>>3220448I agree there's been little motivation to engage in the same waifu war nonsense, since Rei is great and number one already. But, that passivity may have caused greater damage that not doing anything, considering how things have evolved with Evangelion.
>[defending] against people who make no effort of understanding her characterIndeed, but it is this:
>they [anti-Rei] had no desire to see things in a different perspectivethat's the problem. Even if they do understand, nothing changes since their goal isn't understanding - it's destruction. Destruction of Rei and her image in particular, as she is their "rival". Explaining something to someone who won't listen or stick to the facts is pointless, in fact, the more you do it the more antagonism is created.
In fact, consider these people to be like Asuka. Even if you tell Asuka something truthful, that she's even seen with her own eyes, her answer is always to deny it and continue undermining the team and attack you. The only way to actually sway someone as delusional as Asuka is either by surrounding them all at once with insurmountable proof (like with Arael), or normalize the facts surrounding them over time because they have no true opinion of their own.
The Asuka/Rei scene is emblematic of the problem. Even if Rei tries to help Asuka and tells nothing but the truth, Asuka still attacks her verbally and slaps her.
To set things straight, we have to use other means than downright explaining the facts and truth to these people. As for how to do this, there's a number of ways, my favorite which would involve creation of excellent resources for the fanbase to work with. It's a big project, but Rei's fanbase is big, no?
>Rei herself doesn't put much value in how other perceives her. But she does acknowledge it matters in defining her.
