Are elitists a real thing or is it all in our heads?
Yes
81.8%
184
No
18.2%
41
225 votes
| Every now and then we get a thread about how the community is brimming with elitists and how they suck but to this day I've never seen a so called 'elitist' defending themselves on those threads. Every single reply is always people shitting on them, or on attitudes like being completionists or having low mean scores that have nothing to do with elitism. Having strong opinions or disliking popular anime is not necessarily elitism as well. It feels like people throw the term 'elitist' around for behaviour they dislike, kinda like what happens with the words overrated and pretentious. Is elitism a boogeyman created by the community because of old memes and trolls and perpetuated solely because of how much we talk about them? |
| Yes, they exist and I've seen them around |
 ManWild |
| Amazing that you have over 1000 posts and haven't encountered one yet. |
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| I think the main definition from what I’ve seen a anime elitist means Is someone who favors complicated and deep anime. They typically tell people who don’t like they’re anime that they just don’t understand it. Even if the anime itself isn’t really deep at all, or it’s just not that good on its own and is just a mess with occasional symbolism. These anime are typically known to be: nge, serial experiments lain, technolzye, nhk, Flcl etc. I think there are variants of this type of person that are also considered elitist. That’s just what I’ve gathered from people who were called elitists. They definetly exist though. The anime that are known to be “elitist anime” do typically have a lot of elitists in them. |
IamgirlMay 15, 2021 3:21 PM
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| "Disliking popular anime is not necessarily 'elitism' at all" I believe in the same thing |
--Saitama said: "Disliking popular anime is not necessarily 'elitism' at all" I believe in the same thing Disliking something because it is popular is elitism. |
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| They do exist, just not as prevalent as people make them out to be. |
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epidemia78 said: --Saitama said: "Disliking popular anime is not necessarily 'elitism' at all" I believe in the same thing Disliking something because it is popular is elitism. Are you being sarcastic? I couldn't tell. |
| They do exist, every hobby has them, but they aren't as common as people make them out to be. And yes before anyone says it I'm aware that my profile looks like the elitist stereotype that has formed in the community's collective consciousness over the years. |
| MEA·MENTVLA·INGENS·EST |
| I've got Ergo Proxy on my favs so people tell me I am one but I don't feel like one, I feel like the Doom Guy fighting demons, but instead of demons its people with re:zero and code geass in their favs trying to murder me |
| People have varied opinions on what defines elitism so part of it is how you define it. I also think we all have a certain level of a lack of insight into our own behavior that some could perceive as elitist. There was a thread a few days ago about taste shaming the other day where everyone was in a unanimous consensus that it was bad, and yet we all jump into the threads about “what popular character/anime/manga/setting do you hate” threads. Not that those are equivalent, but it’s those types of threads that create an atmosphere of elitism |
| Yeah I see a bunch of them everyday on MAL forums. |
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Sure, but how many people actually do that? Lately I've seen so many popular shows go easily over the 8 score mark that I wonder. What I see more are people that dislike something that's generally present in popular anime. Like shounen fights, generic fantasy, etc Rudolfpikel said: I mean, it depends on what you consider elitism, but they certainly exist to some extent; an example would be the presence of gatekeeping, which could be considered a form of elitism. I definitely think the presence of elitism is overblown, however. For me elitism is more about the way people behave with other people rather than just with anime. Like, watching only "elitist" anime is not elitist by itself, but acting like it make yourself better than others is. I agree with gatekeeping, but it's another behaviour that I see more people talking about and criticising than people actually doing so. When I see it, it's mostly ironic or trolling (I myself reply like that sometimes just to mess around). Mod Note: Removed response to deleted post |
dipItFooMay 17, 2021 10:26 PM
Satyr_icon said: Sure, but how many people actually do that? Lately I've seen so many popular shows go easily over the 8 score mark that I wonder. What I see more are people that dislike something that's generally present in popular anime. Like shounen fights, generic fantasy, etc Lots, I figure. It's not as if they'll admit to it but if you read between the lines... Personally I find it very suspicious, those who rate Attack on Titan very low as if it's the worst anime ever. |
