capsulecorp wrote: Mon May 27, 2024 6:12 pm
You're entirely correct that this kind of abuse of power is common throughout the entertainment industry. "Fandom" is why. Putting them on a platform, elevating them simply because they play a role in a product the fans enjoy, that's the dynamic behind a lot of these situations. Schemmel, for example, was abusing fans, correct?
It's true that there are complicated power dynamics going on between idols and fans, but boiling down the cause to "fandom" alone feels... simplistic at best, pretty insensitive to the issue at worst, I would say. It's likely that the woman had some greater level of trust and reverence for Toru because of her fandom for his acting work, but there were also basic expectations of human decency that someone would hopefully afford their partner in any relationship, let alone one going on for nearly five years. Toru was revealed himself to be a nasty piece of work and he alone should be held responsible for those actions, not his victim.
I'm not saying you're guilty of this, but there's a pretty sordid history of victim-blaming in fan circles whenever any celebrity scandal comes out. That banned troll from earlier was one example and I was surprised nobody (that I could see) was calling out his repeated "exploiting weakness" comments, implying that abuse victims are all weak. Considering all the other questionable shit he was saying (a fuckin George Floyd namedrop? Come on, man
), I can understand how that might have slipped past the radar.
Schemmel, for example, was abusing fans, correct?
Not that I'm aware of. The worst Schemmel is guilty of is making a few douchey/egotistical comments. Are you getting Sean Schemmel mixed up with Vic Mignogna? He's probably the most infamous case of abuse in the fandom. It's been mentioned that there are similar cases in other language dub casts, but again, it's not exclusive to any one side of the entertainment industry. I mean, you must've heard of #MeToo, right?
She/Her 
