Therapy Vs. Power Fantasy
Like a sage delving through cursed tomes to discover lost truths I recently I stumbled into some of the danker corners of the internet and abzorbed some absolutely vile takes. One of the recurring themes that popped up was people with rancid personal beleifs taking aim at the newer generations of TTRPG players (d&d and otherwise) for finding personal meaning or catharsis in their games, and how these new gamers were spoiled children who were getting overinvested.
Of course, they contrasted this âbitchâ behavior thereâs a lot of other mysoginistic, homophobic, and ableist slurs they like to throw in when youtube TOS isnât looking with the badass way they play the game, like theyâve been doing ever since they were kids, like they still do in their playrooms mancaves away from all those pissbabies and girl feelings.
This got me thinking, specifically about power fantasies, how vunrability relates to art, and how repressed men are terrified of seeming weak, and how the early d&d lore is laregely based around childhood or adolesent fears.
The tie between media illiteracy and conservatism is nothing new. To enjoy art, you have to open yourself to it, to the chance of elation or disapointment or challenge, to let it resonate with you in ways you canât nessisarily predict or control. The fascist conservative only likes art that reinforces who they perceive themselves to be, strokes their ego, and confirms their biases about how the world should be.
Itâs very telling then that when you see chuds talking shit about younger d&d players, they often throw âtherapyâ around as an insult, because much in the same way that art can touch something inside you, therapy is about challenging your ingranned self image, toxic ego, and beleifs⊠all things that chuds consider vital to their sense of self.
This is not to say that a power fantasy canât be theraputic: a good portion of my own writing is about vicariously smashing broken systems and ousting the corruption of the world.. but thereâs a fundimental difference in the power fantasy of raising your fist against unjust power and the fantasy of being the boot inflicting that power downwards on those you dislike.
What the chuds are trying to do here is use d&d (or whatever OSR itteration theyâve decided to parasite this week) as a balm for their insecurity, not ask questions about WHY theyâre scared of being weak, or what strength really is, but to have a space where they can larp as being the ubermench real MEN theyâve always fallen short of IRL.
Theyâre people who were bullied and ostrasized, and like good little bootlickers theyâve decided that the only thing wrong with their abuse was that they were the ones on the reciving end. Part of the reason theyâre so upset that this new generation of players is so âwokeâ is because the âwokeâ players refuse to put up with them being assholes, dening them the chance to establish themselves as the new top-rung in the abuser hierarchy.
Also, before I sign off, mad love to my friends in the OSR community, I know you have to put up with an above average number of these dipshits and while you prefer a different style of game to mine I know weâre all fighting the good fight for a better, more welcoming TTRPG hobby.
2087
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