DEAR LORD Japanese nerds are freaks

[dedalusdedalus]

There's a surprising amount of xenophobic sentiment being aired out on this thread, and I think the OP, ZeroAX, set the tone with that subject line and liberal use of the word "stupid."

A) please don't use that word (xenophobic) without knowing it's true meaning.

and

B) set what tone? Is what they did in any way excusable? Though I'm happy to hear that the Japanese society considers them freaks as well.

A) "please don't use that word (xenophobic) without knowing it's true meaning" -->
Please don't use that word (it's) without knowing its true meaning.

B) Um, ok. You can switch out "xenophobic" and replace it with "racist," "prejudiced," or "narrow-minded," all of which would technically be be more appropriate but a lot more loaded. I put it in there as a euphemism, because those other words are just ridiculously loaded and will poison reasonable discourse.

C) I never said that what they did was excusable. I was comparing it to equally idiotic things that non-Japanese people do, like that Tiger Woods or Lebron James bullshit. Your post seemed to be singling out this phenomenon as a distinctly Japanese thing, or implying that Japanese nerds are even more pathetic than Western nerds ("And I thought western nerds were stupid for obsessing about plot holes in star wars video games compared to the movies.)

[ZeroAX]

A) "please don't use that word (xenophobic) without knowing it's true meaning" -->
Please don't use that word (it's) without knowing its true meaning.

B) Um, ok. You can switch out "xenophobic" and replace it with "racist," "prejudiced," or "narrow-minded," all of which would technically be be more appropriate but a lot more loaded. I put it in there as a euphemism, because those other words are just ridiculously loaded and will poison reasonable discourse.

C) I never said that what they did was excusable. I was comparing it to equally idiotic things that non-Japanese people do, like that Tiger Woods or Lebron James bullshit. Your post seemed to be singling out this phenomenon as a distinctly Japanese thing, or implying that Japanese nerds are even more pathetic than Western nerds ("And I thought western nerds were stupid for obsessing about plot holes in star wars video games compared to the movies.)

A) Learn a second language and then come talk to me about making mistakes.

B) So is talking shit about the Nazis racist against Germans? Or talking shit about the Talibans racist against Afghans? Or talking shit about the ku klux clan racist against Americans?


As people have said we are talking about Japanese nerds freaking out over something stupid. Not the entire Japanese population in general.


C) I don't even know what Lebron James did (nor care). I too believe it was crazy how the media and some people reacted over what Woods did. Heck I thought the media over reacted when Bill Clinton did it.

But those topics have been talked to death. I saw this and has freaked out, cause there just isn't anything, even morally, wrong about what she did. And what the author of that article said freaked me out.

"Hirano isn't just a voice actress. She's an idol. And idols are not supposed to be normal girls, but an unattainable ideal."

also if you read the entire article it also says

The freakout is way bigger than the time Hirano appeared to be wearing an engagement ring in a photo.

I don't know if American geeks are that bad, but at least in Europe even by geek standards this is considered sick. Perhaps it's because all the geeks I know are normal (geek culture is more mainstream here. hell every time I walk by the manga section in my local book stor I see more girls than boys).







And 1 last thing. Of course I don't think any less of the Japanese. They are a nation I admire for their work culture (though I don't agree with it, I still admire it), their environment friendliness, and most of all their CULTURE. Living in a tourist country known for ancient monuments and summer islands, there is no nation in the entire world who respects culture and civilization like the Japanese. They are the only tourists who come for the ancient monuments and only for them (makes sense though, they have islands of their own if they want to visit an island).

What I don't like is people not paying attention to all the works of art they've done over the years, and obsessing over their cartoons and video games.


And as I said I'm happy the Japanese population considers people who act like this freaks as well.

[Flake]

Okay, let's just say we've safely established the following:

-We are not being racist
-Japanese Geeks are not alone in the world of nerd rage
-The subject is interesting and worth talking about

To commemorate this, I offer a picture of a hamster:



Back on topic: One thing that I find quite amazing about Japanese nerds is their tendency to obsessively collect stuff when stuff, by definition, is INSANELY expensive in Japan. Ever buy a new CD from Japan or try to import a game when it first comes out?

We American geeks have it good, Gentlemen. I'd wager even the European nerd doesn't suffer the prices a Japanese geek does.

[ZeroAX]

We American geeks have it good, Gentlemen. I'd wager even the European nerd doesn't suffer the prices a Japanese geek does.

when the xbox 360 was first released new games cost 70€ and some of them could go for more. My eyes almost left my eye sockets (like Bender's) when I saw that.


