Is it okay to be otaku?

Someone told me that they noticed some of my peers at Sunshine Plaza wearing some sort of black SOS-Dan T-shirt, blaring anime music forth like some low-class African-American thug with a boombox. (Yes, tsubaki, I’m looking at you. And yes, I am trying to be politically-correct here.) This someone also said they also had the air of arrogance, but they looked like otaku. (tsu, that’ll only be one or two of them. The rest of us are likeable nutcases.) Which got my braincells running.

So, it is okay to be otaku? Does being otaku confer to you some sort of metaphorical badge you can metaphorically wear it on your metaphorical sleeve proudly? Is it okay to be proud to be otaku?

To what little I know about otaku, yes, it’s okay to be otaku, but no, you cannot be proud of it, like some arrogant rich fuck. Yes, it does confer to you a metaphorical badge, but it one of shame, and should not be allowed to be seen AT ALL. Or as little as possible.

And why is being otaku shameful? I’ll let you in on a little secret. Being otaku implies that you have failed in being a productive member of society, and have decided to sink yourself into a fantasy world where you can run away from your problems. Instead of solving the problem that lies with yourself and turning yourself into someone productive, you decide to remain unproductive and not contributing to the betterment of society. This also applies to anyone who dives too deep into any hobby. Do you want to be proud of being a torn in society’s flesh? Do you like living off the hardworking to jack off to drawn representations of your imagination? Do you want to take pride in the fact that in fact, YOU ARE A FUCKING FAILURE AND CHOOSE NOT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT? DO YOU, FAGGOT?

If you want to do so, it’s none of my business. But act like that in front of me and I’ll kill you. I’ll make sure I’ll either kill you or leave you so horribly maimed you’ll wish you never was born. And this is not a threat or ultimatium, it’s a reality.

But moving on, it’s all right to be otaku and be a productive member of society. Heck, I’ve seen businessmen buying expensive Japanese anime goods. This proves you can be otaku and be productive at the same time. Well, to me, that is.

Also, I’ll tell you why I went otaku. If it weren’t for Japanese anime, I’d be either plotting the downfall of civilization, dead in the street, in a jail, and probably a combination of two, more or all of them. You see, I have one hell of a short fuse, and I’ve underwent counselling, psychiatric treatment, and went on antidepressant drugs for a short spell. And why? I have a burning hatred for humanity. You heard that right, burning hatred. That’s why I can whip out angry Drm posts with ease. Yes, all my angry posts are really filled with as much hatred as I can muster. But enough of that. If I didn’t go otaku, I would have killed people with impunity. Hell, I wouldn’t be writing this right now. Yes, at the expense of sounding like one of those people wo get paid to tell unwitting suckers ow something changed their lives, anime turned me into an almost-functioning member of society. This is one story you’ll never hear from TV, folks.

Yes, people become otaku for many reasons, some bad, some good. But remember this. We have to hide it. I’m proud to be otaku, but you’ll never see me flaunting it.
It might seem like I’m acting all pissy about it, but let me assure you. I’m no Minmei Sakamoto. Yes, otakus might be socially acceptable because of Densha Otoko, but it is only a grudging acceptance. Nobody likes to accept failure, not even the most laidback of people. Failure has always been not too far from death in the wild, mind you. We humans may be sentient, but we’re not all that removed from our animal instincts.