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| Yes, they exist they are pretty much almost everywhere on MAL forums. |
Satyr_icon said: Is elitism a boogeyman created by the community because of old memes and trolls and perpetuated solely because of how much we talk about them? Touché. Bonus point when those "anti-elitist" threads degenerate into an elitist fest of users randomly trashing people who watch old shows, classics, have low mean scores, etc. The only elitist part of the fandom is... the self-proclaimed "anti-elitists". Who's actively gatekeeping users from trying old anime with bullshit about art objectively getting better as technology progresses? It's always been the anti-elitist crowd here. We only get peace when they engage in bot wars to try and take FMAB down with their latest hyped battle shonen lol. They gather in each other's fav animu subforums and throw pages of insults at each other while we get peace in the general section of AD. |
DeathkoMay 15, 2021 4:35 PM
Prophetess of the Golden Era  |
| If they exist they are a non defined group, with many variants for different tastes. |
| heh. |
| It is largely a buzzword descriptor overused like crazy. I do think elitists exist sure but nowadays, it gets lumped at people just for liking certain shows associated with having a cancerous elitist subsection of fans. At times, even going as far to call the anime itself an "elitist" anime by proxy which just speaks volumes of where the state of the word is right now. |
| Don't let others ruin things for you. Even if a toxic fan pisses in your cereal, you could just get another bowl of cereal. The 50 Anime You Should Watch Before You Die |
epidemia78 said: Lots, I figure. It's not as if they'll admit to it but if you read between the lines... Personally I find it very suspicious, those who rate Attack on Titan very low as if it's the worst anime ever. Isn't that mostly due to fandom wars between the top anime, though? That, and fans mad at the manga ending lol Ghemotoc said: Bonus point when those "anti-elitist" threads degenerate into an elitist fest of users randomly trashing people who watch old shows, classics, have low mean scores, etc. The only elitist part of the fandom is... the self-proclaimed "anti-elitists". Yeah, that pretty much sums up how those threads go. Especially the low score part, people seem unable to understand that not everyone use scores the same way. |
| I personally knew someone. He left mal though |
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| yeah i've seen a few around, but yeah they do exist and yes they are scary. |
   Has a 8.60 mean score Akasaka > Other Mangakas  |
| Not so much an elitist but more of a different kind of user that spends the whole day logging stuff in unbeliavable rates. At some point he even copied the list tag descriptions from another user, around a hundred of them if not more. Then he proceeded to create a Letterbodx account and apparently also logged 6K+ movies there. I guess time works differently for some people. |
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| There are people out there who do unironically think they are superior for enjoying certain content. That said yeah it's very overstated and people usually just conflate elitism usually with any individual who doesn't like stuff they do. epidemia78 said: Satyr_icon said: Sure, but how many people actually do that? Lately I've seen so many popular shows go easily over the 8 score mark that I wonder. What I see more are people that dislike something that's generally present in popular anime. Like shounen fights, generic fantasy, etc Lots, I figure. It's not as if they'll admit to it but if you read between the lines... Personally I find it very suspicious, those who rate Attack on Titan very low as if it's the worst anime ever. What lines? People have the right to rate however they please and you are going to encounter titles that are very popular that you aren't going to like doesn't make you a "hipster" or "elitist". It quite simply is just placing yourself over others because you enjoy certain content and guess what fanbase I found people doing that in the past.... yeah AOT. Popular anime that have/had high reception will have more fans like that then many stereotypical "elitist" show fanbases. |
| they definitely exist because i am one |
| I've been on MAL for a while, but i have only used the forums for a few years. I haven't ever seen an honest elitist discussion aside from people complaining about elitists like an elitist themselves. Name names dinguses, and present something other than an ethereal discussion about ghosts. |
 I don't believe in the Devil. You should. He believes in you. |
