Hey,
You don’t have to automatically agree with what people saying about a series or a character or a scene. You don’t have to be so afraid of conflict that you immediately agree and comply without considering their stances and opinions as well as deciding if their words make sense. And you shouldn’t mimic their words in an attempt to make them like you.
If they’re sensible folk, then they won’t hate you for disagreeing. And they actually probably want you to speak your own mind. That’s likely why they’re interacting with you – they want to hear your own opinions. They won’t care to hear their own thoughts regurgitated back at them. They’d be holding up their iPhones and telling Siri to repeat their words if that were the case.
The fact that you’re too quick to completely submit to their ideologies could actually offend them, to be honest. It shows that you’re not willing to put some actual thought into what you’re saying or writing. So treat them as equals. Have faith and believe that they can accept that you disagree. If they violate that trust and resort to insults in an attempt to convince you, then you can always walk away. But don’t let small, isolated failures prevent from reaching out due to anxiety or dread.
Don’t feel pressured to include everyone’s perspective when you produce content detailing your thoughts on a scene or theme from an anime series. Your readers are here to read your opinion. They’re not here to read what others are saying or thinking when they click on your content (disclaimer: all bets are off if your content involves polls).
There are those who argue for objective or even-handed stances, but most believe that everything is subjective to at least some degree. And if that’s the case, then you should own that biasness. Be proud of it and don’t shirk away from it. Boldly claim what you think and coherently explain the reasoning behind your stances. Let them disagree if they must. They’re entitled to their own opinions.
But you shouldn’t be afraid to speak out. You shouldn’t be afraid to be wrong, either, even if there’s a perpetuating online culture where those who make mistakes are shamed and defamed. If you find yourself being targeted, then listen to what they’re saying, consider if they make sense, and react accordingly. Don’t feel embarrassed if you end up changing your mind. It just goes to show that you’re willing to learn, that you want to really examine how you think about things without blindly following others. There is nothing wrong with that. Those are admirable traits and those who mock your change-of-heart are fools.
Lastly, don’t take it personally if you come across someone else’s content and they completely disagree with your beliefs. Just like you, they’re allowed to believe in what and interpret things how they want. Maybe you can (politely) start a conversation with them and try to understand why they hold such stances. Perhaps you can learn more about your own beliefs by doing so.
But don’t forget: your opinions matter. Your opinions matter. Your opinions matter.
They matter.
If you tell yourself otherwise every time you hesitate to publish something, then I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong.
Your opinions matter. Please remember that.
Best Regards
The Lily Garden 
Great advice.
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Thank you for the encouragement!
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You’re very welcome!
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Thank you for saying this. It’s really helpful to hear, especially for a new blogger like myself.
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No problem! I’m glad I proved to be helpful.
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I needed to read this. Doing these reviews of multiple cinematic and animated subjects has helped me to become more honest with my opinions with others whether it’s online or real life. I do my best to research what I critique, but also to base my opinions in some sound logic. To be honest with you, I was scared posting certain reviews at first such as movies with controversial content, documentaries covering uncomfortable truths, having differing opinions to well-liked anime, and even reviewing certain anime properties that Hollywood has been accused of plagiarizing for fear of a backlash from the fandom of the “ripoffs”, so to speak. I’m glad I’ve been treated respectfully here and I want to treat others with respect regardless of any differences going on.
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Very smart post. I def want to be myself. You only hurt yourself trying to agree with others.
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I agree with everything you said, one should not shirk away from facing possibly some negative response for being an outlier. I mean you just avoid the ad hominems and move forward and respond earnestly to those who do want to strike up a conversation. Always be ready to be proven wrong is the motto! XD
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Mmm yes!
That’s actually a great motto, haha!
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I would just like to add a detail because I’ve been noticing it a lot lately. Guys just because someone doesn’t LOVE a show, doesn’t mean the HATE it. You can find fault with a series you really enjoyed, just like you can praise certain aspects of an anime you did not like. Ok maybe this comment doesn’t really belong here – I just had to vent a little.
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AT THE COST OF TOTALLY GOING AGAINST EXACTLY WHAT I JUST WROTE ABOUT HERE, I have to agree. Nothing is perfect (except Uta no Prince-sama) and nothing is truly terrible.
It’s okay~ totally valid point.
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An admirable post as usual, Remy!
I have to admit that being true to individual opinions matters not only in blogging but in every field of life.
I’m glad that you brought up that we shouldn’t be embarrassed if we change our opinion; it’s about time some people understand that.
Thanks a lot for posting such remarkable advice
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Mmm this sort of stuff applies to real life, doesn’t it?
Thanks, Ryuji!
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Every post nii-san.
With every post you set the bar higher….
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Oh, please.
Thanks, though, Auri.
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Love Thea style you did this in remy, some sounds advice my friend XD
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Thanks, Lita!
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Wonderful post Remy: and you are so right. It all comes down to respect. When I wrote my rantpost for Star Wars the Last Jedi last year I have never had a post generate so many comments. Some people agreed, some people disagreed, but nobody was disrespectful. As you know one of the coolest things about blogging I find is the interacting with everyone. And for that you need to be honest, but at the same time be open to other people’s beliefs and opinions as well 😀
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It was actually really cool seeing how people responded to your lovely review. Everyone was respectful! But yes, honesty is important, too.
Thanks, raistlin!
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Great advice. I think particularly when writing posts you can’t be afraid to say what you think, but you also have to respect that your readers might see things differently. Thanks for sharing.
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Mmm it’s important. Thanks, Karandi.
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Based Remy is religiously competent with blessing powers through his artistic words, spread on paper; as a firm believer I worship him all day every day.
But that’s just my opinion, you can’t tell me I’m wrong otherwise!
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I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong.
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Sound advice for everyone here. ALSO I DISAGREE WITH ALL OF IT. (Joking.)
I both love and hate being wrong about something.
Hate because someone pointing out when I get something wrong — even if they do it nicely — makes me enormously anxious, because I suffer enough with anxiety at the best of times, so anything my brain perceives as “negativity” gets amplified a hundredfold and generally literally stops me from sleeping for at least one night.
And love because it gives me the opportunity to learn something, and act on it.
Last time this happened was when I wrote about the lore of the Rance series; I spent ages researching it and writing a lengthy article about it only to have a (very polite, I might add) commenter point out that I had used the wrong names for everything since the official localisations differed from what had been used by the fan translation community up until that point. While I was bummed out I’d done something wrong, ultimately replacing the names with the correct ones wasn’t a difficult thing to do, and I learned something in the process, so it was an ultimately positive experience! I’m sure it won’t be the last time. 🙂
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Whoa, yeah, I can see how you can both love and hate being wrong. Anxiety is so difficult to deal with.
While the Rance situation does seem like a bummer, I’m glad to know you see it as a positive experience overall.
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