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A question for those of you of japanese heritage - 08-16-2009, 10:05 PM

sooo...i'm not totally sure how to word this, it's just something that bothers me from time to time. first off, i don't consider myself "wapanese" in any way. i LOVE japan. i take a japanese class at school, and i am really fond of the culture and people. i watch like two anime. sometimes i find myself wishing i were born there so i could experience the culture without it being odd. i'm italian-american, and my town has a lot of asians living in it. i have a few japanese friends and something i'm always worried about is that they'll think of me as some kind of 'LAME BAKA GAIJIN' kind of anime-obsessed kid. which i am not. (well i am a gaijin, but i really hope i am not baka) so my question is, from the description i gave, do people like me ever bother you?
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Post 08-16-2009, 10:08 PM

No cuz im like that. Im about to start going to a japanese class.And I do love anime and manga. But I love the jpanaese culture. Im not wapanese and I dont really understand that word still but I know Im not it. Plus this isnt the only place I wanna go.
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08-16-2009, 10:19 PM

No, but your preconceptions mark your outlook as underdeveloped and in need of reality checking.

If and when MMM posts in this thread, the majority of my opinion can be found in his sig pic.


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08-16-2009, 10:54 PM

Have you been to Japan?


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08-16-2009, 11:01 PM

Koir- i'm confused by your reply -__-;; and i don't know who mmm is...

hatredcopter- no i haven't D: i really really really want to go there though. but as i mentioned in my original post, i'm afraid that people will think of me as a complete idiot..
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08-16-2009, 11:50 PM

Well then how do you know you "LOVE" Japan if you've never been there?


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08-17-2009, 12:14 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hatredcopter View Post
Well then how do you know you "LOVE" Japan if you've never been there?
Quoted for truth.

The term you're looking for is "weaboo". If you act like a maniac and slobber every time you see an animoo or mango character, you fall into that category. If you just like the culture and want to learn more, I think you're safe.

The main point here is that you need to respect someone's culture if you want them to respect you. I've met Europeans and Asians come over here to the States who are perfectly friendly and interested in adapting to my culture and lifestyle, to which I reacted with pleasant surprise and enthusiasm. You can expect a similar reaction if you go into another culture with a modicum of respect.

I've also met foreigners who've come here, asking me where my gun is since all Americans have a small arsenal in their closets. They're the ones who get the stink-eye and muttered insults. See the difference?

Also, if you categorize yourself with a specific subculture, in this case "otaku", expect to be treated by the general public as that subculture would normally within whatever culture you're entering. I think in many ways, otaku in Japan aren't exactly popular.

I still can't wrap my head around the idea of "LOVE"ing a culture/country you've never visited. I suggest taking a class on societal issues in contemporary Japanese culture, as well as a cross-cultural psychology course. Only then will you really be armed to even begin to an educated assessment. Japan has a LOT of problems, so if you only look at one particular aspect (animoo, mango, fewd, and games, for example), you're not paying proper respect to a culture as a whole.

Just my ¥2.

edit:
Quote:
i'm afraid that people will think of me as a complete idiot..
If you act like one, they will. If you don't, they won't.


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08-17-2009, 12:15 AM

From the point of view of people who have lived in Japan, someone who hasn't been there but says "I love Japan and wish I were Japanese" comes across as not entirely lame perhaps, but naive and uninformed. You love your image or idea of Japan, which may have little to do with the reality of every day life here.

If you were Japanese and living in Japan, you might be too busy with your 3-hour daily train commute (standing all the way) and 14-hour working day, or the long hours studying for high school and university entrance exams to appreciate things like manga and anime as an insider.

I enjoy living in Japan most of the time (I have been here 11 years), but it certainly has its ups and downs. There is a lot about the culture that I like, but there are plenty of negatives as well.

Good luck with your dream to come to Japan, and make sure you don't just look at anime and manga- read an English-language Japanese newspaper online from time to time so you get an idea of the issues that people here actually face on a daily basis- I'm afraid you won't find that in anime or manga. Then you will look like someone in touch with reality, not an idiot!
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08-17-2009, 12:17 AM

It's only the hardcore weaboos that bother me. You know... the yaoi and yuri obsessed, nerdy fangirls/boys that pretend they're Japanese when the only Japanese words they know are kawaii, desu, neko, inu, and DATTEBAYO!

You know the ones I'm talking about.... The ones that do the hare hare yukai dance and put it on youtube thinking they're cool.

People like that really bother me.
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08-17-2009, 01:16 AM

Quote:
I still can't wrap my head around the idea of "LOVE"ing a culture/country you've never visited.
Perhaps through constant exposure?
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