On one hand, Tumblr was a breeding ground for the kind of thing we're seeing, but on the other it wasn't just a container for them, it also allowed more sensible people a window into the to point and laugh at the excess. That mockery was one of the things that kept stuff outside Tumblr almost sane
Mocking them has absolutely no effect besides making you feel good, which is perfectly fine and it's important to have fun, but don't confuse it with anything that's actually going to make a difference.
It certainly doesn't change anything now, the damage is long since done. Back then it helped maintain the midground between the contained crazies, the disconnected normies and the snarking right. Maybe not in all cases, but fringe madness like otherkin was safely ignored by the mundane masses as 'that weird tumblr stuff everyone laughs at'
On one hand, Tumblr was a breeding ground for the kind of thing we're seeing, but on the other it wasn't just a container for them, it also allowed more sensible people a window into the to point and laugh at the excess. That mockery was one of the things that kept stuff outside Tumblr almost sane
Mocking them has absolutely no effect besides making you feel good, which is perfectly fine and it's important to have fun, but don't confuse it with anything that's actually going to make a difference.
It certainly doesn't change anything now, the damage is long since done. Back then it helped maintain the midground between the contained crazies, the disconnected normies and the snarking right. Maybe not in all cases, but fringe madness like otherkin was safely ignored by the mundane masses as 'that weird tumblr stuff everyone laughs at'