Help: Get Parents to Accept the Fact that I am a Gamer/Otaku

[Irony's Acolyte]

It didn't really sound like you were being persecuted. If your dad was laughing at you because (in his mind) anything animation is kids stuff, then I think yeah you might need to enlighten them a bit by showing them some mature animation (and not just porn, something that is very cerebral). But it sounds like he saw something animated, thought of the Liberty Kids (which I actually think I have seen before, oddly enough), and laughed at the memory of the Liberty Kids. In which case you seem to be a little over-defensive here.

But if you are getting persecuted a bit for you interests I think you should find some way of showing them that its good entertainment and that it isn't worthless. Try to relate what you're interested in with what they're interested in. It might make them realize that they are just different genres.

Sounds like a good idea. Its not the comments that really bother me so much, its their bits of shame. "Don't only talk about the anime (And its always "The anime" or "the comics" or "the gaming" or "the manga"), Don't just talk about games, Put your posters up where you can't see them right away. I know that it shouldn't bother me, but after a while, it gets to you. If someone was, hypothetically, constantly made fun of for liking, say, Middle-Eastern music, you could brush it off, sure, but after, say, 3 or 4 years, it starts getting grating.

Yeah it sounds like your parents don't really take it seriously. Like I said, try to show them that it is a legitamite form of entertainment despite the fact that it isn't mainstream (at least outside of Japan). I find that the best way to get people to understand stuff like that is through making comparisons or satire (if they're smart enough to get it, otherwise it can just make things worse). I'm hoping that your parents are at least somewhat reasonable and aren't totally "What we say goes, no matter what." It'll be a lot easier if its actually possible to reasonable discuss it with them rather than just getting a "Nope, you're totally wrong" every time you bring it up.

Good luck though!

 

[Slavik_91]

My stepfather offered to drive me to the shopping the day C&C3: Tib Wars went on sales at around 11pm, I think I'm good

 

[Irridium]

Convert them. All shall join the Nerdy Collective.

How? I 'unno. My parents are the ones who introduced me to Star Trek and Star Wars. They're almost as nerdy as I am.

Same here. My dad dad has craploads of recorded Star Trek VHS tapes. He also has the origional Star Wars trilogy videos on VHS, before Lucas's updates.

OT: That doesn't sound so bad really. If all they do is laugh a bit then I think they're fine with it. Sure they may find it silly, but that doesn't mean they're not accepting of it. Perhaps laughing is their way of accepting it.

 

[ThatOtakuGuy]

If all they do is laugh, I don't think you've got much of a problem. Yeah, it isn't ideal, but at least they don't think you're going to hell for it like some horror stories I've heard.

Think you're going to hell??? Jeez, I feel bad for whoever is born to those culture-haters.

That's an extreme case, and a bit of hyperbole. But seriously, unless they're actually restricting what you can watch/play/read or standing there glaring all the time when you do, I'd advise just ignoring them. You can try showing them Cowboy Bebop or something (my dad actually watched it before me), but if it isn't their thing just learn to get along.

Aidinthel I like your avatar.

Thank you. Omnissiah's blessing be upon you.

I've decided to take Aidinthel's advice. I'm going to sit my folks down and have them watch an episode of Cowboy Bebop, the first to be exact. I'll have them watch, then talk after its over. Thanks to all of the Escapees (I'll stick with that) for their advice, I'll let anyone whose interested know how it went in about 26 minutes.

 

[Paularius]

Sounds like they just dont know the differance between anime and cartoons.
And they probably just thought your poster was creepy.

 

[RooftopAssassin]

For sure! Let us know how it went. I'm interested to see Huxley's law in effect! If it fails then it's sign of good things to come. If it succeeds...

 

[CrazyMedic]

eh I think the best thing you could do is find a few of your gamer friends(assuming they don't look like basement dwellers and don't talk about their plus four sword of baron slaying and show them that you aren't weird for liking it, also I would recommend showing them some of the more adult animes(IE death note/code geass) something with a deep story although neither of those may be a good choice because of the big tits but something that is like a deep movie without all the negative anime stuff, ie giant robots big tits ect ect.

 

[Shifty Tortoise]

Uhhh, you're parents seem pretty accepting already, they may not understand the culture. But i doubt many parents do.

 

[Anarchemitis]

While in the middle of watching an action scene, my dad came up to the TV. I could see that he was struggling not to laugh, so I called him out on it. Denying it at first, he broke down and admitted that the show reminded him of a cartoon I had watched as a child called Liberty's Kids, about two teenagers witnessing the events of the American Revolution.

You may ask, "What do these two things have anything to do with each other?" The answer for my dad was, "They're both animated". I've bought several anime dvds, many maaaaannnnyyyy manga, and have a bleach and death note poster up in my room (Put up on the wall over my door so that no one will see it unless they are looking for it, my parent's condition for puting it up).

My question to the Escapisters (Escapees, Escapiters, etc ad infinitum) is this: How can I get my parents to accept the fact that I'm a "nerd" (here used to describe their point of view, as I hate that word with every fiber of my being) and stop making fun of my chosen mediums of entertainment (games, anime, etc)?

Such an incidence makes me think that your father enjoys your interest in a way that it mirrored his own childhood. I shouldn't think that it would be a bad thing. Insuch, if they're making fun of you, I would suppose that they're doing it as friendly ribbing as opposed to insulting pressure to change your hobbies.

 

[Fraught]

If all they do is laugh, I don't think you've got much of a problem. Yeah, it isn't ideal, but at least they don't think you're going to hell for it like some horror stories I've heard.

Think you're going to hell??? Jeez, I feel bad for whoever is born to those culture-haters.

Culture-haters? Jesus, look at your own parents.

