[ SECRET POST #235 ]

[shahni.livejournal.com]

⌈ Secret Post #235 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

- Sorry for the late, fell asleep on the train :D;

Secrets Left to Post: 08 pages, 110 secrets from Secret Submission Post #034.
Secrets Not Posted: 0 broken links, 0 not!secrets, 0 not!fandom, [1] too big, [1] repeat.
Next Secret Post: Tomorrow, Wednesday, August 28th, 2007.
Current Secret Submission Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

14

[(Anonymous)]

No. You know why Asians bitch about that? Because when it's someone bad enough to be considered wapanese/weeaboo, they don't actually give a shit about Japan. They THINK they do, GOD KNOWS THEY THINK THEY DO.
In reality? They hate the country. They finally make it there on Mommy and Daddy's money and wonder why every channel isn't anime, why there aren't happy school girls frolicking in the streets, and can't at all understand why they're getting stared at in their 3-year-old FRUiTs fashion. They get all fussy and bitchy.

Literally. I have a dumb shit weeaboo friend who went on a tour of Japan, came back disappointed and convinced that the tour had failed to show her the "real" Japan.

I have other weeaboos who really don't care how well I can cook food from any other part of the world, they were sure my specialty was ~riceballs~!

Charming. If someone really cares about the culture, I have no problem with it. If they're making OMG KAWAII ONIGIRI because they saw it on Fruits Basket, I hope they choke.

Re: 14

[(Anonymous)]

.... that's ... really sad. That story, I mean. Is your friend lacking a brain?

I visited Japan on a school exchange three years ago, and I never really mention this because I'm afraid people will assume I only went because I like manga and anime. While this was true, I was writing papers on the country's history before I even knew what anime was, and I can't help but think people will assume I'm just going on the defensive instead of stating the truth. =/

14

[(Anonymous)]

It's oppressed. Get it right.

[aetheristic.livejournal.com]

8. God Narutards annoy me. I don't watch Naruto and am not interested in it. To many people I know, this is some sort of cardinal sin. -_- Naruto fans are fine, but please, guys, it ain't the be all and end all.

12. Wait remake? @_____@;;;;;;

21. I love Pokemon too and I'm almost 21. :D

22. I've never played Persona 3, and tbh I'm one of the Final-Fantasy-is-God people myself but none of these things ever rule out personal taste. If you enjoy your game, enjoy it! Don't let anyone else's elitism get in your way. (Also, as much as I adore Squeenix and Disney and the combination of the two - Kingdom Hearts has imo a lot to answer for. I dunno. XD)

[happy-cupcake.livejournal.com]

18. I hate it too. I have a friend and every other IM is just "^^" or "^_^" Lately I've been using ":3" but I'm really just trying to get away from emotoicons in general

[faito-oh.livejournal.com]

18. Get the fuck over it. It's an *emoticon*, dear. And how exactly is that a fandom secret...?

14

[planecrashdream.livejournal.com]

I love you.

22

[nabreus.livejournal.com]

PERSONA 3 ♥ :DDDD

Though I love Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy, this game is made of pure gold <3

14

[(Anonymous)]

I know exactly how you feel. I'm half Arabic on my father's side, but like you, people would have no idea unless I told them.

But once I do, the terrorist jokes come pretty quickly. I never take it seriously and my friends know that, but it always makes me step back and go "huh."

Sometimes I find people who like belly dancing or the food or the music. The music especially. It's very selective, but not so different for how selectively people appreciate all cultures that are not their own, including asian ones (where they may like the food, the history, the anime, whatever).

Yeah, we come with stigma attached, but .. from my experience, there are just as many people willing to be accepting as there are people who ask me what I've blown up recently.

[jenken.livejournal.com]

11. I do the same thing! I also do that while watching Willy Wonka. There are some things you just can't watch without eating bread/chocolate/food a show is themed around.

19. You are my hero. I'm almost curious to look for fic/art for it. XD

[(Anonymous)]

4. Wow. I made a similar secret. It bothers me, too.

22

[rem-sama.livejournal.com]

God yes, Persona kicks all kinds of ass. I wish I could pick up the previous ones, but they're so damn hard to find, and/or expensive. :/

tl;dr

[pretentioustfu.livejournal.com]

13: Word.

14: I'm getting REALLY tired of how everyone who is interested in Japan or Japanese culture is thrown in the weeaboo pile.

Here's my short list, IMO, of what does and doesn't make a weeaboo/wapanese:

Someone is NOT a weeaboo/wapanese if:

Someone learned of Japanese culture through a questionable source (e.g. anime, manga) but then did research, learned from more reliable sources, and still likes Japan or the Japanese people.

Someone likes and collects anime and/or manga, games, figurines, music, ANYTHING. Fandom and collecting makes an otaku, at worst, not a weeaboo.

Someone's appearance isn't "right."

Someone wants to travel to Japan.

Someone wants to or is learning Japanese.

Someone is knowledgeable about Japanese culture and history. (This is actually a huge marker of someone NOT being a weeaboo.)

Someone is attracted to Northeast Asian-appearing people sexually.

Someone makes the decision, fully knowing of the benefits and drawbacks, to live in Japan.

All of the above apply.

Notice something? None of these things necessarily involve mindless fetishization in the absence of what I will mention below. Also, if you changed any other country for Japan (say, the UK or US) none of those would necessarily seem evil or objectifying, even in combination.

Now, someone IS a weeaboo/wapanese if:

Their ONLY understanding of Japan is what they read in manga or watch in anime or hear from friends.

