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Nov
14
We Are Wapanese if You Don’t Please
Filed Under Race and Racism by atlasien
I didn’t know there was a name for these people until fairly recently. I’ve been encountering them for quite some time. College was practically a minefield of Wapanese. Their existence personally offends me.
Their offensiveness comes from the fact that they feel they have a special right to Japanese culture. I’m half-Japanese myself. I’ve lived in Japan and attended school there once. I have a complicated relationship with Japan, but I don’t feel I have a special right or claim to Japanese culture, and I don’t call myself Japanese. If I were to move to Japan, speak Japanese and commit myself to contributing to that culture, no matter what the obstacles, then I would claim that right. But that’s not my decision, so I don’t claim it.
I do feel a very strong sense of identity as part of the Japanese diaspora. I am a Japanese-American and one of the nikkeijin. I have a kinship to Japanese-Hawaiians, Japanese-Brazilians, Japanese-Peruvians. We have a tragic and powerful history.
Wapanese don’t care about any of that. They look at any Asian person and want to know 1) Will they discuss obscure anime with me so that I can brag about my privileged access to my Wapanese friends? 2) Will they have sex with me?
Here’s a typical conversation.
- Where are you from?
- Florida.
- No where are you REALLY from. Are you Japanese?
- Not really. My father’s Japanese.
- Do you speak Japanese?
- No.
- What’s wrong with you? Why don’t you care about your culture. I can speak Japanese (insert mangled Japanese words). Have you heard of (insert obscure anime title)?
Here’s a typical conversation with other kinds of Asian-Americans. We’ll skip ahead to after the “where are you REALLY from” part.
- Are you Japanese?
- No, I’m Chinese-American.
- Oh. Too bad.
Unlike people with a healthy interest in Japanese culture, Wapanese are arrogant, insecure fetishists. To them, Japan represents a way of propping up their ego by claiming a kind of elite insider status. They are very dangerous for Asian-Americans who have a weak sense of identity due to internalized racism. This kind of Asian-American finds social acceptance among Wapanese, but at the price of being their pet monkey. They are still extremely irritating to other Asian-Americans who are required to be around them due to work or school, and also when they have to go out of their way to avoid contact with Wapanese.
Wapanese are overwhelmingly white. It’s quite possible for them to be people of color, but only if they’re especially arrogant and ignorant individuals. For example, the average African-American with a strong interest in Japanese culture will tend to be more pragmatic and much less prone to cultural appropriation. After all, they don’t necessarily like it when white people do it to them.
Wapanese are often hated by other whites. The most popular definition of “Wapanese” on UrbanDictionary.com is very nasty and homophobic but it gives you a good idea of how they are often viewed:
Wapanese are decidedly caucasian individuals who, by means of thoroughly warped postmodern acculturation processes, have come to the decision that it is in their best interest to act as if they were denizens of the nation of Japan. The term wapanese can be accurately though of as an analog to wigger. A whitey can be classified as a Wapanese if they are in possession of two or more of the following defining traits:
1. Has an unhealthy obsession with shallow, saccharine and intellectually insulting animation shows (also refered to as anime by the nerd elite) originally tailored for young Japanese children
2. Operates under the erroneous belief that every aspect of American culture is vastly inferior to that of Japans even though 99.9% of Wapanese have never had firsthand experience of any sort with their preferred culture (in other words, theyve never set so much as one foot upon the island(s) of Japan)
3. Halfheartedly studies Japanese language and/or is a part-time practitioner of martial arts
4. Has a sword (samurai swords only, of course) collection
5. Is a Virgin
6. May be afflicted with a terminal case of yellow fever; however, they constantly fail in their quest for Japanese pootytang
7. Extreme cases may traipse around whilst wearing a costume that makes them resemble their favorite anime characters (this practice is reffered to as cosplay; cross-dressing and raging homosexuality is not an uncommon component of cosplay.Interestingly, Wapanese are generally though of as failures and rejects within their own culture. Social scientists such as myself speculate that it was their failure to gain acceptance within their own culture than has lead many a white geek to seek out Japans culture as a surrogate; however, theyd be shattered to know that the insular and somewhat racist Japanese society would be even less accepting of them than the people of their true and native culture.
Here are some Wapanese in their own words. This sad image is from a livejournal community called “Fandom secret”. Based on the Post Secret model, the community puts up anonymous “postcard” confessions.
Unfortunately, Wapanese infest online forums and make it hard for Asian-Americans to talk to each other about serious issues. Here’s a post on japanforum.com responding to the question, “Are you Wapanese?”
well, after viewing that, i’m still kinda saying yes. but i so totally understand the wigger comparison. but i don’t try to be Japanese. i understand that i am white (french, british, and lebanese, to be exact). i am just a big fan of the japanese culture. and kids at my school who are Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, or any other Asian ethnicity, they dont’ really embrace their culture. and i’ve never understood that. ever since i can remember, since i was like 4, i’ve been obsessed with Japanese culture. but i guess they’re just like me…only opposite.
Ah, the offensiveness. She believes Asian-Americans can’t really be “American”, they can only ape white culture. They should stick to just being Asians… but hey, white people can be even better Asians than Asians are.
I consider myself 100% American. In fact, I have ancestors who were here 400 years ago, which gives me a claim just as good as any non-Native American. But if they were only here 40 years ago, I would still be 100% American.
The Wapanese model of ethnic identity places white American people at the center of the universe (of course). All culture is theirs to sample. The Japanese culture is an especially tasty morsel.
I’ve successfully avoided most contact with Wapanese, but I had to pay a price for that. In college, I stayed away from any kind of Asian student union or Japanese club. If I was a stronger person I could have done it, but I felt like I just couldn’t stand to be insulted by the people I would inevitably run into there.
When I learned Spanish and became a student of Mexican culture, my experiences with Wapanese made me overly cautious about falling into a pattern of acting like an appropriator. In the U.S., I never speak Spanish in front of a Latino just in case I make them feel bad if I happen to know more Spanish than they do. They have to totally initiate it first, or else I’m just too nervous.
And even now, I occasionally run into Wapanese who think my interest in Mexican culture is bizarre and deeply inauthentic to my truest, noblest Japanese-ness, which they want to inspire me to recover. Argh!
