Remember when Congressman Paul Gosar dropped that Attack on Titan anime video? Yeah, the one that had everyone talking. Mostly talking about him, not exactly with him.
I gotta be honest: My first thought wasn't outrage. It was, "Wait, he watches anime?" That's almost... relatable? Okay, maybe not relatable, but definitely unexpected.
The Internet Exploded (Naturally)
The internet, as it always does, lost its mind. There were think pieces. There were hot takes. There were memes. So. Many. Memes.
Some folks were furious. They saw it as glorifying violence, especially given the context of... everything. Others were just confused. "Why anime?" they cried. "Why now?"
And then there were the secretly-amused. The ones who chuckled a little, even if they knew they probably shouldn't have. Guilty as charged.
My Unpopular Opinion Incoming...
Okay, here's where I might lose some of you. Buckle up. I kind of... get it? Not the message, necessarily. But the method.
Politics are boring. Let's face it. Most of the time, it's endless speeches and policy papers. Snooze-fest.
So, a politician trying to connect with a younger audience using a viral anime? A little cringe? Sure. But also... kinda genius? Hear me out.
Is it the right way? Probably not. Was it in good taste? Definitely questionable. Did it get people talking? Absolutely.
The Chaos of Attention
Here's the thing about attention: it doesn't always care where it comes from. Good or bad, it's still attention.
And in the world of politics, attention is currency. Especially in the age of social media where everyone is fighting to be heard.
Gosar's Attack on Titan video was a bizarre, probably ill-advised, attempt to cut through the noise. And, whether you agree with the content or not, it worked. Like, really worked.
Everyone, from news anchors to your grandma on Facebook, was talking about Paul Gosar. That's a level of name recognition you can't buy.
Now, whether that name recognition translates to votes or just internet infamy? That's a different story.
Was it Wrong? Of Course. Was it Effective? Maybe.
Look, I'm not saying it was a brilliant move. Morally, ethically, maybe even strategically, it was a mess. The backlash was swift and justified.
But I am saying that in the chaotic landscape of modern politics, sometimes the loudest, strangest, and most controversial voices are the ones that get heard.
And honestly, in a world where political discourse often feels stale and predictable, a little bit of unexpected anime-fueled absurdity is... well, it's something.
Maybe the real problem isn't the anime. Maybe it's the fact that we live in a world where political messaging has to be this outrageous to even register.
So, next time you see a politician doing something totally bizarre to grab your attention, remember the Attack on Titan incident. It might be awful, but it's probably also part of a bigger, weirder picture.
And hey, at least we got some good memes out of it, right?
