When I picked up Create Your Own Economy I didn’t think that I would be writing about it on FanCruft, because at first glance it doesn’t look like it has anything to do with anime, it looks like an economist talking about how autism is good. But the message that Tyler Cowen has in this work is more subtle and sophisticated and that message is just as much about fiction and treating other people with respect, both of which have obvious anime tie-ins. As if that weren’t enough, this book even praises otaku culture, albeit of the true Japanese very-much-obsessed-with-something variety, but how could I not mention it here?
Create Your Own Economy is one of the best books that I’ve read in years, and it’s not possible for me to even begin to describe everything that’s so amazing about it here, but one thing that Cowen does several times is point out how various fictional characters and historic figures seem to have elements of autistic behavior. Although they’re not often rolled into one character, anime is often all about obsessions and social awkwardness.
Regarding otaku, Cowen writes:
…Otaku culture is based on obsessive hobbies and interests, often of an obscure nature. These interests frequently involve gadgets and manga but they have grown in their diversity and today a Japanese otaku may develop an extreme focus on Humphrey Bogart movies, Brazilian pop music, or, to cite one notorious and increasingly mainstream example, women who dress up like maids. (If you are wondering, you study these women; you don’t necessarily do anything with them.) (page 218)
That got a chuckle out of me, at least. Alright, I was laughing manically at several points of this book, including the above passage. He goes onto to talk just a page or so about Japanese culture.
At an earlier point, there’s a discussion about fantasy. Anime is very, very much about fantasy (usually), and it’s pointed out that the amount of fantasy in people’s lives is (should be?) determined at the margin, which is one of the most ‘economical’ ideas in Create Your Own Economy. I find it to be a nice resolution to the problem I’ve had on my mind for a while: how do I reconcile the fact that I’m inspired by something that so utterly unrealistic as anime, while still regarding myself as down-to-earth and pragmatic?