(p.s. luckyfatima’s comment earlier today touched on some of these issues)
Comments
79 Responses to “We Are Wapanese if You Don’t Please”
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Has anyone studied or read anything about why white people are so prone to cultural appropriation? Is it merely the ‘arrogance of being white?’ Do they somehow feel deprived of a culture of their own since Europeans assimilated into the ‘melting pot?’
I’ve never really understood the ‘anime’ craze, and Gwen Stefani and her ‘harajuku(sp) girls,’ make me seriously want to slap somebody, and I’m not Japanese.
I’m a romance novelist and there’s an author named J.R. Ward that has a series about these 400 year old vampires. Now these vampires are white, yet they frequent hip-hop clubs, drive spinners and speak AAVE. They even have non-standardized spellings of their names. Interestingly enough, there are no black people in these books, even though these guys frequent hip-hop clubs. When questioned about this bit of cultural appropriation Ward claims that her vampires aren’t ‘white, they don’t have a race. This series is EXTREMELY popular with white romance readers, yet most of them wouldn’t be caught dead reading a romance with actual black people in it. They claim it would be too ‘different.’
St. Patrick’s Day.
’nuff said
People just like this exist in droves around my school, and I’ve seen situations just like the rubric you described more than first-hand.
Once, my boyfriend and I were shopping in Suncoast, when he answers the phone, speaking in Japanese to a relative that preferred the language. It was amazing how many heads turned and how many random people approached, asking “Are you Japanese? What is Tokyo like? Do you watch BLEACH/Naruto/Other Random Anime? Do you listen to [Insert J-Rock/J-Pop Artist here]?”
Many were actually offended when he admitted anime wasn’t an interest of his and he preferred hip hop and other genres to some of the artists they listed. (and yes, offended. someone muttered how “unJapanese” he was.)
To me, what gets extremely insulting is the sense of entitlement people seem to take when meeting him, and the serious offense they seem to take when he isn’t to their stereotypical expectations.
sounds like madonna with a hint of angelina jolie - sprinkled over a bed of britney. eewwwww and yucky!!
Roslyn:
That’s very interesting. Not surprising - just one more manifestation of a unified cultural theme which is on display in the US, Europe and wherever else “whites” find themselves being “white.”
I suppose it’s possible for vampires to not have a “race” since its a social construct - much like a “romance novel.” Maybe they’re just really pale.
Not to over-intellectualize this, but after taking a quick tour around Wiki, I imagine that Mrs. Ward is a bit of Waspy woman with a wild side (where have I heard that before??) who got really bored with her set. She’s probably a regular participant in a Mandingo Club or something substantially the same. This work allows her the opportunity to do LOTS of research in hot sticky clubs full of BAD BOYZ (dressed in skin tone Black) while getting paid - and she gets to provide a fantasy for her women friends - and even some inspiration for road trips. It’s all very, very derivative. Just think of Madonna’a Like a Prayer video meets Blade.
I think is pretty straightforward. There doesn’t appear to be much to this than meets the eye. You’ll note the complete divergence between her work under two names…as different as Black and white. Probably has some field research lined up for the Meat Packing District this weekend.
(that’s where many trendy clubs are in NYC - it’s not a crude reference - or maybe it still is.)
You’re not seriously going to use Wapanese as an acceptable term, are you? (I kept waiting for you to distance yourself from it, but you didn’t; or did I miss it?)
First of all, it sounds like some bizarre offensive reference to Italo-hapas to me. And second, there’s an older term for this: orientalists. These new-comers just have a particular pop-culture bent on a pretty old theme. I prefer this term as it refers to an ideology and approach to a question, rather than some essentialized identities. I’ve learned those are bad.
I believe the term refers to either “Wannabe Japanese” or “White Japanese”, so I’m not aware of any slur that’s supposed to be contained in it.
I also don’t think calling them orientalists is particularly useful. Orientalist implies a serious (albeit racist) scholar. It’s too respectful.
Why do you think I essentialized Wapanese though? They make themselves. The mechanism is not too obscure. It’s a combination with 1) dissatisfaction with one’s current identity 2) unquestioned attitude of entitlement when it comes to appropriation 3) cultural stereotypes about Japan and Asia in general.
I’m not even Japanese but lived there for a number of years, am fluent in Japanese, practice Kendo, and study Noh to name a few things. I have a deep love and respect for a culture and country that I have spent some of my life in and am conscious of the issues of appropriation. It never ceases to amaze me the bizarre questions and fanboys and girls I get because I have lived and worked there. I think the worst is the strange stereotypical questions I get or when people attempt to use their badly pronounced Japanese on me that they learned from anime.
Anyway, I don’t have much to say but that it’s amazing how this has infiltrated into American society, especially with certain demographics. Great post.
On the term wapanese, if we have a problem with the term whigger then the same should go for the aforementioned even if we find validity in the descriptions. I don’t think you can get much better than using otaku, the term these types approporiated without really understanding its origins, then comically tried to “reclaim” it. Otaku at least refers to a state of mind rather than ethnicity.
Rachel posted links to my discussion on appropriation in general and otaku in particular on this blog in the past. Only thing I might add to that is a lot of the stuff they do is typical disaffected teen behavior, it’s only that it cross cuts some sticky cultural conundrums (today’s wordly wise word is alliteration). Can they be annoying? H*** yeah. Most are relatively innocuous.
Atl,
I guess I should have been more clear. First, I probably should have said that I think the post does comment on some interesting questions of appropriation and and essentialism. My problem is with the implicit endorsement of the term wapanese, with either of the etymologies you offer, though if it’s a calque of “wigger,” it’s from “white japanese,” right?
With the “wannabe Japanese,” that’s just not exactly accurate. Rather, they would want to consume Japanese-ness. Maybe “wanna-see Japanese” would be more accurate, but that sounds funny to me.
With “white Japanese,” it makes it seem that the problem is that they *are* white, rather than how they approach their whiteness and the question of difference. I actually think that they are a lot like the classical 19-century Orientalist–often a hobbyist, intent on demonstrating how their consumption of the East makes them more refined, and unaware of issues of entitlement, much less the effect of that good, old well-documented “gaze.”
