mumei tianshi poptart the 3rd · 5 answers · 9mo
I cant respond to the ask directly so im going to share my opinion on this through here — although the label proship might have been created with good intent— that doesnt mean its been used for such. & whether you like it or not, fiction does affect reality. It doesnt mean being a proshipper will turn you into a terrible person IRL, but it will change how you view issues, and can lead you to normalizing things like grooming, pedophilia, incest, etc. I think the part on darkshipping is even more disgusting, because gross fantasies and pairings will affect how you view real life issues, as i explained. Speaking from personal experience, i engaged in darkship when i was younger to help myself cope with my trauma. I'm replused by it now, and because i was a part of that community its permanently changed my views on actual real life issues. Being a darkshipper led me to staying with my groomer for months, because of how warped my view of genuine issues had become. Darkshipping is NOT a 'coping mechanism' that should be accepted, because even though you might think its helping, all the consequences and issues you gain from it will do nothing but make you worse in the long—run. I dont think this makes any sense, as it’s kind of all of my thoughts jumbled together, but I kind of needed to get this out of my system.
If someone is using unethical ships as a coping mechanism, and that coping mechanism is harmful, then moral ire isn't the way to stop them, and if anything will probably make it worse. Maybe instead of equating it to the thing it depicts, we should treat it as though it is a form of self-harm, which requires some compassion to properly deal with. At least in those cases when it is actually being used that way.
(I don't have much to say in reply to the rest of this ask, and in any case I probably shouldn't be on my phone this late, and my thoughts may not make any sense either)