I mean, sure, I'm not the nerdiest guy, but still. Was I, they wouldn't mind. Like, at all.

But also, good luck with your Cowboy Bebop..."experiment".

EDIT: Okay, maybe I really over...estima--reacted to their attitude towards it, but what still found kind of odd is the fact that they won't let you put up a poster.

Otherwise they don't really seem to be that adamantly against it.

 

[Atros81]

Hmmmm.... here's my take.... don't try to spend too much time trying to get them to accept it. It would be more of a problem if they were outright forbidding this, which it sounds like they're not. It sounds like they don't like it, but they do accept it.

You're 15 years old... that puts you at... what, a sophomore in high school? Those years will fly by fast, and you'll be able to get away from the scorn of your parents. We all have had things we enjoy that our parents disapproved of... oftentimes we enjoy them BECAUSE our parents disapprove. Life moves on.

Something else you may want to think about with what you said. You said "I've seen Cowboy Bebop, Elfen Lied, Death Note, etc. They don't really put a limit on my viewing unless its straight-up bloodfests or porn." They must not pay that close of attention, because the opening scene of Elfen Lied (where Lucy is escaping from the facility), can be called both a bloodfest and pornographic (albeit the context is very far from being sexual). They may not know better, and I know most of what you are saying is definitely within the constraints that have been given to you, but they would definitely be within their rights to be worried if they were seeing that.

 

[Agayek]

-snip-

Short answer: Tell them to fuck off.

Long answer: Explain to them that you enjoy whatever it is, and nothing they say or do is going to change that. Just lay it all out on the table, and they'll either accept it or not. Don't let it bother you overly, no matter how it goes.

 

[crepesack]

Hate to break it to you, but you're not an otaku. Just a weeaboo.

~Taiwanese guy, whose modern society tries too hard to be Japanese.

Don't care about it. It's just a phase and your parents know it is as well. That is, until you start bringing home loli panties, then I think your parents would (and should) worry. I'm 100% positive your parents went through a Who phase or whatever phase when they were young. (depending how old they are)

 

[Kingsman]

Don't... please, don't try to enlighten him.

I happen to be in a similar position to yours, surrounded by family members who see anime as just downright stupid and video games as drugs in electronic form. Trust me, I know their judgments hurt, but it'll help you to keep yourself in moderation.

 

[Ih8pkmn]

If you're parents can't accept that you like games: just go about your business, and ignore them. If your parents can't accept that you like what you like, they're so detached from the world they could be satellites!

 

[ThatOtakuGuy]

Hmmmm.... here's my take.... don't try to spend too much time trying to get them to accept it. It would be more of a problem if they were outright forbidding this, which it sounds like they're not. It sounds like they don't like it, but they do accept it.

You're 15 years old... that puts you at... what, a sophomore in high school? Those years will fly by fast, and you'll be able to get away from the scorn of your parents. We all have had things we enjoy that our parents disapproved of... oftentimes we enjoy them BECAUSE our parents disapprove. Life moves on.

Something else you may want to think about with what you said. You said "I've seen Cowboy Bebop, Elfen Lied, Death Note, etc. They don't really put a limit on my viewing unless its straight-up bloodfests or porn." They must not pay that close of attention, because the opening scene of Elfen Lied (where Lucy is escaping from the facility), can be called both a bloodfest and pornographic (albeit the context is very far from being sexual). They may not know better, and I know most of what you are saying is definitely within the constraints that have been given to you, but they would definitely be within their rights to be worried if they were seeing that.

If all they do is laugh, I don't think you've got much of a problem. Yeah, it isn't ideal, but at least they don't think you're going to hell for it like some horror stories I've heard.

Think you're going to hell??? Jeez, I feel bad for whoever is born to those culture-haters.

Culture-haters? Jesus, look at your own parents.

I mean, sure, I'm not the nerdiest guy, but still. Was I, they wouldn't mind. Like, at all.

But also, good luck with your Cowboy Bebop..."experiment".

EDIT: Okay, maybe I really over...estima--reacted to their attitude towards it, but what still found kind of odd is the fact that they won't let you put up a poster.

Otherwise they don't really seem to be that adamantly against it.

To Whom It May Concerned:


To quote Jekyll and Hyde, "It is done".

To Astros:

I don't think that the content is the reason for their nervousness: They never watch it.

For sure! Let us know how it went. I'm interested to see Huxley's law in effect! If it fails then it's sign of good things to come. If it succeeds...

To RTA: Could you explain Huxley's law for the uninitiated (aka me) since apparently, good things are to come.


To All Others:

I sat down and asked that they watch an episode. My parents declined, saying that they weren't interested, and my mother said that she didn't like an episode of Gankutsuou that I showed her (not because of the content, no, but because it was animation), so this automatically ment in her eyes that all anime were not worth her time. My dad then lectured me on how I shouldn't let his "jokes" get to me (You may think this as an insporational bit, but he was actually just pissed that I was offended by his 3 years of jokes and "never going to get a girl" "hilarious gags"). I then got a 20 minute lecture on how I'm waisting my time, how girls are never going to like me, and on how they didn't realize that I watched the amount of anime that I do (which is maybe an episode a day, MAAAYYYBEEE 2 if Its a weekend with no homework), since I never watched it on our tv (the reason being of course, fear of mockery) I was yelled at for "treating them like shit", then sent to bed.

Thanks for everyone who gave me their opinions.


ThatOtakuGuy

 

[zidine100]

you know Otaku in itself is quite a derogatory term (well to be quite honest its an insult in most cases, look it up before you call yourself one.), do you really want to go around calling yourself that.

If so go ahead.

and the fact that you are calling yourself one, does tend to make people think you fall into a general stereotype..... if you understand what im trying to say nicely here.