Surely, they are more interested in pop culture, and perhaps not publishing in obscure journals like their predecessors, but it’s the 21st century.
Anyway, my problem, to be clear, is not with your diagnosis of the phenomenon, but rather the term. I also read the term to have the same problem as “wigger,” that it’s a intra-ethnic slur among “crackers” (an inter-ethnic slur to refer to racists) because those folks are being inauthentically white. If you catch my drift.
OK, I understand and respect your problems with the term. I will agree I have problems with the word “wigger” and wouldn’t use the word myself, although I quoted that definition where it was used. I don’t judge white teenagers going through identity crises, and I think anyone learning about other cultures and languages is great. But when they do it in such an ignorant way, they cause a lot of harm. Also, I do actually think they want to “be” Japanese. Many of them take Japanese names and engage in elaborate roleplaying where they pretend to be Japanese. Of course, their idea of “being Japanese” is a complete fantasy.
G.M., Otaku is an applicable term, but it’s not that known unless the person already knows something about Japanese pop culture. Also, I think their level of damage is variable. To other white people, many people of color, and to Japanese nationals, at worst, they’re a nuisance. To Asian-Americans who grew up in the minority, Wapanese are in the vanguard of the armada of messages that we’re objects for the enjoyment of white people, we need to measure up to the right standard of Asian-ness or else we’re worthless… they really screw with our self-esteem. The absolute worst I could say about them doesn’t even come close to the rudeness and disrespectfulness they show to Asian-Americans. And there are so damn many of them!
Hey Atlasien -
Great post. I never heard this term before, but I see where it comes from. I have heard the people you discuss in your post self-identify as “eggs” though. That is more than a little bothersome.
G.M. - I see that a lot with the teens as well, but a lot of those teens grow into adults as well with those same ignorant ass mindsets. I feel Atlasian on this one - if you are already struggling with your identity, the LAST thing you want is someone else trying to smash you into some little ass box of their own making. And yes, some of them are quite persistent about these views. (Some of those same people wonder why the hell I’m over there - as if a black girl can’t discover anime and be interested. Luckily, this has decreased with the growing popularity of Otakudom.)
In my experience, I think a lot of people fall into the appropriation trap because they do not know how to balance cultural interests. I did a lot of dumb things when I first got into anime, without thinking it was offensive. It wasn’t until I got a Japanese penpal (or three actually) that made me wake the hell up. I think it is more harder to fetishize or otherize an entire race of people when you actually take the time to get to know some people of that background.
[Random funny/weird story - My Japanese penpal was into Korean women and American music. While he did indulge my music tastes, my incessant questions about pop culture must have amused him. He remarked numerous times that "I was more Japanese than a Japanese. "
It took a while for me to realize that wasn't exactly a compliment. (Not a diss either, but a curious comment...)
When he told me that America's obesity problem (which he read about) would be solved if Americans stopped eating potato chips, I wondered where the hell he got the idea that all Americans sat around eating chips.
Then I realized: the same place I got the idea that all Japanese people like j-pop/j-rock, j-hip-hop, anime and action movies.]
Anyway, great piece!
“To Asian-Americans who grew up in the minority, Wapanese are in the vanguard of the armada of messages that were objects for the enjoyment of white people, we need to measure up to the right standard of Asian-ness or else were worthless they really screw with our self-esteem.”
That’s interesting, I’d never thought of it from that view before, and certainly not the impact it can have on the self-esteem. I can definitely see how it can be annoying, and have experienced that myself. And the idea that you can only be ‘Asian’ by their narrow definition of Asian. Of course, that’s the bane of my existence as I constantly meet white people who are amazed that I’m so ‘articulate.’
The self-esteem issue is not something I’ve given much thought to because typically I dismiss them and move on, but I can see how someone younger and more vulnerable might be influenced and damaged by the behavior. I feel much the same way about the ‘gansterization’ of the culture and the assumption by many whites that if you’re not ‘down,’ then you’re not really black.
Very interesting post. I’ve never bumped into that term, although “wigger” has been on my radar screen for years. This desire for cultural appropriation may be akin to the sort of whole hearted commitment some people make to the goth lifestyle, gangs, sports teams or even activities like dungeons and dragons where they abnegate a culture (often white and suburban) that they perceive as bland or meaningless for one that allows them to craft a new, and often very personal identity. Could it also be related to feelings of guilt or inferiority they have regarding their own racial identity? The fact that you may find their views offensive, jejune or even comic will probalby be very slow to register as a result of their own egotism and ignorance.
Do they somehow feel deprived of a culture of their own…
1.) pipes ‘n drums
2. bocce ball 3.) rodeos 4.) NASCAR 5.) polkas 6.) Oktoberfest 7.) deer season
This is a great post - I had heard of people doing this with Japanese culture, but I’d never realized just how awful it was.
Thanks for the compliments!
Latoya, the oddest false assumption I ever heard was when some 13-year-old Japanese girls asked me if Americans really landed planes on highways. I’m still trying to figure out where they could have gotten that one from.
Also… I believe that ignorant people try to force stereotypes onto black people just as much. For example, I remember the gush of articles earlier this year where white conservatives were questioning Barack Obama’s blackness, and one radio host even called him a “Halfrican”. The difference is that these people are usually too scared to say “you’re not black enough” when actually face to face with a black person. It’s probably the one and only advantage of being stereotyped as aggressive.
I think the tendency among teenaged white children and young adults to appropriate other cultures comes from a variety of factors. One of these factors is that they are now being brainwashed in school to believe that they are worthless.
LL: Worthless? Exactly how? What I may agree to is that because Eurocentric culture and imagery continues to be the NORM, teens and young adults looking to redefine themselves or gain a new aesthetic go for anime culture as an outlet.
Not surprisingly, though, a lot of that culture idolizes Eurocentric beauty standards or at least can be appropriated as such to some degree. So there’s a degree of familiarity as well.
Then again some people just gravitate to the aesthetic aspects without the tourist/cultural appropriation that comes off as shallow and condescending.
