I happened across a post you made a few months ago and I was wondering if you could clarify something because what you said honestly floored me. You really don't think what Eren's doing is ideologically motivated?
Ahh yes. I said those words. Maybe it’s this post you’re thinking of?
For what it’s worth, I’ve always enjoyed your ideas on this topic and I can’t fault your logic. I know that people can make the case that Eren’s actions fit all sorts of ideological definitions. Arguing to the contrary isn’t a hill I’d be willing to die on, and certainly not with the manga painting him in such a fanatical light.
Maybe it’s semantics or a gross oversimplification but to me Eren’s only ideology is “freedom”, whatever that is to him. I don’t credit him with the depth of thinking required to make it bigger than that. I also believe he’s consciously aware that what he’s doing is immoral, despicable and unjustifiable.
I don’t pretend to understand Eren so I am willing to be wrong on every front when it comes to him, but I tend not to ascribe him with outright malice. He’s willing to hurt people -- hell, he’s hurting friend and foe at this point-- but I view him as different from the Floch’s and Gross’s of the SnK world in that arrogance and feeling of superiority aren’t the motivating factor in what he’s doing. Is this distinction important? Probably not. He’s still doing the deed regardless of the lack of firm ideologies behind it.
I guess it’s like the duck test. The vast majority of the time if something walks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. Since Eren is walking, swimming and quacking exactly like a duck, it hardly matters if I think he’s a different species.
