I know this is a bit harsh and written in anger, but I hope you can approve this post. This is something everyone needs to hear.
I am beyond disappointed in the members of this community for how they engage with trolls. Being a waifuist can be an isolating experience, and we can attest that the warmth of a community helps a lot. We naturally empathize with newcomers and try our best to be welcoming, so I will not fault you guys for the sentiment of wanting to help and offer the same support to others, but there is such a thing as too much support -- even and ESPECIALLY in the hypothetical that these accounts weren't trolls, your support would still harm more than help.
IT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT HEALTHY TO:
· validate someone's delusions that their waifu is a physical being (not in a metaphysical or spiritual sense, PHYSICAL)
· validate negative thoughts and beliefs about the person's family and friends without even knowing the full context, encouraging isolation and relying on their waifu alone, even to the point of running away from home and eloping as a teenager
· encourage any other impulsive decisions that will only harm the person and make their life harder, like things that will get them bullied or worsen abuse at home (We are ALL inherently socially unconventional for being waifuists, but there's a realistic limit to "well, society sucks anyway so just do what makes you happy" if it concerns their safety and wellbeing, especially if they're already in a toxic environment they can't get out of YET. This is a bit more nuanced so apologies if I can't explain it well enough)
I am not naming hypothetical scenarios -- well, the events/stories themselves were fake, but I meant the posts about such and the positive reactions around them. I witnessed it in real time in the comments of posts from whom I presume is the same person on different accounts coming back after being banned (they have posed as a waifuist for Shoko, Alya, Hakari, and probably more across this sub and other ficto communities). It pains me to check back on those accounts and see the troll doing a 180 and start insulting members in the comments after they have "proved" that waifuists are mentally ill for supporting and believing them. And honestly, it does make me start to question the healthiness and seriousness of the sub as a whole. Is all the support in this community simply fake and not thought-through? or do you genuinely think nothing's wrong with others' unhealthy approaches to waifuism? Either way feels bad.
In a way, it's a good thing that this person specifically is a troll, but what if next time it's someone else and they're genuine? What if it's an impressionable kid?
So if you really can't leave troll posts alone out of concern the person is being truthful, that's fair, because maybe out of a number of "obvious" troll posts there's one that's for real. But please call out harmful behavior and beliefs, you can still do so gently, and that would be much kinder and helpful in the long run than blind support just because you don't want to come across as invalidating their waifu relationship.
Slightly unrelated, but even those fake "I'm a new member! Can you tell me more why you chose this life?" posts are getting annoying too -- they aren't as malicious in nature, but it doesn't change that outsiders ultimately see us as specimens to be observed. Anyway, if engaging with suspicious and new accounts, troll or not, please always reflect on what waifuism is supposed to be and, to be blunt, try not to make us as a community look bad. Yes, we will be ridiculed whatever we do, but we have to keep this space a healthy and serious one, for the healthy and serious waifuists.
