(05-22-2014, 03:45 AM)Grungie Wrote: [ -> ]Yeah, I really hate the internet's perception of Japan, but this kind of shit comes out that really doesn't help my cause.
I honestly find this sort of thing to be really offensive. I don't deal with 'weaboos' in real life too much. A recent example of unjust perceptions involves a kid I know who is going on a mission to Samoa. Everyone's response was 'you better stay in the safe area or you will get shot', even though the murder rate is 1/4 of that of the US, it is not as poor as people think (even if it's not rich), and the local culture is way different than the usual perception (it's like they just heard 'Samoa' and thought 'I don't know where that is so I'm going to assume it's a 'third world shit hole').
Quote:I think it's only similar to bronies in the West, this type of stuff works differently in Japan.
It's catered towards otakus, which in the West is a term for people who are big anime/manga fans, but is a pejorative term in Japan and means anyone with overly obsessive interests, and applies to any interest. So there are idol groups specifically targeted at grown men for the sole purpose for them to obsess over the singers.
If you think how they capitalize pop stars in the US is bad, you haven't seen how Japan does it, cuz they take it up to 11. Their obsession with the idol singers are taken to another level, and they create fanclubs who go to the concerts and literally are a cheer squad for the idol singers.
That's basically what I was implying- that Baby Metal was created just for people to obsess over. I didn't want to outright say it because it's not like I'm well versed on this subject.
On a side note, I don't mind US pop stars (and I'm assuming many Japanese pop stars). For example, Beyonce feels like a legitimate musician to me, even if the marketing and sex appeal and all that is commercialised. Pop music is a mix of authenticity and mass marketing, it's just groups like Baby Metal and similar groups come off as being almost completely commercialised.
Quote:Another aspect of them overly obsessing over the singers, is how they force idol singers to keep a pure image and not have boyfriends, so the men can feel even more attacked for their "love" of the singer. It gets so bad that I remember the voice actor/singer Aya Hirano got fired from her studio because of a "sex scandal" because she slept with all of her band members, and her fanboys literally destroyed all of her merchandise that they owned. They even destroyed the manga and shit that the shows she's acted in were based off of, despite her having nothing to do with them. [quote]
Wow that's stupid. I think I remember you mentioning this before, though not the part about burning all of the manga.
[quote]In the West, it's pretty much like what I'm assuming you're thinking about bronies, where there's people more into the shock factor of being a brony, or being into the brony culture than liking the show. So with weaboos, they're more into the goofy romanticized internet version of Japan rather than actual Japan. Which I always find it entertaining when I see people have a harsh reality check when they go there and find out that a lot of Japanese people find some of this shit just as annoying as Westerners do.
I was thinking about that with bronies, though I was trying to draw a comparison between the different motives in the fanbases, just a universal statement on how people confirm to stereotypes, whether it be for shock factor, mass marketing, societal pressures, etc.
A good example of this is what I see in my area as an American in a 'red state'. At my school (one last high school rant ololololo) it's become the cool thing to fly confederate flags, only listen to country music, etc. It started with one kid who just one day decided to wear cowboy hats, obnoxious belt buckles, confederate flag shirts, and cowboy boots. Than many people started doing it. At my ceremony last night there were six confederate flags flying, and the local media has described my school as a school that's 'going country'. It's like people here that and say, 'I guess I should do that too lol'.
Of course, country music is associated with conservatism which is associated with racism, so that racism and 'white rights' incident at my school propelled all of this. People- not just in my silly high school, but throughout the area- will confirm to this image, and use their 'I'm a country boy' card to justify racism and such as if they are a religious person defending fasting because it's part of their belief system.
I've noticed people go from hating country music to suddenly 'loving' it, which I have seen in my family as well. It's a genre built on mass 'socialisation'. All I can say to that is, "If you genuinely like it, you don't have to be racist, confirm to an artificial 'redneck' persona, or develop weird idolisations for country singers."
Unrelated, but I think you get my point about confirming to stereotypes.
To end this, I don't know how this image of Japan even exists. When I think of Japan those aren't the first images that come to my mind. I understand how that image exists, just not why. A country is not defined by it's cartoons.