Kitsune (Chibiusa Tsukino's #1 fan)

Presented by The Devout UN Lady

==============

Picture this: It's the 90s, and you're wanting to watch an anime that probably has some revealing costume designs but your friends still say it's really good. So you ask your mom, "Hey! I want to watch this anime! My friends really like it!", but she goes "No", because, to her, this anime is not appropriate for your age.

That is the narrative that some people online seem to be giving the United Nations, or UN, accusing them of "wanting to ban anime/manga".

Now, I, the Devout UN Lady, hadn't heard about this until I was 12, but I could never find the words to confront the narrative directly. But today, I'm here to analyze this claim.

So, is the UN wanting to ban anime?

Well… No. The United Nations has not banned anime nor have they ever implied that they wanted to ban anime, but UN committees have repeatedly pressured Japan to tighten regulations on certain types of manga, anime, and video games, particularly those depicting sexual violence or sexualized representations of minors.

First of all, the concerns focus on "loli" (underage-looking girls) and "shota" (underage-looking boys) content, which the UN argues can normalize sexual exploitation of children. And, unbelievably enough, it could, as Wiktionary defines loli content as, quote, "Attraction (often erotic) to fictional depictions of young, typically prepubescent girls", and "shota" as, quote, "A sexual complex where an adult is attracted to young, typically prepubescent boys, or the fictional depictions thereof".

UN human rights reports have also previously asked for tighter regulations on the creation and distribution of fictional content that depicts sexual acts involving characters who appear to be minors, but representatives of the Japanese media industry and government have historically defended these creations as creative freedom and fictional depictions that do not harm real people, arguing against a ban. However, while creative freedom is valid, the "fictional depictions that do not harm real people" argument doesn't work when you remember that fiction can actually impact and influence things that happen in the real world.

For example, fictional romance novels may portray toxic or abusive relationships as desirable, influencing young readers to accept these dangerous dynamics in real life. Similarly, if sexualization of minors is normalized in the media that we consume, it could have a negative impact not only on the psychological wellbeing of adult viewers, but also on the mental and physical wellbeing of children who might be victimized as well.

It is also important to note that the UN does not actually have the authority to create international law or ban artistic content globally. Their recommendations are intended for Japan’s internal legislation. Therefore, if they did have the power to "ban anime" like people claim they do, it would not only make zero sense logically, but it would also be very unlawful and unethical, which is precisely the opposite of everything the UN stands for.

So no, the UN is actually not banning anime and the statement that they are is false information that was started by predators that are probably furious that the UN (gasp) dared to call out their favorite media? (Oh, the horror!… 🙄) and therefore, it is misinformation and has been hereby debunked by the Devout UN Lady.

🇺🇳

============

Repost this

⊕ ⊕ ⊕

Okay, I'm tired of arguing with people about whether or not the UN is useless, so I decided to just make this sideblog where I post about the UN and hopefully try convincing people that it's actually not as bad as people make it out to be

So welcome to the United Nations Musings - I'm your host, the Devout UN Lady, and I hope you enjoy your time here :3

What is the UN?

The United Nations (UN) is an organization between countries established on 24 October 1945 to promote international cooperation. It was founded to replace the League of Nations following World War II and to prevent another conflict. When it was founded, the UN had 51 members. Now there are 193. Most nations are members of the UN and send diplomats to the headquarters to hold meetings and make decisions about global issues.

Who is the Devout UN Lady?

Oh, that's me! Yes, I am the Devout UN Lady, but everyone mostly calls me "Kitsune" in casual conversation. For further information about me, I would recommend you check out the introductory post on my main - But basically, I'm an autistic girl from the US who's loved the UN ever since she was 5, and who also wants to help people learn more about it. In a sense, you could consider me to be to any and all UN topics what Codename Sailor Earth (the hostess of Moon Sisters!) is to any and all Sailor Moon topics. I know I can't exactly change your mind, but I just want to help you guys stay informed, since there is, unfortunately, a lot of misinformation and disinformation about the UN going around online.

How do I navigate this blog?

Excellent question! Well, you navigate this blog just like you would any other Tumblr blog, but since this is a database blog, there are special tags that I'm going to use for this blog:

United Nations musings - for any post I make that isn't reblogging other posts (The general tag, basically)

UN news - When I reblog or post news sources for the UN itself

UN Reblogs - When I reblog basically anything about the UN

The United Nations learning center - For when I talk about UN history or when I debunk any false information that could be going around (because I just know I'll have to do that at some point)

The Devout UN Lady has spoken - When I make an announcement about the blog or any UN-related causes or entities

Meme Mondays - For UN memes that I either find online or make myself

The Devout UN Lady is not amused - For basically every rant I'll make regarding the UN, whether that be anything that disrespects it without giving it proper criticism (e.g. Fox News) or even anything that happens within the UN itself (because believe it or not, even the UN isn't perfect)

Memorials and Tributes - For honoring those who died for the UN (Like Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the UN, who died on a peace mission to negotiate a cease-fire in the Congo)

Miscellaneous - Anything that is related to the UN but isn't necessarily information? Yeah, it's going here too

DISCLAIMER!

This blog is for Tumblr users 16 and older! That is because not only are political matters and heavy topics like war or terrorism discussed here, but I also swear a lot and I also use adult humor in some posts (like memes I might post on Meme Mondays). Additionally, you cannot interact with this blog if you're only going to spam hate comments with no real nuance or if you're going to just advertise in the comments. Ok? Good.

I hope you enjoy your time here and I hope you learn something useful while you're on this blog :3

And also, if you want to play your part in helping the UN achieve its goals, please donate to any of their major causes, linked below the cut: