In the anime fandom (or maybe slightly more accurately the hentai fandom, though I don’t think the lines are that clear), there is a phenomenon of people calling themselves “men of culture”.  Which, of course, refers to liking naked anime girls.

I absolutely hate this.

These “men of culture” can be called many things.  “cultured” isn’t one of them.

Now, in some ways, “culture” is in the eye of the beholder, that’s true.  Personally, when I think of culture, I think of some of the fancier and more refined things.  You know, classical music, wine, that kinda stuff.  Not that I drink wine, but cultured people seem to at least try to be a little, ummm… well, cultured, I suppose.

Yes, they’re human, and the stuff they do behind closed doors would probably shock and disgust you, but still, culture is culture.

Broaden that a little bit, and the definition of “culture” does change based upon the, well, “culture’, you come from.  In Japan, perhaps being “cultured” is participating in rakugo, having a big fan and wearing a kimono or yukata, or being a geisha.  It’s not the same kind of cultured, but I think it can be classified as cultured.  In Africa, maybe it’s wearing beads and dancing around while pounding drums.  I dunno much about African culture, but you get the point. (and before you tell me that’s racist… don’t wanna hear it.  It’s not something I know a whole lot about, so all I have to go on is stereotypes, which are probably substantively wrong.)

Culture is about refinement, about beauty, about appreciating the finer things in life – even if you’re human and don’t always live up to the standards of high culture, in whatever form it might take.  No one ever does.  But at least some try.

Staring at anime cooter isn’t in any way the definition of culture.

Now, I realize, that’s probably a little tongue in cheek.  I know that most, or at least many, of the people who say this are being a little sarcastic or ironic.

But words do mean things.

One of the reasons that high culture tends to have such rigid roles for men and women, rigid ways they dress, and rigid rules for interaction, is because it evolved out of an implicit acknowledgement that left to their own devices people will devolve into a perverted mess (look at Victorian culture, which was the epitome of outward repression and refinement, and the stuff they did behind closed doors was messed up even by our standards).  Directly conflating that “perverted mess” into culture just subverts the whole thing.

Maybe that’s the whole idea, I suppose.

Some things just need to be kept behind closed doors.

Calling yourself a “man of culture” because you like anime tits and ass does not say very good things about you.  The fact of liking it, well, that’s being a human male.  Toss tits and ass in front of any man and you can bet he’ll at least look twice.  Myself included, much to my chagrin.  I don’t like that about me, but I am male, and there’s no changing it.  But… you don’t have to revel in it.  Maybe being honest about it is one thing, but giving in entirely to those baser instincts is just a recipe for disaster.

And that’s probably the last time I’ll bring this up.