to introduce minors to this artwork. We don't want to talk to them. We don't want to associate with them. We don't want them in our adult oriented spaces. We only want to share this artwork and enjoy it alongside fellow consenting adults. Yes, again, there are actual pedos and groomers out there who wish to use this artwork to try and abuse people. But most of us condemn that behavior, as we would for any form of grooming and abuse being carried out in the world. We want minors to remain safe. Once they become adults they are free to join the party. But, until then, we want them far away from this artwork and our communities and especially far away from anyone who would wish to do them harm.
5. "It's gross/disgusting/immoral!"
If you personally are offended by this type of artwork, I have only one piece of advice: Then. Don't. Fucking. Look. At. It.
You don't have to like this art. You don't have to look at it. If you don't like this type of artwork then simply avoid it. If you accidentally stumble across it, then just click away and continue on with your day. This whole idea of "if I don't like something then nobody else should either" is a toxic mentality that has only made the broader discourse ever worse over the past few years. Just let us have our spaces to enjoy our harmless fantasies. I see stuff online every day that annoys me. That doesn't mean that I want to take away the spaces for people who produce whatever subjectively-offensive stuff that I see. Live and let live, people. As long as no real harm to real people is being done then move the fuck along.
6. "It's weird/degenerate!"
Um...yeah. That's the point. It's a fantasy. We don't want to preach it out to the heavens and walk around with this art on our shirts or anything. The grand majority of us simply want the freedom to go home after a hard day's work and, in the privacy of our homes, enjoy some quality artwork of FICTIONAL CHARACTERS. Seriously, with all of the actual abusers and pieces of shit out there doing real harm to other people, why are you getting so fussy over what some rando online is drawing of someone who DOES NOT EXIST? Life must be really good for you if you have the free time to get pissy over some Rick and Morty porn.
Anyway, that is it. Feel free to bring up any other argument rebuttals in the comments if I have forgotten any. n.n Hope this proves helpful for any of you the next time you are confronted with an anti who tries to shame you for liking types of art that they don't.
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2 years, 9 months ago
03 Apr 2022 21:03 CEST
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