Quote:
Originally Posted by mercedesjin
Perceptions of black people in Japan, in my experience, aren't exactly positive. Japan's idea of black people are based off of foreign country's ideas, which of course will be racist. I've seen TV shows and music videos where the only black characters are villains wielding guns, or maids and servants.
Racist images such as blackface and golliwogg dolls are also sometimes pretty popular in some parts of Japan. I don't think this is vindictive racism, I think that this is just innocent ignorance because not enough information is available teaching the history of blacks around the world - which is WHY you, a person of African descent, should go.
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Racism is whereever you want to find it. In the case of Japan please don't mix up racism and ignorance. Blacks were never enslaved there, so some of the images appropriated from the American and other media that is used (i.e. black face) isn't intended to offend because in Japan it isn't offensive. Where this is a sensitive point to you, you might just as easily offend a Japanese person by, say, walking into their house with your shoes on. It doesn't mean you are racist, just being ignorant.
That distinction is important.