| They exist, but because of how much this community openly discusses how shit they are, the extreme elitists have either stopped showing their elitism, or calmed down a little. We don't have caricatures anymore, but you still see it, people just don't realize it still exists since they aren't completely aware what elitism really is. I know for the longest time people just assumed elitism was "liking older/obscure anime and hating everything else", which ain't true. Like previously said, hating something because it's popular is elitism. Another example is Shounen fans can be elitist too, you remember the days when you'd get shit for not liking the Big 3? That was elitism, people put Shounen far above anything else and wouldn't accept the idea that someone could like non-Shounen properties more than the popular Shounen. The latter example is thankfully very uncommon nowadays though, so there's a good chance you haven't actually seen that one if you joined after like 2014. Remember, liking certain types of anime does not make you an elitist, it's how you behave yourself. The amount of elitists in this community definitely is exaggerated, but it's far from being gone, though ironically we get more posts about shitting on elitists compared to the amount of actual elitist posts, so shitting on elitists is actually becoming more of a problem since y'all are clogging up the forums. Hating on elitism isn't exactly a hot take here, we don't need more posts about it. |
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Lunilah said: I've been on MAL for a while, but i have only used the forums for a few years. I haven't ever seen an honest elitist discussion aside from people complaining about elitists like an elitist themselves. Name names dinguses, and present something other than an ethereal discussion about ghosts. How does complaining about elitists make you one though? I don't think anyone on this platform would be happy with someone rubbing his/her superior taste in their faces. |
| I sometimes forget to finish my sentences. |
| look around on anitwitter and you will see a lot of them. |
samashi20 said: I didn't say complaining makes you an elitist, i talked about how people who complain about elitists like an elitist themselves. They try and poke fun at other people and the anime they like in defense of people not liking their anime. Most of these "elitists" that i've seen are just people who don't like some anime, that it's mostly a disagreement that leads people to thinking someone is an elitist. They get so anti-elitist they become elitist themselves, fandoms are a good example of this.Lunilah said: I've been on MAL for a while, but i have only used the forums for a few years. I haven't ever seen an honest elitist discussion aside from people complaining about elitists like an elitist themselves. Name names dinguses, and present something other than an ethereal discussion about ghosts. How does complaining about elitists make you one though? I don't think anyone on this platform would be happy with someone rubbing his/her superior taste in their faces. |
I don't believe in the Devil. You should. He believes in you. |
samashi20 said: Lunilah said: I've been on MAL for a while, but i have only used the forums for a few years. I haven't ever seen an honest elitist discussion aside from people complaining about elitists like an elitist themselves. Name names dinguses, and present something other than an ethereal discussion about ghosts. How does complaining about elitists make you one though? I don't think anyone on this platform would be happy with someone rubbing his/her superior taste in their faces. "evil people who only pretend to enjoy Ghost in the Shell and Ergo Proxy to appear intelligent, anime is made to be enjoyed not analyzed, people who watch old shows only do so because nostalgia, anime objectively got better because computers, anyone who dislike my fav super mainstream show is a hater, blablabla" The very basic anti intellectual bs you hear in every medium when someone has no arguments and lacks the ability to form some of their own, and decides to throw shit to make a diversion tbh. You hear the same bs in music or video games discussion all the time. What they fail to understand is that lacking a critical mind doesn't make you enjoy things more, and vice-versa lol. It's not because I can recognize when music is technical/original/whatever that I don't enjoy a good punk rock track. |
DeathkoMay 15, 2021 6:15 PM
Prophetess of the Golden Era |
ProfessionalNEET said: Yes and most people who say they don't are probably elitists themselves It's typically the opposite in mainstream popular media. I've heard so many complaints about asshole jazz elitists by people who'd rather burn their trendy leather jackets than listen to jazz in music school. Never met a jazz player or enthusiast who refuses to listen to something else. I suspect pop-rockers are just jelly as fuck that they don't understand shit to jazz while jazzmen can play all their songs without sweating lol. So they invented a whole mythology about jazzmen being these horrible snob people. I personally have no ego when it comes to string instruments considering I mostly want to play doom metal lol, no technique required besides staying awake between two chords despite the weed. |
DeathkoMay 15, 2021 6:21 PM
Prophetess of the Golden Era |