I’m not saying this as a hater, as I have a few friends who are or have been very into anime and Japanese pop culture - but they never thought that that interest defined Japan or that they really knew the first thing about Japanese culture.
[...] We Are Wapanese if You Don’t Please - Rachels Tavern “They look at any Asian person and want to know 1) Will they discuss obscure anime with me so that I can brag about my privileged access to my Wapanese friends? 2) Will they have sex with me?” (tags: culturalappropriation asianamerican asian) [...]
atlasien,
interesting post…esp. considering that i know about a jillion people who fit into this category…though not always related to japanese, or even asian culture/history, but other groups as well as some of the commenters noted above.
i wonder though how you came to the conclusion regarding people of color not being as ardent in their appropriation of other cultures… i feel like we place the blame solely on whites here for this type of behavior, especially considering that we are all exposed to racist stereotypes in the media that sometimes fuel our race/culture-based appropriation/obsession. the assertion that just because a POC may not enjoy having their culture appropriated and therefore will be less likely to do it to others falls short because it happens all the time, especially if the culture being appropriated is seen as somewhat foreign or strikingly different from cultural practices in the US. hypocrisy, sadly, is colorblind.
I agree that teens and immature young adults tend to rebel from the NORM of American culture as a byproduct of their developmental stage. I believe that appropriation is generally one of the many annoying characteristics of teenagers and immature young adults that we have to deal with. Some people never change and go through life like that, but most usually grow up.
I also think that in many schools, and in practically all colleges, the historical accomplishments and contributions of Western society are largely ignored in favor of a hyper-amplified study of the misdeeds and weaknesses of Western culture and the accomplishments and contributions of non-Western cultures, without any critical analysis of the misdeeds and weaknesses of non-Western culture (except of course to blame any misdeeds and flaws on Western influence).
I am bracing for the over-rightoues indignation at my observations and opinions in this regard.
“I also think that in many schools, and in practically all colleges, the historical accomplishments and contributions of Western society are largely ignored in favor of a hyper-amplified study of the misdeeds and weaknesses of Western culture and the accomplishments and contributions of non-Western cultures, without any critical analysis of the misdeeds and weaknesses of non-Western culture (except of course to blame any misdeeds and flaws on Western influence).”
This is just comical to me. I just don’t even know how to respond to such a ridiculous assessment of public school curriculum.
Wendi, I came to that conclusion just through anecdotal experience. A lot of the audience for Japanese pop culture here in Atlanta is African-American, but I just don’t get nearly the same level of irritating questions and “you’re not authentic enough” judgement. The AAs who do irritate me are overwhelmingly older men who’ve been in the military and were stationed in Osaka for a few months and think I’m interested in hearing them go on and on about the beauty of Japanese women.
To possibly support my point that the relatively few non-white Wapanese are especially awful individuals, I give you… davecat, the Necrojapanophile.
Wow, I wonder what schools you went to LL. Most of the ones I attended rarely talked about other cultures at all. And taught American history that was essentially bullshit.
I think these young people jump on whatever’s edgy or seems cool or fashionable. After Braveheart, everybody and their daddy wore kilts for weddings and such. I even saw one at a Jewish wedding. After Dances With Wolves, everybody was Native American, etc…
Unfortunately, this appropriation creates a mindset that there’s only one ‘Japanes culture’ or ‘black culture’ and it’s the one that’s in the popular media. Obviously that’s not true, but sometimes even the members of the group absorb this message to their detriment. Which is why you have black kids thinking that speaking standard English is ‘white.’
Ye gods!
I read a manga called Doll (http://www.tokyopop.com/shop/1277/DollSoftcover/1.html) and it has always freaked me out on a psychological level. The things people do to defile or take their aggression out on these dolls made the hair on my neck stand up - and that was when I thought it was speculative fiction.
I read that Salon article - now I am doubly freaked out to find out this mess is real. (The stuff on page four is cringe inducing.)
Atlasien: your last comment about the audience in Atlanta vs. the actual anime crowd reminds me of my convention experiences, including Dragoncon in Atlanta. I’ve been to different cons - some general sci-fi/fantasy/SCA/all things under the sun(s), some very specific to comic books or anime. The audience, like the sci-fi/fantasy genre itself, is overwhelmingly white, and that is reflected in artwork, images, etc. The few POC artists, writers, actors, fans, etc. either embrace ethnic stereotypes (hey, they gotta eat), or constantly fight and rail against the sheer stupidity of those who believe them.
And of course this pattern of appropriation and straight-jacketing cultures was at work long before the rise of mass or popular media. It’s deeper and older than the advent of national papers, radio or television.
Conversely, the phenomenon of “black kids thinking that speaking standard English is ‘white’” is more recent - and is frequently miscast. The criticism of SPEAKERS of Standard English by Black youth isn’t so much about their WORD CHOICE (after all, these are the same children who revere internationally renowned speakers of the language like Malcolm X and others)…it’s about their STYLING or Representation of the words and their TONE. Language is culturally loaded and dynamic - it’s not the actual words that people hear…we know this does apply merely to children.
We HEAR style and tone…and it is the style and tone of some Black speakers of standard english which is rejected. Often times our youth are not capable of expressing the fullness of that. Still, they clearly value wordsmithing and lyrical dexterity in their music. And they certainly value the rules of AAVE. It is not the mere use of proper English grammar or clear diction to which our youth take exception or become oppositional. They’re smarter than that.
We know they’re smarter than this because they’ve always intuitively rejected that poser who hails from a non-black community who seeks to endear him/herself by using AAVE or Ebony Phonetics while demonstrating a blatant disregard for its internal coherence and rules.
“My man, what be happening with you today?”
Now that is speaking “white.”
Oh Temple3, I went to grade school with upper class white boys who talked in late 1980s ebonics, and then laughed their heads off… It definitely wasn’t tribute or cultural appropriation, except in the “ooh, I’m doing something naughty or bad” way, but yeah…
>this pattern of appropriation and straight-jacketing cultures was at work long before the rise of mass or popular media. Its deeper and older than the advent of national papers, radio or television.
True, but I think with modern media and the universality of the instant fad and 15 second soundbyte, the appropriation is quicker, requires much less effort, and therefore results in much more misunderstanding and misinterpretation.
