Country Personification & Its Consequences Poll (seriously)
Here is a silly poll I remembered I should make. I actually went around asking the same question in Countryhumans spaces a few years ago, but really only once or twice, and it didn’t really help because they had no clue what I meant. This is probably a more effective spot to do it, and I’m pretty sure nobody else is gonna ask it! (unless maybe they have idk) So;
Has Country Personification, of ANY kind, had any sort of effect on your overall wellbeing?
Overall Major Negative Effects
Overall Moderate Negative Effects
No alterations noticed
Overall Moderate Positive Effects
Overall Major Positive Effects
Probably Necessary Context: This (negative effects especially) was kind of a topic that was thrown around a little bit in AntiCountryhumans spaces, and I took a little bit of interest in it due to a related interaction I coincidentally had that same year in a game I liked. After that mess, I felt like it was something I should look into. Pretty sure nobody else ever did, so I might as well see what I can scrounge together.
I’m not very involved in the CountryHumans Fandom anymore, as I made a promise to myself a while ago that I will continue to uphold. However, I will say that CountryHumans HAS affected my wellbeing in a negative way. Though it’s the fandom itself, not the content. I enjoy doing research on history and politics and CountryHumans has allowed me to channel that research in a way that’s interesting and creative for myself. When I started branching out into different spaces, I started seeing more parts of the fandom and unfortunately met some genuinely awful people. I don’t blame CountryHumans for this though, I likely would have met people like that in any fandom. I will say though, there are some unique cases that come up with CountryHumans in the way that countries are treated. I don’t believe that they can be treated just like silly OCs that have a unique background, I believe they should be treated like the countries that they are and the beliefs that they uphold. However, as soon as I distanced myself and stopped caring how other people represented their versions of CountryHumans I found myself a lot happier. So I think initially it was a negative impact, but as soon as I stopped caring, I was pretty happy with it since I can use it for my own creativity.
I wrote this in a rush so sorry if my point isn’t very clear.
THIS !!!!! ABSOLUTELY !!!! countryhumans as a concept in itself has not harmed me. countryhumans has given me a way to share my history special interest with people, it has given me more motivation to research things i love, my countryhumans to me are an expression of how much i love history and anthropology and politics. as an anthro student it feels like part of the reason why i'm studying this in the first place is how deeply i've been able to understand culture thanks to making my own personifications. if this question was about my personifications specifically or the ones that my friends make, my answer would be absolutely positive. problem is anyone makes countryhumans. even people who don't like history or geography or anthropology or politics. even people who think somehow their CH art and designs and stories AREN'T political (i can guarantee you that they ARE), even people who like to draw the country that invaded my entire continent making out with the same land where it killed thousands. every time i look up any countryhumans related tag anywhere i end up seeing stuff that makes me wish i hadn't done it. i find it very hard to make new friends within CH spaces because it feels like almost nobody has actual care and consideration for the literal entire populations they are representing so they partake in harmful stereotypes and racism and normalisation of political abuse and colonialism and everything that's OBJECTIVELY BAD. countryhumans brings me joy until i have to look at anything made by strangers in the fandom. i hate almost every CH celebrity and i wish i could call my characters something else. i hate this fandom. i am never going to leave it
You both hit the nail on the head, cus same.
This fandom is so versatile to me because of it's absence of a canon base (contra APH), and I've poured so much into my own worldbuilding it's hard to let go. I wish I could somehow divorce it from the fandom because I'm afraid my content won't be able to be engaged with due to the gap in... perception/conduct? That you and the person before you noticed (a.k.a. mistreatment of personified nations) coming from inside the community (mostly made up of people who came from different fandoms that didn't have such abstract and restricting framework (ironic) they probably wouldn't know how to handle or engage with anyway). But it's hard to do so, because it literally came from this fandom, and it's outward appearance is immediately telling (banners my beloved.....), and the fandom aleady blew up in the most horrible way possible that I feel it's near impossible to somehow promote it as well, without raising eyebrows (though any personification of nations would invite some eyebrow-raising I think) from the outside.
Back on topic, I'd conclude that, yes, the fandom is uh bad, but the concept itself had a positive impact on my life, because it combined my interests and hobbies. I feel happy that I've found it as my source of creative outlet, especially when I also kinda stopped both engaging with and expecting too much from the fandom and started focusing on my own work; it actually reinvigorated my interest in the concept and made me very productive and positive overall.
The last few sentences really ring for me. I'm not letting this go, I love this whimsy of mine.
I am sorry you had to go through such horrible situations :( I hope you both are doing much better!
