By: Klutz
This whole thing started out with a simple question asked
on my mailing list.
'Hey, how old is everybody?'
At first, I wasn't too surprised. A lot of the people on
the list were teenagers between the ages of twelve and
fifteen. Seemed normal enough to me. Heck, I own the list
and I'm fifteen. When someone admitted that they were
twenty-one a huge discussion got started. The girl felt
old, and I just feel I should speak up on this.
In the Sailor Moon Society here on the net, it shouldn't
really matter if you're an old newbie or a young oldie or
vice versa. To tell the truth, most of the time people
either seem a lot older or a bit younger than they actually
are when I talk to them online. Mostly, it's because when
people talk online they assume a personality slightly
different from their own, but still similar. Heck, I'm a
lot less violent and more waff/happy when I'm online than
off. A lot of people wouldn't recognize me if it weren't
for the name, probably because I am and always have been a
huge klutz.
The main thing I'm trying to say is that maybe we
shouldn't ask how old someone is, because if you're happy
with the way you 'see' someone, why should you change it?
Ok, you should find out if they're a guy or a girl, because
that could be one very awkward situation, but don't ask how
old someone is.
Also, groups like Hentai-Free are there to remind us that
there are even some moonies out there under the age of
five, and I'm sure that their parents or guardians wouldn't
be to happy to find them looking at something filled with
profanity or hentai. Really, the Sailor Moon groups on the
Internet should be aimed at all age groups, and not judge
people. Aren't we supposed to be the enigmatic, euphoric,
anime-lovers?
I know a lot of people who ask me 'Don't you think you're
a little old to be watching cartoons?' My answer is always
and always will be the same. Never! And I only watch
cartoons on weekends, I watch Anime during the week and
read manga.
Think about it this way. You could be from the age of
30-something and up, sitting on a train in Japan reading
manga, or watching some real-player anime on your laptop
while riding a train, and no one would look twice. It's
normal there. Anime and manga are something they grew up
on, and aren't likely to grow out of any time soon. Why
should North America and the rest of the world be any
different? I've grown up on Anime, manga and comic books
and I don't plan to stop! The world would be a heck of a
lot nicer if we didn't judge people on what they like to do
or don't, and what age they are.
If it doesn't matter how old you are when you like Manga
and Anime there, why should it matter here?
Comments on this article can be sent to:
Klutz.
