via http://ift.tt/2aWeL5p:
ms-qualia:
stripperbucky:
omg guys i have a question i’m so ignorant
what does it ~*exactly mean for someone to ship an “abusive” ship bc of abuse? like… when i see people say “i don’t support [insert ‘abusive’ ship here] unless if ur an abuse victim” or whatever, what does it mean? AKA how does shipping an ‘abusive’ ship help that specific abusive victim? like does it help with coping or something??
like i seriously am not throwing shade or anything like i honestly don’t understand what it means and i was hoping some of u could maybe help me out with that?
First of all, they’re using the word wrong. A ship is not “abusive.” A ship might depict abuse, it might promote or normalize abuse, but it isn’t itself abuse. They call it “abusive” because there’s nothing wrong with depicting bad things and they want to avoid an actual discussion on whether that ship as someone ships it depicts vs. promotes. They skip all that so they can yell at strangers so they can feel righteous.
Anyway, it’s the same function as watching a tragedy: catharsis. Seeing a bad situation accurately portrayed means not only the creators know what it’s like to be you, you are among thousands of people who know. You can put words to feelings. You are allowed to have complex emotions about the experience. You can talk about it with some distance. You can talk about it in a community. And you know that even people who have not been through it see and understand.
I don’t know if I ship to cope but I certainly portray tragic things in a way I hope is cathartic. Catharsis is safely feeling normally overwhelming emotions and thereby neutralizing how damaging they are.
It is so toxic to be in the business of deciding what other people may or may not make or consume. I hope nobody gets the idea that is remotely progressive or that it is actually advocacy for the abused. It is not. It’s 100% not.

ms-qualia:
stripperbucky:
omg guys i have a question i’m so ignorant
what does it ~*exactly mean for someone to ship an “abusive” ship bc of abuse? like… when i see people say “i don’t support [insert ‘abusive’ ship here] unless if ur an abuse victim” or whatever, what does it mean? AKA how does shipping an ‘abusive’ ship help that specific abusive victim? like does it help with coping or something??
like i seriously am not throwing shade or anything like i honestly don’t understand what it means and i was hoping some of u could maybe help me out with that?
First of all, they’re using the word wrong. A ship is not “abusive.” A ship might depict abuse, it might promote or normalize abuse, but it isn’t itself abuse. They call it “abusive” because there’s nothing wrong with depicting bad things and they want to avoid an actual discussion on whether that ship as someone ships it depicts vs. promotes. They skip all that so they can yell at strangers so they can feel righteous.
Anyway, it’s the same function as watching a tragedy: catharsis. Seeing a bad situation accurately portrayed means not only the creators know what it’s like to be you, you are among thousands of people who know. You can put words to feelings. You are allowed to have complex emotions about the experience. You can talk about it with some distance. You can talk about it in a community. And you know that even people who have not been through it see and understand.
I don’t know if I ship to cope but I certainly portray tragic things in a way I hope is cathartic. Catharsis is safely feeling normally overwhelming emotions and thereby neutralizing how damaging they are.
It is so toxic to be in the business of deciding what other people may or may not make or consume. I hope nobody gets the idea that is remotely progressive or that it is actually advocacy for the abused. It is not. It’s 100% not.
