A question for those of you of japanese heritage
 

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?

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.

Have you been to Japan?

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..

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

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: If you act like one, they will. If you don't, they won't. :)

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!;)

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.

Perhaps through constant exposure?

Ugh.. that is hardly a dictionary term with an agreed upon definition. It's a derogatory term (that I've only heard in America) and can be aimed at anyone who has a slight interest in Japan.

I ceased to use such terms like Weaboo and Wapanese (I have used such terms on this site before) when I discovered that the definition I gave it is not the way it is commonly used. Typically, the people who use these terms are ignorant white people that believe (either consciously or sub-consciously) that Western culture is superior to Japanese culture.

thank you all for the feedback it's really helping me :3

just some more loose ends to tie up:

taking into consideration that i have never lived in japan or even been there, i still think i have a good idea of the culture. I didn't get my information from anime or manga as i am not really that into either of them. We have to research soooo much about japan in the class at school. Plus, my japanese friends' parents were almost all born in japan, and -most- of them are cool about me coming over and learning about them. (in return i've had my friend sakurako -who went back to japan :'(- over to my house for gnocchi many times lol)

also, although i have considered living in japan many times, it is not my dream. i have big hopes for myself, and i think i need to get some of those things sorted out before i make any huuuge decisions on that. but my answer now is hell yeah to any possible vacations there ^_^

once again, thank you guys for your helpppp

Urban Dictionary: weeaboo

I think you'll find it has very little to do with cultural imperialism. Also, it has nothing to do with white people; I wonder why you would make a comment like that? Why "ignorant white people"? I should warn you that that comment sounds pretty off-color.

I feel RKitagawa's definition is pretty spot on. Though I fear they've run into far too many a screaming fanboy/girl, and as such have my sympathies ;)

From the OP's last post, I think it's pretty clear that this is not the case and we have a genuine case of cultural interest. I think it isn't difficult to grasp why so many would be skeptical on this board of such a thing existing, no?

OP: Do your thang and don't worry about what the natives feel! You seem to have your head screwed on tight and your heart in the right place, so who would you possibly be hurting by seeking out information and exploring your interests? There will always be the ignorant and the racist, and they're the ones you need not pay any heed! :D

Also I want to point out to you that you aren't a gaijin. In your case, your Japanese friends and their families are the "gaijin", being as how they are the foreigners in this situation. As you probably know, "gaijin" is a contraction of "gaikokujin", which means "foreign person". It's more often than not a derogatory term, and much like the term "otaku", it's not advisable to brand yourself as one. :)

The etymology of weeaboo is merely a tongue-in-cheek reference to something extremely obscure from a dark-humorous webcomic entry. It's not really a serious word.

*brings my spanking paddle*

You do realise that urban dictionary is not actually a dictionary.

But whatever... perhaps I'm wrong about the definition of Weeabo. Wapanese is still definitely offensive though and implies that there is something inferior about Japan which makes associating with it something to be derided. (I believe this term stems from the word Wigger which is a derogatory term for a white person who associates with closely with black people.)

And by "ignorant white people" I meant particular white people whom happen to be ignorant.. I didn't mean that all white people were ignorant. And the reason I said it because Wapanese and other taunts which are directed at people with an interest in Japan tend to come from white people in my experience... of course you are correct in pointing out that it does not necessarily mean that such behaviour is limited to white people.

That's the first time I hear something like that. It really depends on the person who uses it, and ignorance does play it's part here. But the same thing can be said about any term used today. As it becomes popular people just throw it at anyone without bothering to check what it really means, thus why such problems occur.
I, personally use it at people who see Japan as some kind of wonderland, but don't really know anything about it except anime, J-Rock and manga, and it has got nothing to do with Western culture being superior.

No. I appreciate Japan as more of a novelty feeling. It seems to be a very strange place and the people just seem so insecure which makes it one very unique part of the world.

To be honest, It's not my ideal place to raise a child and I feel sorry for any child raised in the country.