Fine, the styles and tones of standard English are considered ‘white.’ I’m not sure how that’s any different from what I said. Standard English has styles and tones, as does AAVE. The assumption is that if speaking Standard English is ‘white,’ regardless of whether it’s the language itself or the styles and tones, it’s still considered white.
To possibly support my point that the relatively few non-white Wapanese are especially awful individuals, I give you davecat, the Necrojapanophile.
These are the kinds of stories that piss me off to no end. Not because of the content, but because of how it just keeps adding to certain perceptions that end up contributing to the kinds of attitudes this post purposes to fight. Wacky Japan, Wacky Japanese and the Wacky people who love them, especially “anime” (which we all know is just cartoon porn for pervs).
This “Davecat”s interest in Japan has naught to do with him being a sad guy who has a doll for a lover. Why paint it that way when the article doesn’t?
I was actually pointing to the doll-thing more to support my theory that he was an awful person. All the same, I don’t think there’s zero connection between his Japanophilia and the necrophilia. There’s a lot of fetishizing of super-passive, schoolgirlish Asian women in anime fandom and in pornography, and the two realms definitely intersect at times.
And I definitely don’t mean to say that everyone who likes anime is a racist, sexist perv. Just SOME of them.
I get irritated by “wacky Japan” stories as well. I’ve also found it’s easier to answer questions about Japan from someone who knows absolutely nothing, than from someone who thinks they know a lot based on those kinds of stories.
Necrophilia? I got the pedophilia, but I totally missed that aspect. I remember an article I read a while back whereas a Japanese woman (in Japan) was saying that just once she’d like to meet a Japanese guy that didn’t want her to shave her pubes. Isn’t it interesting how each country (culture) seems to have their own kink on the sexuality thing? Presumably all kinks are equally distributed throughout any given population, but it seems that we associate certain sex acts with countries. Like Germans and scat, for example.
Um, I did NOT say, I repeat, ABSOLUTELY did not say that the Japanese were into necrophilia. I was referring to the “davecat” from the Salon article I linked.
“especially ‘anime’ (which we all know is just cartoon porn for pervs).”
Are you saying all anime in Japan is porn for pervs? I’d have to disagree with you there. Some of the most popular shows are Sazae-san and Doraemon, definitely not porn.
On another note, I hate “wacky Japan” stories too.
There’s some amazingly beautiful and DEFINITELY non-porn art anime films out there, FYI. I don’t really watch anime much, but when I do I’m likely to watch things like princess mononoke. (If you don’t believe me and think that’s porn, look here
http://www.animecritic.com/mononoke/anr-mononoke.html
I don’t know the terms well enough, but I think that porn anime is called “hentai” (i may be wrong…?)
The obvious reason is that many definitions of CA don’t allow it for non-white people.
In fact, I don’t think I’ve EVER read a definition of cultural appropriation that would allow someone like me to claim, in theory, that someone else was CA’ing my culture. Either folks would deny that I had “my own” culture, or deny that it was possible to CA, or…
The question, rhetorical though it may be, exposes sort of a major semantics problem.
Oh really… where I live, ethnicities and subgroups among white people certainly have a sense of their own culture and often resist it being appropriated quite strongly.
Sometimes they don’t resist it strongly enough. I’m reminded of George Bush’s manipulative impression of rural Southerner, which I’m amazed more of them don’t see through.
Of course Doraemon is for perverts… Nobita is always walking in on Shizuka naked in the bath.! Just kidding, I love Doraemon.
Daomadan, follow the tone of sarcasm in the sentence. Back when interest in Japanese animation was considered cultish, many people held this perception and it probably continues in some quarters.
Atl
you mean pedophilia or necrophilia?
I think the infantalization aspects of “anime” are overblown and sensationalized to the point of stupification. It’s a small subset of a subset of fans (both here and in Japan). However, youth worship as it relates to sexuality is something that plague nearly all cultures.
FYI, I’ve been writing on Japanese film and animation for years.
Roslyn:
I hope you don’t feel I’m getting on your case. Far from it.
Anyway, you wrote:
“Fine, the styles and tones of standard English are considered white. Im not sure how thats any different from what I said. Standard English has styles and tones, as does AAVE. The assumption is that if speaking Standard English is white, regardless of whether its the language itself or the styles and tones, its still considered white.”
- It’s not the words. If it were the words, our babies would be really, really twystyd over the fact the Ludacris has infinitely more verbal dexterity and a larger vocabulary than the Prezedint of the You-knighted States. They ain’t twisted. They get it. It’s the adults who don’t get it.
From the standpoint of someone who battles in the field of education, the difference could be enormous. One the one side is an argument which suggests Black children are anti-intellectual and resistant to quality instruction. That argument is actually framed all the time amidst compelling research which says Black children sit in front of the least educated, least experienced teachers in the entire United States AND the research states that TEACHER QUALITY is the best (not 2nd best) predictor of academic achievement.
On the other side of the argument is the view that maybe Black children value cultural grounding and educational rigor - and shouldn’t have to sacrifice either in their efforts to be actualized in public institutions under the control of adults who purport to love them.
In any event - I think what I hear you saying is that Black kids link all aspects of Standard English with whiteness (words/tone/style) - nothing more nothing less - you’re not placing a value judgment on it or suggesting it has any implications for teaching, learning or living…fair enough.
I took it to another level because I work in education and have seen a similar argument used by policy people and researchers to justify wrong-headed practices which address symptoms rather than root causes. Next time, I’ll keep it simple or only on a relevant thread.
atlasien: “cultural appropriation” is sort of a term of art on this blog, and I understood it to be used in that fashion in the phrase I quoted. And in that context, I don’t think that your examples would be called CA. But that’s just me.
[...] We Are Wapanese if You Don’t Please : Rachel?s Tavern “Unlike people with a healthy interest in Japanese culture, Wapanese are arrogant, insecure fetishists. To them, Japan represents a way of propping up their ego by claiming a kind of elite insider status.” race/ethnicity japan anime whiteness fetishes exotification us culture asian_american [...]
