Hetalia mini-rant [Canada, America, Russia]

[transemacabre]

Now that I've been into Hetalia fandom for a few months, I have to say that one of my saddest discoveries is that it seems America adores Canadians, while Canada seems to waver between being mildly annoyed by America and outright despising it. I honestly never thought that the America/Canada lovefest was so one-sided. You see it a lot in fic where Canada (canonically a very passive-aggressive and downright wimpy character) is characterized as being Too Good For This Sinful Earth and sekritly a snarky badass who is unfairly overshadowed by his asshole brother, America. For goodness' sake, it can't be easy having a brother like America, but canonically Canada is more than capable of handling America (along with being outright verbally abusive towards him). Canada's tears will not cure cancer. He is not a special snowflake. Zac Efron is not going to show up and take Canada to the prom. I have a feeling that a lot of authors let their own personal feelings about their siblings bleed through in a lot of Canada fic.

On a semi-related note, I have to say I feel bad for Russian Hetalia fen. Russia is characterized as the rapetruck and go-to villain so much, it must be a little painful for them. I mean, America gets more crap than I honestly feel he deserves from fandom, but even his most Yandere incarnations aren't as crazy-bugfuck-insane as Russia's portrayals. I do have to say all the fic in which America is gang-raped by basically the entire cast do disturb me greatly. It says something about Hetalia fandom that there are several epic-length fics on this topic -- what it says I'm too terrified to contemplate, but it definitely says SOMETHING. At least Russia isn't being gang-raped in every other fic. Still, he's portrayed as the devil incarnate a lot of the time and I feel bad for actual Russians.

Comments

[redcandle17.livejournal.com]

I do have to say all the fic in which America is gang-raped by basically the entire cast do disturb me greatly.

That's why we have nukes. :P

Seriously, though, this fandom sounds fascinating in terms of what it reveals about people's attitudes to various countries and to history.

[oddityangel.livejournal.com]

Personally I've always gotten a kick out of Canada's passive aggressive tendencies, and I dislike when they're underplayed or ignored in fics in favour of saintly nonaggression. Passive aggressive is pretty much spot on when it comes to Canadian/American relations. We're not known to suffer with quiet dignity as our peaceful spirits are crushed by the American behemoth, we whine and take petty jabs the entire time.

We (and thus Matthew/Canada) used to have what I'd consider a secret badass side, but no more...

Though I gotta say, any 'verbal abuse' America suffers from Canada in Hetalia always struck me as fairly well deserved. I've never witnessed anything I'd consider 'adoration' from Alfred (or Americans) when it comes to Matthew (or Canadians). It usually strikes me more as casual indifference or condescension. It's not JUST tallest poppy syndrome if the poppy is also a bit of a self involved jerk.

Totally unrelated, but I want an Australia, just to see where he fits in the greater UK/America/Canada family dynamic. I'll be disappointed if he's not how Douglas Adams described;

"Every country is like a particular type of person. America is like a belligerent, adolescent boy, Canada is like an intelligent, 35 year old woman. Australia is like Jack Nicholson. It comes right up to you and laughs very hard in your face in a highly threatening and engaging manner. In fact it's not so much a country as such, more a sort of thin crust of semi-demented civilization caked around the edge of a vast, raw wilderness, full of heat and dust and hopping things."

As for Russia...I guess every fandom needs one rapetruck (I don't know why) and his characterization certainly lends itself fairly well to 'Oppressive, obsessive scary stalker who DEMANDS your company.' I can't really blame fandom for running with it, as disturbing as I find it. I tend to stick to fluffy Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano (when he's no longer pedobait) and Austria/Hungary fics. I prefer not to explore the dark underbelly of fandom the majority of the time, since I generally don't like what I find.

Edited for redundancy and other issues

[transemacabre.livejournal.com]

America, like all the countries, has his good sides and bad sides. He's loud and pushy and ridiculous, but it's also clear that he's good-hearted and more thoughtless than evil (he wants to be everyone's hero!) I find it interesting that Hidekaz, a writer from a country we nuked, can give us an America that is flawed but loveable, but the fandom can turn him into an asshole who unfairly takes all the credit from Canada The Perfect, or alternatively someone who got sick and therefore deserves a brutal gang-raping (a bizarre and freaky concept in so many ways).

