Moé defined as “related to child sex abuse”
The long-standing issue of how exactly to define moé has been resolved by ECPAT (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking) International. I quote:
The analysis estimates the market for moe products (books, images and games), which are related to anime and manga, was worth 88.8 billion yen (US$800 million) in 2003. The term moe is used in a neutral sense for economic analysis. But taken literally it refers to a fetishist sexual attraction that some fans of computer games, anime and manga have for female child characters, who may be depicted in pornographic and erotic contexts within games, animations and illustrations. Moe web pages sometimes link to other pages containing images, stories and chats in which very young characters are the objects of sexual violence, abuse and fantasy. A proportion of the moe market may therefore be regarded as related to child sex abuse images. The report expected the market for moe products to expand.
I am quoting page 32 of their information pamphlet “Violence against Children in Cyberspace“. Perhaps some of us are glad that this controversy has at long last been resolved. If you actually enjoy moé artwork, though, chances are you disagree with ECPAT’s characterization of your hobby. What’s even better, the only citation in this paragraph was a link to WaiWai News.
Nobuo Sakiyama identified this misleading and unexplained accusation as a crucial element in getting UNICEF Japan to accept ECPAT’s claim that moé drawings perceivable as suggestive should be outlawed by the Diet. This is the origin of the “swimsuit photo gravures” bill. Here’s another excerpt from ECPAT’s anti-manga campaign:
The group noted that child pornography includes the recorded abuse of a real child, for example, through photographs, as well as digitally altered images and illustrations such as Japanese manga.
Now, nobody’s a fan of child abuse, and people who defend lolicon are not especially welcome here. But this is troublesome for two reasons:
1. The creator of child porn is abusing a child. The creator of lolicon is drawing a picture. It is unsettling to equate the two.
2. Downloading child porn should not be equivocated with downloading pictures of Ed Edd and Eddy getting it on.
I learned an interesting word on suzacu today, 外圧 (gaiatsu). This means “foreign pressure”. The perception of foreign pressure, even though none existed, led to the ban on rape games. At the same time, ECPAT’s statements targeting a specific style of artwork and genre of manga were 外圧 targeted at UNICEF Japan. When UNICEF’s SGI shill Agnes Chan went along with it, the LDP felt pressured to pass a law that would punish the following with jail time (according to anonymous suzacu commenters):
- Representation in swimsuit of children under 18 years old, both real and depicted
- Representation of partial (upper) nudity of children under 18 years old, both real and depicted
It’s also been suggested that the LDP is bringing up this entire thing as a scare tactic, although I don’t really see who it benefits. (Are they accusing the DPJ of being pro-child abuse?)
Note that this wacky interpretation of the LDP’s bill has not actually passed the Diet. If it does, you won’t be reading about it in this blog, because the entire Internet will be filled with pedo tears of impotent rage.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Further troublesome: a majority of moe subject matter and fans are completely platonic and nonsexual in nature.
But yes, I’ve said before that “this is not a pipe.” A drawing of child abuse is not comparable to actual child abuse.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
So how does the Japan Diet thing work? There are two Houses right? So is there an actual chance of this bill passing?
Also, shouldn’t there be an election coming up in Japan?
July 5th, 2009 at 12:01 am
crazy: Yeah. the LDP is about to fall from serious power for the first time in a nearly uninterrupted 50-year stretch.
July 5th, 2009 at 5:06 am
Not at all surprising, afterall some “enlightened” and “pious” minds plunged humanity into glorious historical eras such as Witch-Hunts, Inquisition, Puritanism, Feminism, Imperialism, Fascism, Fundamentalism, etc.
I just wonder how much education in social sciences has degraded these past years, it’s really sad.
July 6th, 2009 at 6:27 am
Hey hey.
Don’t blame religion for this. Ideas don’t screw with people, it’s people that do that.
July 6th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
This serious, and continual by certain groups, overreaching definition of damn near everything as “virtual” child pornography/child sex abuse images is starting to make me think the groups doing it are really trying to ban stuff because… well, because they see it and it gets them turned on for some reason, so it needs to be banned! (Because everyone must react the same way as them of course.) At least that’s the only reason I can come up with for their actions. Trying to ban all this stuff that’s not even vaguely related to actual child abuse isn’t benefiting anyone, much less actual abused children.
The really sad thing is that this overreaching is starting to create a backlash. Normal, sane, people realize that drawings don’t harm anyone, and don’t like seeing people’s lives ruined on charges of “child porn” that includes no children. At some point a majority of people are going to stop listening to these groups, and THAT will probably have a serious negative effect on stopping real abuse. You’d think these idiots would have heard of the story about the boy who cried wolf.
July 8th, 2009 at 6:54 am
If they ban lolicon entirely i might get interested in real children…
July 11th, 2009 at 2:10 am
Ahem… So people are still foolishly trying to fight for “pixelated/drawn characters” rights? Why? Do they not care about real peoples rights anymore? Especially the feminist group equality now. “Oh this part of pixels is engaging in a similar to rape situation with this other group of pixels. Lets pressure japan to stop this mistreatment of pixels! Then lets move on to banning any form of animation and drawing that makes up almost the whole japan economy so they wont have a chance to become a threat to us! Crush the economy and lets take over people!” People who can define pixels from real life should shut up and watch some anime/read manga and get used to this side of society, because truthfully this side is more sophisticated then the rest.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:19 am
“…a majority of moe subject matter and fans are completely platonic and nonsexual in nature.”
That’s a lie that fans have to keep telling themselves in order to justify their sick impulses. Face it: if you’re into moe, you have sexual feelings toward children. Deal with it, confront it, get help for it – just don’t deny it.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:36 am
7/10