That was kind of the point in Otaku circles, especially post-Miyazaki (the murderer, not the director). Lolicon was something that was 'no good,' running counter to proper society, and there was an inherent self-awareness in that. How many works featuring lolicons and aimed at lolicons treat the relationships as inherently taboo? How often, in the same works, are the Otakus who obsess over such things seen as a little abnormal and unhinged? A more recent example would be Miyako from Wataten, but there are countless others throughout Otaku media. It's something that grew out of a culture in which certain things are allowed so as long as they don't disturb the natural harmony of society; but, at the same time, it was a very unlikely source of rebellion.
I feel like a lot of that is reflected in a more individualist, grandiose, and irony poisoned-fashion (see 'cunny posters' and how they'll often frame their humor around pretending to be actual predators). Whether or not the irony contains the same sense of self-awareness... remains to be seen. I have my doubts.
The problem is that the Internet is very centralized these days, so these normally fringe sexual fetish groups are openly RPing on Twitter. Now you no longer have to go diving into /d/ threads, much less obscure fetish community websites or MSN chatrooms, to find the truly bizarre; couple that with a rise in a Youtube commentary community that shines a light on these normally hidden groups, and you have a lot of people being exposed to things they are blatantly uncomfortable with.