As for verbally abusive, I'm thinking specifically of that strip in which Canada rants at America for like three hours and makes America cry. It's played for humor like everything in Hetalia, but it can be interpreted as petty and kinda mean on Canada's part; I don't know about you, but I've never bitched someone out until they broke down in tears.

As for the one-sided America/Canada lovefest, I was thinking of things like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYoTJItSPt0) (almost a valentine from America about its relationship with Canada) and polls, especially the ones in which Americans expressed they feel closer and more warmly towards Canadians than any other nationality. I think that Americans do like Canada, especially the Americans who've visited there. I loved Canada when I went there; I found Montreal clean and polite and safe and beautiful. Judging from the Canadians in Hetalia fandom, the sentiment seems one-sided however, and I find that rather sad. But it is what it is.

Russia definitely has a dark side, but again, it's shown that he's abusive and abused. I think Hidekaz intends for us to have sympathy for Russia, who is clearly traumatized by his brutal past.

[oddityangel.livejournal.com]

...but the fandom can turn him into an asshole who unfairly takes all the credit from Canada The Perfect...

Well, this is a common phenomena in a lot of fandoms, particularly anime/manga fandoms, and I hesitate to attribute misplaced nationalism/biases to something that can be just as easily explained by fandom's constant habit of adopting woobie characters and demonizing anyone who annoys them, stands in the way of their OTP or is just 'too popular' or 'too nice.'

I don't know about you, but I've never bitched someone out until they broke down in tears.

I've lashed out and made my sister cry before, and she's definitely poked at some sensitive topics and made me deeply upset over something relatively minor. Despite our occasionally NASTY fights we're extremely close. Siblings know what buttons to push, and I assume it's the same for Canada and America, just exaggerated for comedic effect. I wouldn't call it verbal abuse any more than I'd seriously consider Hungary a violent lunatic for bashing people with her frying pan. Obviously YMMV (And that's cool!).

Judging from the Canadians in Hetalia fandom, the sentiment seems one-sided however, and I find that rather sad.

I don't think it's really fair to judge based on fan fiction, at least not any more so than it's fair to claim that shows like The Family Guy, Will and Grace or South Park accurately represent American attitudes towards Canada ('It's not even a real country!'). Realistically most Canadians do recognize how important our relationship with the United States is, and there have been numerous books, articles, news segments, etc...that say as much. America is 'The Good Neighbor', always has been (and hopefully always will be).

However I have to admit that I think it's fairly easy for America(ns) to be magnanimous towards Canadians, since Americans are at the top and the dominant force in North America. Canada, on the other hand, has the resentment that comes from being weaker and much less influential (and no one likes to be bullied over softwood lumber...). I laugh at 'Canada: America's Hat' jokes, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't with a tinge of bitterness. I think a lot of the Canadian resentment towards America is due to our feelings of inadequacy (which is also why we're prone to fits of soul searching navel gazing about the apparent lack of a Canadian identity). It isn't really fair to Americans, but it is what it is, and I suppose it wouldn't surprise me if it came out in fics.

Not to say that all Canadian criticism of America is unfounded and should be dismissed as petty sniping

As for 'deserved' gang rapes...uh, yeah. That's just messed up. I love Alfred, he amuses me to no end, and the idea that rape is an appropriate response or 'punishment' for any behavior is deplorable. That's the kind of thing that makes me recoil from my computer in horror.

[transemacabre.livejournal.com]

I don't understand what you're getting at here. Please explain.

[transemacabre.livejournal.com]

I have never heard of that book. But I would like to address something -- it is not that I do not LIKE Matthew/Canada, but that I find his portrayal in fandom to be sometimes troubling. It's that America is so often cast as a foil to Matt, who is rarely even a Matt recognizable from the series, but rather St. Canada, or Manada, or Snarky Badass Canada.

I think that if you take a look at my fic, you will see that when Canada appears he is portrayed positively, so its not so easy just to say 'Oh, well you don't like Canada anyway'; no, I don't like the BIAS I see in this fandom.

why russia being shown bad

[paul sibilew (from livejournal.com)]

the reason why russia is this way in hetalia is simple. japanese made hetalia. they just leave out all the good things about russia (such as russia being europes protector for centuries etc) and put in all russian stereotypes and prejudices. though they are not even justified. but i as a Russian am still having fun watching it, since i see japans subject view on its enemies (Russia etc) and its friends (germany etc)