@ lightningsabre: That’s pretty much the case, and that’s also why I don’t think they’re trying to change the heart of the average fan. Actually, their hatred for the the otaku icon of the internet backs up my belief that their goal is to remind us of what it means to be an otaku, not necessarily to force us to change our ways.

As far as their ideals go, though, I don’t think their intention is to criticize the average anime fan. They just want their “word” back. Or to take that one step further, since I don’t think this is really about semantics, they want the internet to recognize – and remember – what it really means to be an otaku. Nothing can change the fact that their views are extreme and that the blogosphere would be pretty boring if we all listened to every word they say, but practically speaking, they’re just trying to draw a line between “hardcore” and “even more hardcore,” just as the community has already drawn an invisible line between casual and hardcore. They’re not forcing us to join them, they’re just forcing us to live up to our names as anime bloggers.

And as long as the Otaku Elimination Game keeps it clean and argues objectively, we might genuinely be able to learn something.

Unfortunately, they’re not. Not by a long shot.

Part of what it means to be a subculture is to resist the calls of others to conform. What is Otaku Elimination asking for? Conformity.

You can dress it up how you like, but in the end that’s all there is to it. “Fall in line.”

I know the proper use of the term “anime otaku” but that doesn’t mean I necessarily think forcing people to adhere to a stereotype means progress for the community.