this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2026
65 points (97.1% liked)

chat

8636 readers
198 users here now

Chat is a text only community for casual conversation, please keep shitposting to the absolute minimum. This is intended to be a separate space from c/chapotraphouse or the daily megathread. Chat does this by being a long-form community where topics will remain from day to day unlike the megathread, and it is distinct from c/chapotraphouse in that we ask you to engage in this community in a genuine way. Please keep shitposting, bits, and irony to a minimum.

As with all communities posts need to abide by the code of conduct, additionally moderators will remove any posts or comments deemed to be inappropriate.

Thank you and happy chatting!

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
SexUnderSocialism@hexbear.net
Sulvy@hexbear.net
oscardejarjayes@hexbear.net
Wakmrow@hexbear.net
LeninWeave@hexbear.net
abc@hexbear.net
65
I figured out why I hate most horror tropes: Harmful messages and stereotypes about mental illness, disability and trauma (hexbear.net)
submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by Dort_Owl@hexbear.net to c/chat@hexbear.net
47 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Scary asylums! Creepy disfigured people! People being punished for 'not moving on and letting their trauma control them'! Violent and dangerous 'crazy' people! Poverty coded scary old women who must be a witch!

While asylums are less common horror locations these days, it still doesn't stop the genre from using pop psychology to frame itself as deep while simultaneously expousing harmful messages. Usually written by people with very shallow understanding of the themes they're employing for cheap scares at the expense of some of the most marginalized groups.

Also this might be cringe taste but some horror I actually do like are Jordan Peeles movies, because the themes of those are things like "Wow racism is horrificly dehumanising" and "Animals should be respected."

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Dort_Owl@hexbear.net 5 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I can sympathize with that. Sometimes I feel the same, but my perspective has become a little different lately, I see a flood of media that is dark, depressing and cynical in an attempt to seem realistic, mature and deep, which is fine every now and again, but I feel popular culture has been drowning in this lately and I'm a little burnt out on the wallowing as most of these stories provide little insight other than "Gee, isn't everything shitty? (don't try to change it though, that's idealistic)"