Excellent, well written article. I think you hit a very important point a social phenomena I do not think pretty much anyone expected. The day when being of European descent was not the epitome of life.
I think on one hand it shows how far the world has come, but on the other hand it is dangerous. Because as you point out, this “affection” for another culture often is based on a subtle racism. Elevating a culture , nation, or race to near superiority over all humanity is not healthy.
I suspect that many of the people who act this way are unaware of her/his own self worth and seek to find a means to stand out in a world where they are often unnoticed.
Adapting Japanese culture gives them a socializing “edge” since many people in America are uneducated about Japanese culture. Having this so-called “inside knowledge” makes them feel special. But not at the expense of millions of people.
I don’t know whether to be disturbed or amused that I officially count as “wapanese” due to watching anime and cosplaying.
It is a tricky thing, to appreciate a foreign culture without becoming creepy about it or hurting other people, and I think being raised white makes it even more difficult. There is a history - a mold - of cultural appropriation which is repeated as a pattern over and over again. One of the more heinous examples, I think, is the newage appropriation of beliefs from various Native American tribes; I am always disturbed when someone tells me something is “Native American,” but then can’t name the tribe. 8/
At the same time, I think interest in other cultures is ultimately a good (I know you haven’t said otherwise) and this is obviously self-interest since you will have to pry my manga from my cold, dead fingers. A life without Ghost in the Shell is just not a life worth living. And I can’t help but think how much poorer my life would be without rap, hip hop, and spoken word poetry - all of which is not even remotely European or white American.
On the other hand, seeing a bunch of middle aged white people exclaiming over a peace pipe and talking about their totem animals, usually wolf or panther, has a tendency to make me want to beat them about the head and shoulders. And remembering how European colonialists walked into other countries, robbed the dead of their gravegoods, and walked off with all the prettiest stuff so they can put it in museums… well, it makes me wish for the thousandth time I didn’t have to call myself white. 8(
Deoridhe - Why do you feel responsible for what other white people do?
Mike: I don’t.
I also don’t consider myself white and haven’t for over a decade. IMO, ‘white’ is not a race, ethnicity, or cultural indicator; it’s an opt-in club for superiority. I still am privileged because my skin is pale, my hair is light, and my eyes are blue (among other things), though, so I make sure to include the term self-referentially, particularly when discussing racism - hence the phrase “have to call myself white”.
what rubbish…
i love and adore Japanese culture, food , film,
i come from a family of mixed race african and caucation,
why cant a white guy or any one for that matter try to sleep with a japanese girl or be interested in tv shows..
your as bad as white racists
I’m also Asian, Filipino specifically..but I don’t really think that Japanese culture is better than my own culture..Never in my life did I think that my culture is lower than others so I will adapt theirs.
Joy: That’s a good thing, and noone is saying one culture is superior to another…
When a group of people with no connections to a culture suddenly appropriate a superficial version of another one, it smacks of exoticism and exploitation. Filipinos get lumped into the “Asian” category, for many non-Asians, and are therefore subject to the same toxic stereotypes as other Asian ethnicities. Because of Japan’s economic and political ties to the US, it may seem more accessible to some people in the US (of course the Phillipines have that link too, but it’s definitely not as visible).
Nomad Troll: Reading is not your forte, is it?
> love and adore Japanese culture, food , film,
Nothing wrong with that. Duh.
>i come from a family of mixed race african and caucation,
Are you deliberately misspelling Caucasian because of the topic?
And don’t play the “my family’s a minority so I have authority” card. My family is African-American, European-American (caucasian), and Puerto Rican (I’m the first 2). Lots of commentators here can say they’re minorities, from mixed race families, or just people with a clue. Mere mention of your background doesn’t get you a pass one way or the other.
>why cant a white guy or any one for that matter try to sleep with a japanese girl or be interested in tv shows..
Wow, So sleeping with a WOMAN (or rather tellingly, trying to) is equivalent with WATCHING A TV SHOW?
And if you’re only interested in sleeping with someone because of their ETHNICITY, that’s not racist at all?
>your as bad as white racists
Right. Aren’t you missing a Stormfront meeting?
Gosh, I hate Wapanese…
Another thing, I’ve loved ASIAN culture since I was about 4. I didn’t get into Japanese because of anime. Personally I don’t like anime very much at all. I’ve been called Wapanese on more than one occasion, but personally I don’t like Japan any more than I do Taiwan or South Korea, and vice versa. I love them all the same. These people really don’t understand much about Japan, they assume what they see in anime is true about Japan. Personally I haven’t been to Japan, but I might be going this summer to study.
Isn’t one of the theories about the origins of geisha makeup, that they were trying to look like (exotic/sensual/quaint/whatever) westerners?
My favourite cultural/ethnic definition: “An Arab is whoever speaks Arabic, wishes to be an Arab and calls himself an Arab.” - Sati Husri.
Just for the sake of truth here, there have been orientalists who weren’t racists.
Atlasien, I may be hopelessly brassy but I think your Spanish might be more inspiring than upsetting.
This was an excellent article. You get a lot of the wapanese in Finland, too. About three or four names popped into my mind right away.
I’m living in Japan right now, actually, and I’ve never heard of “Wapanese,” but we use the Japanese word “Otaku” for the exact same thing. It’s really unfortunate, I think, that such a subculture exists, and Wapanese are the people that make me wish I’d learned German or Spanish or any language other than Japanese. Here, because of Wapanese, the Japanese often assume you have come for anime and women. Those of us who didn’t are in a hurt way.
I agree with Eric about having assumptions about “our purpose” in Japan/Korea/China etc. I don’t know how many times I’m asked, “Do you plan to marry a [insert ethnicity] woman?” Just because I study the culture (I am an anthropological linguist… or will be once I get my PhD (working on the MA now)) does not mean I am here for the women.
I had the opportunity to discuss with one of my Japanese friends, or rather at the time an acquaintance I met through another friend, why people in America like Japan. He had spent a year studying abroad in America in Ohio (poor him
), so he was exposed to a variety of Otaku as well as those more genuinely interested in the culture. When I discussed how I became interested in Japan and Asia (via Sesame Street (yup!), living in an area with a large Asian population, and trinkets my Dad would bring back from his business trips) he responded that he was very happy to know of my sincerity in wanting to learn about the culture. He told me he was tired of people who only try to learn about the culture via anime and, as you described, think they know what they are talking about.
