Why do these mouth breathers act like a baseline of quality doesn’t exist? Artists are already competing for respect. It is already a low paying, under appreciated field. The act of calling yourself one already put you in a compromising spot, both money and perception wise. Not using AI is what people are demanding as a bare minimum, not as a instant way to be praised. How many artists are even praised? This pretentious Reddit view that art has to “change the world” to be worthwhile is coming from people working normal ass jobs. I promise you the guy making Sonic comics is working 10x more than you and anybody criticizing em. Do you think they got the job just because it’s not AI? Bad art exists, nobody is saying art is immediately good because it comes from human hands. They’re just saying it’s art. Maybe the consideration extends to allow other tools in the future, but the current “well at least it’s not AI” comes from solidarity to those willing to engage with art. It doesn’t guarantee sales, it doesn’t get you praise, it acknowledges your work. You cannot praise craft and shit on those trying to improve at it. most people don’t spend even 1/10th of the time at their favorite thing as an artist has to spend to make anything the masses deem “decent”.