Ghemotoc said: samashi20 said: How does complaining about elitists make you one though? I don't think anyone on this platform would be happy with someone rubbing his/her superior taste in their faces. "evil people who only pretend to enjoy Ghost in the Shell and Ergo Proxy to appear intelligent, anime is made to be enjoyed not analyzed, people who watch old shows only do so because nostalgia, anime objectively gor better because computers, anyone who dislike my fav super mainstream show is a hater, blablabla" The very basic anti intellectual bs you hear in every medium tbh. You hear the same bs in music or video games discussion all the time. I can't disagree with that I guess. I don't understand why anyone, whether elitist or not, would be so worked up because someone has a different taste. Also what you're describing is basically old vs new anime, not necessarily elitism. I guess at the end of the day, it depends on how you define elitism. |
| I sometimes forget to finish my sentences. |
samashi20 said: How does complaining about elitists make you one though? I don't think anyone on this platform would be happy with someone rubbing his/her superior taste in their faces. It doesn't make you one, but it can make you act like one. Example: on these anti-elitist threads I occasionally see people mocking others with certain anime on their favourites list, like Tatami Galaxy or Evangelion. That's no different from so-called elitists who mock people who have Naruto or Bleach on their favourites. |
Kaliyahscake said: I think the main definition from what I’ve seen a anime elitist means Is someone who favors complicated and deep anime. They typically tell people who don’t like they’re anime that they just don’t understand it. Even if the anime itself isn’t really deep at all, or it’s just not that good on its own and is just a mess with occasional symbolism. These anime are typically known to be: nge, serial experiments lain, technolzye, nhk, Flcl etc. I think there are variants of this type of person that are also considered elitist. That’s just what I’ve gathered from people who were called elitists. They definetly exist though. The anime that are known to be “elitist anime” do typically have a lot of elitists in them. Elitism isn't about what type of anime people like or if you're a fan of a particular show it's how a person behaves. Symptoms include but may not be limited to condescension, presents personal opinion as fact, 100% thinks you need a high IQ to enjoy Rick and Morty, god complex and other unverified afflictions It's a common misconception i'm just plastering it here so people don't think that fans of some of the mentioned anime are all elitists which happens. |
| The beauty of humans is that they say one thing then do another, but at the same time that can also be their ugliest side. |
| old, old, old topic elitist here means liking a certain combination of shows and disliking a combination of others. so in that sense, yes i guess? epidemia78 said: Satyr_icon said: Sure, but how many people actually do that? Lately I've seen so many popular shows go easily over the 8 score mark that I wonder. What I see more are people that dislike something that's generally present in popular anime. Like shounen fights, generic fantasy, etc Lots, I figure. It's not as if they'll admit to it but if you read between the lines... Personally I find it very suspicious, those who rate Attack on Titan very low as if it's the worst anime ever. so you can't believe that someone would find attack on titan a bad series. is that it? |
| They are exist. And they are everywhere. |
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epidemia78 said: BilboBaggins365 said: What lines? People have the right to rate however they please and you are going to encounter titles that are very popular that you aren't going to like doesn't make you a "hipster" or "elitist". It quite simply is just placing yourself over others because you enjoy certain content and guess what fanbase I found people doing that in the past.... yeah AOT. Popular anime that have/had high reception will have more fans like that then many stereotypical "elitist" show fanbases. Let's say you're talking to a guy who's trashing AoT saying Eren is cringe, Mikasa is a simp and Levi is only popular because of fujos. This guy just hates AoT but ironically enough, he unilaterally rates all the big shounens 10/10 across the board. 1/ a hater isn't an elitist 2/ good analysis of the characters tbh, I'd just suppose he had a revelation/moment of lucidity after so much battle shonen lol. Or more likely, he's one of those FMAB scary stans who'd rip your face off if you looked at the n°1 spot on MAL with the intention of dethroning their "objectively" perfect and "critically acclaimed" masterpiece. FMAB elitists vs AoT elitists has to be the elitist fight of the last decade tbh. |
DeathkoMay 15, 2021 7:53 PM
Prophetess of the Golden Era |
| I identify as an elitist because I don't accept "The girls are cute" as an acceptable reason to like a show. |
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