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Originally Posted by DonQuigleone
Furthermore, I think western culture isn't very accepting of mental illness, while Otaku culture is a bit more tolerant and empathetic of psychological "deviancy".
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Your usage of the term "Otaku culture" was interesting. There aren't many cultures that are accepting of mental illness. The only ones that I can think of didn't understand what mental illness was, and perceived it as something supernatural (which they didn't always perceive as a bad thing) or as a manifestation of a physical illness. You mention Western culture as not being accepting of mental illness, but it's much the same in Asian culture.
Otaku culture is an interesting differentiator. I don't have solid grounds for this generalization, but it seems that many of the people who work in the anime industry are anime fans, as well (or at least, they have a similar personality). In other words, in some ways it's a culture born of social isolation, emotional suffering from not fitting in (depression), and creativity. Is it any surprise that such a culture would be more understanding and empathetic toward the traits that it's derived from?