I must say though, perhaps you did yourself some harm from avoiding Japanese/Asian student groups in college. I myself was very active in those groups and there were very few Otaku involved because they were indirectly driven out as they simply didn’t fit in. Of course, this would probably differ form university to university. You may have found more people who are genuinely interested in the culture and wish to learn rather than impose their so-called “knowledge” on others.
Good article, liked it but….
always a but heh!
To my mind this is just a fact of life that people develop, at some stage of their life,
1) a bizarre fascination with some factor of some other country or culture - see the number of Americans getting back in touch with their roots by returning to Africa, Ireland, Germany etc etc.
2) The feeling that in order to be appreciated they need to be different - this is classic, like people who go goth in order to be ‘different’ without realising they look the same as all the people they hang out with.
3) A neurosis about some aspect of their own life - insecurity, they need to focus on something to get out of themselves, anal-retentive.
Of course peple can also just have a basic lack of knowledge through having not read or travelled. Travel really opens your mind and most americans do not travel. I don’t blame them for this america is a looooong way away and expensive to travel from, something many euopeans don’t appreciate. Problem is that when that (totally natural) isolation is tied in with a lack of external cultural knowledge you are bound to meet people like you described above.
I’m Welsh, you wouldn’t believe the number of people who have asked me about druids or if people still speak welsh or if we have problems understanding english. I just smile and give them the facts in a polite manner. Then again, I’m older than you (42) I guess, and with NO disrespect, the older you get the more you are able to laugh about crap like that.
hehehe, my pet peeve are people who think chinese people speak chinese… it’s like saying peope from india speak indian lol
Could anyone provide some resources that explain what cultural appropriation entails and how to avoid it? Over the years, I’ve had a healthy interest in cultures besides my own (I’m pretty sure I’ve never been an otaku/”Bapanese”, however), and I’ve always been worried about how expressing this interest may affect or impinge upon the cultures and the people who were born into them.
Dana, That’s a good question. I’m going to move it to it’s own post because I think it would be a useful discussion apart from this post.
Is anyone really surprised that this happens mainly in a country with zero culture and traditions to speak of?
A rootless culture will always turn to a culture with roots to feign identity. However flawed that notion is. It will always look like, at best, a pathetic send-up.
Are you implying that mainstream American culture is “rootless”, Jason? If so, I’d have to disagree.
Jason: I wouldn’t say rootless, but rather that the dominant US culture has not really understood/dealt with those roots in a real way. Instead, we feed historical myths to ourselves which either seem to only work in childhood, or people go to extreme lengths, contrary to evidence, to support into adulthood.
Those myths would include: an “empty” continent, Pilgrims/Puritans as the “backbone” of the nation, Manifest Destiny, Wild West faux-nostaligia, treating non-European immigrants as historical blips and footnotes, trivializing/minimizing chattal slavery, treating all inventions/progress as European or European-American successes in a vaccuum, antebellum South nostalgia, 1920s nostalgia, 1950s nostalgia…
I’m a mexican american and you’re interested in the mexican culture? Nice. If you go there again, have the chance to visit the city of Morelia in Michoacan (that is, if you went there already). It’s a beautiful city. I’ll admit I have an interest in anime and their culture (I hope you don’t think badly of me for saying this) but when I was at the anime club in high school, half of the people over there were annoying, but don’t worry about me. I’m just an anime fan in general and I’m actually glad to be mexican and I have the feeling you probably debate to yourself whether to accept yourself as american/japanese, just choose both if you like. The truth is I have a bit of spaniard in me and probably italian and/or french. I don’t really learn japanese culture just by watching anime but do research whether if it’s from books or internet.
Wow, wow, and WOW. I have no idea whether to respond to the original post or to the most recent comments, either way, both are excellent! This is overall a great topic and discussion.
Sadly, I have to admit my interest in Japan and it’s culture did start with anime and J-rock, (and late Jr. High - Soph/Jr. year in HS, I suppose I was considered a Japanophile/Weeaboo or close to it, and yes, even had the brief thought of “Some day I’m going to Japan and I’ll find a Gackt look-a-like and marry him 8D!”, again it was very brief, thank God), but of course that was back in my early adolescence, and though irritating as that group of people are (esp. teens), this fascination is usually just a phase, that, hopefully, kids will in time grow out of.
Of course to this day I still hold a great fascination with Japanese culture (and some pop culture), along with other world cultures. The Japanese way of life and history in particular just holds something very artful and at the same time, powerful (I’m not saying all of Japan is artsy-fartsy all-about-nature and epic battles. But now I’m just going off on a tangent.) In short, I think what this all breaks down to is the fact that America has simply lost it’s sense of self, and also it’s no longer enough for teens to fall into social cliques (goth, cheerleader, jock, punk, whatever), but to adopt an entirely different race/ethnicity (again, Wiggers and more recently Wapanese) just to seperate them from the rest of the crowd.
DingDong, I would have to disagree with your comment about how “..America has simply lost its sense of self…” I think that a few teenagers have lost their sense of self and that that has always been going on.
What I really wanted to comment about though is the situation over all. I think it definitely has something to do with a “melting pot mentality.” American schools teach that American culture is a culture of all culture, which is intended to open minds but apparently has backfired. Instead of creating an appreciation of diversity it has created a pick and choose, a la carte menu for social and cultural identity. To be honest I had never heard the term “wapanese” or anything related till about a half hour ago but it is interesting.
I am american and am in a serious relationship with a pretty asian girl. Sometimes we will go to the chinese buffet or something stupid like that and I will find myself thinking “..I wonder if these waiters / waitresses think I just have some outlandish fetish for asians..” which we all know is well documented among white people. (She is not japanese but perhaps you see what I’m talking about.) Anyway I think the point I’m trying to get at is that these wackos are, at the core, exercising some form of racism, although obviously not in the traditional sense. (This is exemplified in comments by jap.’s talking about white people who said they do not appreciate their own jap. culture, etc., etc.) In doing so I have to feel as if I should explain myself for dating an asian girl and eating chinese food once in a while, which is BS. I also like baseball and embrace my english heritage.
