r/DownvotedToOblivion • u/Global-Plankton3997 Downvoted to atoms -457 • 2d ago
Discussion Downvoted for thinking that inserting trans rights in Pokémon is not political and that it includes trans people
Not sure how I feel about this one. I'll let you all decide, but do me a big favor. Please please please be civil as you comment on here. Other people may think differently, so please understand that
29
u/Vhanaaa 2d ago
Partly paraphrasing the first comment, it was just an image of a fucking rat saying trans rights. It's just a lil feel-good picture. If that upsets you, you are out of touch with reality.
-13
u/3WayIntersection 2d ago
I mean, i do half agree.
Just posting a pic that says trans rights on it kinda does nothing at this point (unless you're a public figure). It doesnt bring up any new points, it doesnt add to any existing discussions, all it does is show you're doing the bare minimum of being a good person.
8
u/Vhanaaa 2d ago
You don't have to bring a new point. This probably was posted originally in /Pokemon, not the Senate nor Harvard's debate tournament. It's a small shout-out to trans folks, that is all.
In a context where trans rights are jeopardized in the US, where it's still illegal to be trans in a lot of parts of the world, where trans folks are being pointed out like we saw during one of the latest mass shooting where the gender of the shooter was being challenged by reporters... The bare-minimum isn't even the norm yet so it's still, in my opinion, relevant to bring up.
Once again, and I insist, this is only a pic of a yellow rat saying "trans rights". It's a small shout-out to trans folks and to everyone that enjoys wholesome yellow rats. It really isn't as deep as we want to make it to be.
-4
u/3WayIntersection 2d ago
I s2g yall need to stop acting like the majority of the general public is transphobic.
Transphobes arent a majority, they're just really loud and unfortunately happen to have most of the power. "Trans rights" is a message that doesnt need to be spread anymore because it already has been. If a piblic figure does it, thats different because it makes trans people feel seen even if its by someone niche. A complete nobody doing it on reddit doesnt really help much because it can be assumed that the poster was pro trans people. Its not like r\pokemon is a particularly right wing hub.
These kinds of posts feel like rounding up at a store for charity and acting like you made a difference. You really didnt, you just made yourself look good completely by choice.
5
u/Vhanaaa 2d ago
That's not what I said, you may be the one that needs to look a bit more closely at what is happening in the world rn. Here's a tracker on anti-trans bills, 2024 is the year with the most of them being brought on the table. Russia made LGBTQ+ a terrorist group in 2024. Here you can find more on the world-level how trans are recognized.
Read it all and have the nerves to tell r /trans or r /asktransgerder that it doesn't need to be spread more. I am not joking, do it and post the link. Let's see how the actual concerned people think about the topic. Other than that, I won't be answering anymore, I have other passions in life that aren't debating whether or not the picture of a fictional electric rat was really supposed to change the world.
-5
u/3WayIntersection 2d ago
Yeah, of course things are gonna be miserable if you literally go out of your way to only look at the bad things.
3
u/beomint 2d ago
What if the posters themselves is trans and is just doing it for fun to feel happy and included?
Or does that kind of stuff always have to be pure activism work? It just seems unfair trans people are told they're just "doing the bare minimum of being a good person" for stuff like that because I'm unsure what else they're supposed to do other than go be a victim of a hate crime or something?
-7
u/3WayIntersection 2d ago
Doesnt matter, its still really performative and just comes off like you're fishing for likes.
Like, its 2024. Id like to at least hope that supporting trans rights is a default for decency at this point. Its like saying racism is bad, like, no shit. Whats your point?
6
u/beomint 2d ago
We'd certainly hope it was the default for decency, but when you're faced with the opposite of that every single day of your life you might feel more inclined to remind people unfortunately. I'm not wholeheartedly disagreeing with you, I do see your point, I guess what I'm trying to say is even though it's not something I personally do, I can feel empathy for why those who do might feel the need to, and I'm not sold on if we should put people down for that given the current state of those rights in a lot of places.
-5
u/3WayIntersection 2d ago
I guess? But realistically, its not that common if you simply stay away from heavily right wing circles online and dont follow every last inch of the news.
Like, again its 2024. We're pretty much in the most socially progressive time in history, even factoring in all the bad. Again, phobes arent more, they're just louder and stronger.
While i get things like life circumstances and other factors cant make it 100% avoidable (i mean, fuck, ive been locked in this closet since high school), but you can absolutely minimize it by just changing your habits online.
13
u/beomint 2d ago edited 2d ago
Call me a snowflake, but it shouldn't be a problem.
We're not expected to go to straight subs for anything relating to straight people, it's just naturally woven into media as a part of everyday life. The same should be said for all walks of life, including being trans.
Calling it a political message is a bit of a stretch considering Pokemon hasn't been afraid to put morals on kids in the past. I don't think we should pick and choose which messages are suddenly too political for it when both the games and the shows/movies have had some pretty strong messaging before. It just feels weird that we're okay with teaching kids to fight authority and other stuff, but suddenly trans rights is too much for some reason.
Edit: The original series literally had a whole episode about sexism when Ash visits a female only gym. It touched on discrimination based on sex and the harassment women constantly face that might lead to these spaces being needed. Ash literally learns to not be sexist in that episode and to treat female trainers as equals. This was in the original TV series that came out in 1997.
11
u/sparrowhawking 2d ago
Okay, I just noticed an important detail. It's not JUST Pikachu saying trans rights- it's a trans Pikachu. They have taped an addition onto the tail that makes it heart shaped. Canonically, male Pikachus have a tail with a flat tip, females have a heart shaped tip. So the Pikachu is trans, according to Pokemon lore.
I think the nuance of that joke would be lost in a general LGBTQ subreddit, and it makes perfect sense to be in a pokemon subreddit
9
u/bluepotatosack 2d ago
Which I'm pretty sure canonically happened in the show? I could be wrong on that one, though.
8
u/PikaNinja25 2d ago
it did, Ash's Pikachu dressed up as a female Pikachu (with a heart stuck to the end of his tail)
-14
u/Law180 2d ago
Deserved.
9
u/beomint 2d ago
Genuinely curious to hear from people with your opinion. In the original series, Pokemon focused on many political topics, and even had an ENTIRE episode dedicated to sexism and gender based discrimination where Ash visits a female only gym and the moral of the episode is literally "don't be sexist and treat women as equals"
So, if trans rights are political and politics don't belong in Pokemon, mind explaining why I'm seeing politics in my Pokemon since 1997? Or is that kind of politics okay and we only get upset when it's for trans people? Just checking.
7
45
u/bluepotatosack 2d ago
People's existence should not be politicized. Not deserved.