A main reason for my recent divorce was because of the fact that I refused to live and raise my child within.

I just did not need to take on unforeseen possiblities and circumstances.

As a single guy, I could thoroughly enjoy it as the girls are just so inviting for a friends with benefit type scenario;)

Well the term Wapanese I believe stems from the word Wigger. So I can't imagine it's original meaning being much different.

Weabo it seems I might be wrong about.. though one definition in the urban dictionary link did say that it stemmed from the word Wapanese being filtered on a particular website....

I don't understand how does calling somebody who has a very unhealthy obsession with Japan a Wapanese is making it look inferior to the Western culture.

It's not... but that's not the only understood definition for Wapanese.

Well, I just checked the Urban Dictionary and all the definitions seem pretty much the same, so it leaves me to ask you what other definition does it have?

Well first of all the urban dictionary is not really a dictionary.

Furthermore what constitutes an unhealthy obsession?

For some people it could be simply an interest in Japan or an appreciation of Japanese culture or an aspect of it.

Sure it is. A culture defines the words it uses. Just because it isn't in print doesn't make it invalid. Urban Dictionary is very much a cultural vocabulary resource.

I think that being on JF for as long as you have been, you'd be able to discern that for yourself.

No, those aren't unhealthy obsessions. Those are qualities of someone genuinely interested and respectful of the culture. Those with unhealthy obsessions are the ones who are labelled as weaboos.

Personally, I think talking about the word "wapanese" is a moot point. First off, I have hardly ever even heard it. "Weaboo" is the most popularly used.
Second, it comes from the same etymological idea as "wigger", but the two are certainly not the same.
Third, none of these words have anything whatsoever to do with cultural superiority or inferiority, they merely point out that someone is trying to be something they aren't with an unrealistic image of a culture they've idealized beyond recognition.

"wapanese" has a racial connotation. "Weaboo" does not.

Sure it is and GTJ nicely explains why. But if you know a better and more accurate online dictionary, then please tell us.

I never thought you'd need an explanation on that matter Ronin, but if you really need one, then you'll find your answers in the same Urban Dictionary.

Being obsessed and simply having an interest are two completely different things, only an ignorant fool wouldn't know the difference between the two.

Well, I hardly hear the word weeaboo. Even if the word Wapanese has a racial connotation, today it's used to describe anyone despite their color. So both words are the same (at least to me), except weeaboo was adopted and is mainly used by the 4chaners.

Technically, UrbanDictionary is a crowdsourced online dictionary with a system called evaluation measure. This is why it's a nice resource for morphologists and sociolinguists who research on internet English.

UrbanDictionary is not a true dictionary, people say? Anyway it's a great resource for some linguistics researchers.

True, true. Even though I'm a native speaker of English, there are quite a few words I come by online that I need to know the meaning of without looking like a geezer, and UrbanDictionary is where I do it! :D

I think it is time for this conversation to move back on topic.

Whatever... Wapanese is offensive to me and I've been called it before by people who only know me as much as to understand that I have an appreciation for Japanese culture.

You people are being narrow minded if you cannot see the broad spectrum as to which this word could be applied.

Basically it's like telling me that the word nigger simply means "black person" and ignoring the fact that the term carries notions of inferiority. The same is true for Wapanese (which stems from the word Wigger in which I could also make the same argument)... I asked the question what constitutes an unhealthy interest in Japanese culture and I got the response that I should know... well I don't know and I doubt that any of you could agree exactly except in the most extreme cases.

However the term is applied, the connotations are negative and the grand implication is that culture is something which one conform to, and that non-conformation to the culture you are percieved to adhere to is something to be looked down upon. I will openly backtrack from my previous statement that it necessarily implies a notion of cultural superiority... but it has the potential to and is often used by people to that effect.

Finally the urban dictionary is not a dictionary in the sense that you can quote a definitions from it and it will be a definitive one is what I meant when I said it was not a dictionary. I mean seriously...