I am tired and don’t know if this made much sense but really I’m saying I just don’t give a crap about these wapenese wackos. If you think about it, we should just be happy to be able to label them “wapanese” so we may differentiate them from the rest of us (I.E.: japanese-americans, those with an interest in japanese culture, and the culturally diverse.) I think its really best just to let these do their thing and take it with a grain of salt. I mean, really, shouldn’t we just be laughing at them? I think they are pretty hilarious.
I’m white and when I’m in Asia etc., I get asked if I’m american, british, german or whatever. I don’t get offended so why do asians get so freaked out if someone asks them if they are chinese,japanese whatever? People of all races do that everywhere. Chill out.
Re: JO’s comment.
I’ve been dying to use this macro.
I’ve only recently become aware of the term “wapanese” myself, although the personality type is long known among Americans and Europeans in general. Long ago there was the belief in the “noble savage” where the “bwana”, or sympathetic white man, admired and studied the ways of the people he was obsessed with.
The ‘noble savage’s ways were seen as noble and pure and free of European industrialism and the crass commercialism. However, as the term should hint at, the ‘noble savage’ idealism was based on the fact that the European (or American) trully believed deep down inside that their culture was actually superior in all ways to that of the ’savages’, technologically, morally, and culturally. The Wapanese remind me of those 19th century Bwanas who sighed about how simple the ’savages’ live while still firmly convinced in their own culture’s superiority. You see it nowadays in the white rappers as well. They rap and want to act black but know they can simply fade back into their white lifestyle the moment the heat is on or that the ways of the ‘noble savages’ get a little old.
The post that spoke of the ‘cultural connoisseurs’ is dead on. The Wapanese are really not rejecting their own background. They are simply sighing for a simpler, ‘nobler’ lifestyle in the way they *percieve* Japanese culture: And this is the important part; the Japanese culture of the ‘noble savages’ as seen by the Wapanese has about as much to do with real Japanese culture as the Pizza!Pizza! chain’s cartoon has to do with the real Caesar.
well, this didn’t occur to me when i saw a video on youtube about wapanese peeps.
and no offense, but SERIOUSLY!!! i don’t like people who try to be “japanese” in a way. it’s stupid and your just making yourself like a “wannabe” and i’m not racist or anything but it just seems wrong to me.
i’m an asian myself and when i say asian i mean, i’m FULL. i only have one ethnicity and that’s chinese. sure, i am interested in the japanese culture and i like to use some words, but some people like go WAYYYY too far.
i didn’t read through all the comments but i read the article got the i agree that perhaps the way these people conduct themselves in front of asians in general is the offensive part but i think them liking anything japanese picking japanese names for themselves as nothing wrong i mean asians do it all the time arrive abroad pick a new name “jenny, shelly, amy, sofie…. etc…” and then more obscure names tigger, fox blah blah no one complains about this so ppl interested in japan are perfectly right picking a japanese name
secondly who says a culture belongs to a skin colour? how can u say a white person shouldn’t get involved in another culture this is the 21st century its about openmindness
i think wapanese is a racist term everyone should be allowed to behave and be interested in anything as they like some go overboard and ruin it for everyone
@ JO:
“so why do asians get so freaked out if someone asks them if they are chinese,japanese whatever?”
I think some Chinese would, but not all. Because during WW2, the Japanese invaded China, and there was the whole Nanking Massacre. But I’ve seen quite a few Chinese on the language learning site I go to, and they’re interested in Japanese language, so yeah, not all of them hate the Japanese. 0:
PS: I heard that the original Japanese word for pumpkin was changed because it sounded too much like ‘Nanking’, lol. 8DD
I’m a Brit immigrant. I notice a lot of self-loathing on the part of American upper middle class. It seems to be a combination of guilt and boredom–a need to apologize, and appropriate something seen as “better” or in some cases not better, but as penance.
You even see it in advertising–”European this, European that, fine German something, Japanese (or “Asian”) inspired,” etc.
I think that its fine to be interested in a culture. I have been called ‘wapanese’ before, but I highly disagree with those who call me this because though, yes, I am very interested in the culture, its not like I pretend to be Japanese. I’m proud of who I am, a Turkish-Mongolian-German-French-Welsh-Irish-American, I would want to be anything else. I think I have the right to like what I like. I study the Japanese language at school and it certainly helps to be interested in a subject if you’re trying to do well.All I’m saying is that people shouldn’t go all crazy about something, but they should be able to have an interest in it.
I mean wouldn’t want to be anything else!
[...] We Are Wapanese if You Don’t Please : Rachel’s Tavern (tags: race appropriation japan) [...]
i completely agreed with your entire article. i am of japanese descent also (father is half-japanese, mother is full japanese) and ive lived in japan my whole life, but im in new zealand now studying english and ive only recently come across these wapanese.
however in my experience, most of these wapanese are in fact chinese and taiwanese. when they ask me what anime i like and i reply that i dont like it, they tell me im not a ‘true’ japanese. what, so all 120 million people in japan are anime-freaks? they also think they know more about japanese culture than me and constantly ask me if i know random words, which arent actually words but two syllables taken from different words one after each other. (e.g ‘kore kawaiiku nai?’ theyll ask me what ‘IKUNAI’ means, which of course it doesnt mean anything and then theyll tell me i dont know japanese.)
theyre so ashamed of their own culture that theyll ALWAYS refer to themselves as asian, so that theres a certain ambiguity as to where theyre from and it leaves open the possibility that theyre from japan.
person one: so, where are you from?
wapanese: im from asia.
person one: oh really, what part?
wapanese: uhhhh…
I find it incredibly pathetic that any of you gives a crap about weeaboos in the first place. They don’t deserve attention; failing that, they deserve derision.
“especially “anime” (which we all know is just cartoon porn for pervs).”
gandalf mantooth…..
I think you have been looking at the wrong “web sites” to be able to say that…
another reason i hate wapanese… people look at them and think anime is for wacked out people.
Seriosly… my boss likes anime and manga… without looking like some EMO Rip off