There are times when even the Anime Geeks of this world are affected by a tragedy in what is known as their most sacred of districts. And this really floored me.
They say that Asperger’s people have difficulty empathising with other people around them. As an Asperger’s person I don’t think this is true. It is simply that our reactions don’t match our emotions as quickly. I can’t bring out any tears right now, but I want to.
Why? Because only an hour ago I finished helping my best friend through getting the courage to ask out the girl he loves. This friend of mine is so cherished by me that I can’t imagine what my life would be like without him. We need other people to let us share our humanity. And when the inhuman tragedy of violence occurs, how can we possibly react to the deaths of seven people we never met or knew?
I think of it this way. Imagine, if you will, if your friend was cut down there. How would you feel if a loved one was taken away? For all the escapism of the Anime and Manga subculture there are terrible realities and horrors that occur in places so far away, but so close to home. How many Geeks dream of visiting Akihabara? Then, imagine how many people among them could have easily been one of the dead had they been there at that moment?
But what surprises me of all things is that I never could speak a word about how school massacres such as Columbine and Virginia Tech affected me, but it’s a slaying in Akihabara that makes me rage and say “no more”? Maybe Anime and Manga bring attention to the human condition in more ways than we think…
The existence of Akihabara should have tipped you off.
I’ve never been there before either and still wish to go there some day, although it’s kinda scary now