They are entirely ignorant of major parts of Japanese history and culture. Not just "you don't know how to bow properly" or "you can't translate the Kojiki, backwards, bitch!" but things like not knowing why people bow in the first place, not knowing the Kojiki exists, not getting the concept of the vertical society, not knowing the difference between tatemai and honne, not getting that Japan was run by a fascist Nazilike government in World War II and committed major atrocities against innocent people, THAT sort of thing.

They don't make a serious attempt at learning Japanese or limit their interaction to speakers of their native language or use the services of a translator (things respectful people would do in any country), and do use horribly mangled loanwords borrowed from anime and manga in conversation with both Japanese AND American people.

They are sexually attracted to ONLY Japanese people and that as objects or trophies, not as real people like themselves.

They think Japan is absolutely perfect, rather than a society with costs and benefits like any other.

Most would not seriously consider living in Japan after realizing it's not the happy wonderland they want.

Point being? The above is where objectification comes in and where, yes, someone is being creepy and needs. . . what? Abuse? Othering? No. They need education and knowledge, so they can make an informed decision as to whether they really love the Japanese culture and people or if they are really only seeing it as something it isn't.

I'm quite annoyed with the idea that somehow, the cure to objectification seems to be MORE objectification. We've created this construct of the "weeaboo" and thrown everyone from our future Asia-Pacific scholars and Japanese teachers to yes, idiotic trend-followers and objectifiers under it.

People have at points seriously suggested psychiatric treatment for people they consider to not identify with their birth nation and identify with another nation far too much for their "normal" tastes, and that's something else that disturbs me, since if even something as intrinsic as gender isn't necessarily fixed according to birth, who's to say national identity is, especially since, unlike gender, national identity is completely environmental and cultural.

Re: tl;dr

[yummycoffee.livejournal.com]

Objectification? People are objectifying weeaboos now?

[(Anonymous)]

4. I do that too, not just with RP but with anybody that I only know online who disappears for awhile.

[hagane-no-romi.livejournal.com]

'Sup, Shahni. :o

4. Glad to know I'm not alone.

6. I see it. My friend's see it, and we don't watch it. Dear god.

8. I've started to think Narutardism is a mental illness. Especially if they watch it on Cartoon Network. When they're die-hard Naruto fans, the majority of them always seem to be heavily opinionated.... And to be honest, I did like this series. Then the fandom grew. That was that.

11. Bread x me is my OTP? Nomnomnom carbs.

14. AAUGUGUHGSEHGS Yes. I love all my asian friends dearly, but this pisses me off, too. Big time. I mean, yeah, some of us are a litle bit retarded, but I'm sure some of them are, too. >_>

17. ...lol'd.

18. I AGREE. Everytime I see that face now, I know it's either a.) some young twit/Mary Sue author, or b.) a friend being smart with me. Death to ^_^. *punches self*

22. YES. YES, AND A LITTLE MORE YES. SMT games are amazing. I'm more partial to another one of their titles, but Persona 3 is a damn good game. I can't decide whether or not I wish the fandom was a little bigger. I'd love to talk about it more/see more fanart, but at the same time, I don't want it to be the next Final Fantasy. Augh.

OP of 22

[(Anonymous)]

If it becomes anything like FF fandom, I'm kicking a bitch. :|

OP of 22

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you for all the support in your comments.

It's been a very hard week, and seeing such support, even over something like a little secret, makes me want to cry happy, happy tears. Thank you, again. *stops before becoming a little emo kid*

The problem is that except for the whole RPG thing, my friends are awesome in every other respect.

RPGs = srs business, I guess. :|

Re: OP of 22

[frappetique.livejournal.com]

22. PERSONA 3!!! WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE FROM ATLUS GAMES? Why don't you try promote that game slowly to your friends, I mean they won't hate you automatically for a game (like you said, game =/= srs buzinezz)? D8

it's sad to know no one plays such an awesome game, if FF and KH is only their option of RPG gaming.. well.. what a sad gamer life they have been through.. :'[

[errorism.livejournal.com]

"swish dong" is my new favourite sound effect!

1

[theladytrinity.livejournal.com]

Somebody made a manga about Trent Lane?

Re: 1

[gallo-de-pelea.livejournal.com]

I lol'd then felt a little ashamed for getting this

[creatore-magico.livejournal.com]

3. Indeed. X) Utena is amazing and all the characters are so full of complexities, how could we not want to bang them? =D

5. I wanted to be snowy as a kid, my sister even called me Snowy all through our childhood.

12. I am a huge Batttle Royale fan also. I love the book, I have both movies and am almost done reading the manga. X) REMAKE? Is that a 'when' or an 'if'?

19. I don't know who this is, but YES! Bread for the win!

8

[ichizu.livejournal.com]

i used to feel exactly the same way, but then the series started to interest me again and i was like "screw it" and began to watch/read it. now i'm a narutard. D: i wouldn't say it's the best series ever though. it's awesome but not THE BEST.

[rayiroth.livejournal.com]

14. I fucking second that. I'm Asian, and I found the whole 'ZOMG YOU CAN'T TAKE MY CULTURE WAH' mentality downright embarrassing. Yes, it is a form of racism.

Especially consider the Asians in question didn't have all those issues with I dunno, taking up "Western Culture" however the hell you define that. I can come online and speak, surprise, English, and no one will slap me in the face for being an English/American wannabe. Even back in the days when my English skills were at best sounded like a broken record fangirl, at least people had the decency to not immediately put me into the Weeeaboo equivalent bracket.

Try that with Japanese, Korean or Chinese. You'll be ripped apart so quickly you don't even know what happened.