31: You know, I'm really tired of people acting like being an otaku is a bad thing. It's not, as long as you're actually interested in Japanese culture and society and sensitive to it, and as long as you can separate fiction and reality. It's no worse than strongly identifying with any other culture or subcuulture. I mean, there's no "omg fans of UK punk rock suck" and wearing a Clash T-shirt and wanting to go to the UK someday doesn't make you an immature moron incapable of identifying with "normality" or a "stupid British wannabe."
Why should anime/manga/jrock be any more of an "instant ticket to tarditry?" Yes, there are culturally and physically offensive otaku. However, to judge ANYONE who identifies as otaku as that is sad. It's like saying the punk rock fan must want to just go start trouble and bash in a few heads, never mind most punk fans aren't violent.
It's sad that people are so judgmental and yes, bigoted (what else do you call hating on someone since they can't make the distinction between stereotype and reality?) but I think we need to get over this idea that non-Japanese otaku are weeaboo and immature, and the only way to be "good" or "cool" or "mature" is to be American/European in every sense of the word.
For example, Yoshiki *has* accomplished a lot more in his life than Toby Keith, has a lot more (varied) talent, and can evoke a much wider range of emotion in his music than anger, patriotism, blind patriotism, and militant patriotism. Yet somehow liking Yoshiki makes me less mature than liking Toby Keith? Fuck that.
As another example: when was the last time an American fiction writer took something that could have been simply played for a forgettable straight action shoot-em-up comic and almost seamlessly weaved character depth and development even for the "bad people," (and were some really bad?) philosophical and sociological debate, exploration of male/male sexuality and relationships, and more into it? And yet I'm supposed to not like this just since the writer happened to be Japanese and wait for an American writer to attempt it?
Yes, there's a lot of crappy product in Japanese pop culture, and a lot of crappy fans. There's also a fair share of diamonds in the rough and a lot of fans who are a lot more fun to be around than judgmental assholes who can't live without harshing someone else's squee.
31, 39
Why should anime/manga/jrock be any more of an "instant ticket to tarditry?" Yes, there are culturally and physically offensive otaku. However, to judge ANYONE who identifies as otaku as that is sad. It's like saying the punk rock fan must want to just go start trouble and bash in a few heads, never mind most punk fans aren't violent.
It's sad that people are so judgmental and yes, bigoted (what else do you call hating on someone since they can't make the distinction between stereotype and reality?) but I think we need to get over this idea that non-Japanese otaku are weeaboo and immature, and the only way to be "good" or "cool" or "mature" is to be American/European in every sense of the word.
For example, Yoshiki *has* accomplished a lot more in his life than Toby Keith, has a lot more (varied) talent, and can evoke a much wider range of emotion in his music than anger, patriotism, blind patriotism, and militant patriotism. Yet somehow liking Yoshiki makes me less mature than liking Toby Keith? Fuck that.
As another example: when was the last time an American fiction writer took something that could have been simply played for a forgettable straight action shoot-em-up comic and almost seamlessly weaved character depth and development even for the "bad people," (and were some really bad?) philosophical and sociological debate, exploration of male/male sexuality and relationships, and more into it? And yet I'm supposed to not like this just since the writer happened to be Japanese and wait for an American writer to attempt it?
Yes, there's a lot of crappy product in Japanese pop culture, and a lot of crappy fans. There's also a fair share of diamonds in the rough and a lot of fans who are a lot more fun to be around than judgmental assholes who can't live without harshing someone else's squee.
/rant
39: NOZOMUUU!!!!! He's so a Japanese House.