Good thing the 360's sales in mainland Europe are abysmal so prices dropped fast.

[lisalover1]

Okay, let's just say we've safely established the following:

-We are not being racist
-Japanese Geeks are not alone in the world of nerd rage
-The subject is interesting and worth talking about

To commemorate this, I offer a picture of a hamster:

Why, we're only a few steps away from world peace, aren't we?

[Octopod]

I am pretty sure that you can buy used panties in the US. Maybe not out of a vending machine but still. If someone wants to buy some used panties more power to them. I do not think it is that big of a deal, pathetic yes, but whatever.

[ZeroAX]

I am pretty sure that you can buy used panties in the US. Maybe not out of a vending machine but still. If someone wants to buy some used panties more power to them. I do not think it is that big of a deal, pathetic yes, but whatever.

Garage sales? I went to one once and saw some used clothes. There might have been some used underware as well. Didn't exactly stay long looking at the stuff.

[dedalusdedalus]

A) Learn a second language and then come talk to me about making mistakes.

I studied the same language for four years in high school, and then for another four years in college.

Even when I'm pretty sure that a native speaker has made a mistake, I don't have the audacity to call them out on it, because I know that I make a lot more mistakes than a native speaker does.

Which is pretty much what happened here: you called me out on my euphemistic use of the word "xenophobic," when you made a grammatical mistake in the very act of calling me out on it.

B) So is talking shit about the Nazis racist against Germans? Or talking shit about the Talibans racist against Afghans? Or talking shit about the ku klux clan racist against Americans?

None of the above would be racist. But it would be racist to use any of those points to single out any of those ethnicities. "The Nazis are terrible!" is not a racist statement, but it would be a racist statement to say "German fascists are the worst, look at what the Nazis did!" Fascists are not any more or less tolerable depending on their creed, color, or ethnicity. Same thing with nerds, they do strange shit no matter where they're from.

Your original post seemed to be singling out Japanese nerds as somehow even less tolerable than other nerds. To quote: "And I thought western nerds were stupid for obsessing about plot holes in star wars video games compared to the movies."

As people have said we are talking about Japanese nerds freaking out over something stupid. Not the entire Japanese population in general.

Why frame the discussion in terms of "Japanese nerds?" As discussed, nerds all over the world do stupid shit all the time.

C) I don't even know what Lebron James did (nor care). I too believe it was crazy how the media and some people reacted over what Woods did. Heck I thought the media over reacted when Bill Clinton did it.

But those topics have been talked to death. I saw this and has freaked out, cause there just isn't anything, even morally, wrong about what she did. And what the author of that article said freaked me out.

It's the same issue. Idiots all over the world will piss their pants over things that properly fall within the sphere of privacy.

Whatever Tiger Woods or Bill Clinton did is between them, their wives, their other women, and whatever god they believe in. Whatever this voice actress does outside of voice acting is between herself and whatever other people she associates with. And yet in both cases, people piss their pants over something that's none of their personal business.

And 1 last thing. Of course I don't think any less of the Japanese. They are a nation I admire for their work culture (though I don't agree with it, I still admire it), their environment friendliness, and most of all their CULTURE. Living in a tourist country known for ancient monuments and summer islands, there is no nation in the entire world who respects culture and civilization like the Japanese. They are the only tourists who come for the ancient monuments and only for them (makes sense though, they have islands of their own if they want to visit an island).

Thank you for cleansing the taint of xenophobia/prejudice/racism, or whatever you want to call it, from your original post.

[ZeroAX]

A) Learn a second language and then come talk to me about making mistakes.

I studied the same language for four years in high school, and then for another four years in college.

Even when I'm pretty sure that a native speaker has made a mistake, I don't have the audacity to call them out on it, because I know that I make a lot more mistakes than a native speaker does.

Which is pretty much what happened here: you called me out on my euphemistic use of the word "xenophobic," when you made a grammatical mistake in the very act of calling me out on it.

Αλήθεια; Τέλος πάντων σε αυτή την περίπτωση το είπα επειδή δεν θεωρώ ότι το αρχικό post ήταν επίθεση με οποιοδήποτε τρόπο στους Ιάπωνες γενικά, αλλά στα Ιαπωνικά nerds. Το ξενοφοβικός σημαίνει ότι αντιδρούμε με άσχημο τρόπο εναντίων κάτι μόνο και μόνο επειδή είναι ξένο σε μας, αλλά σε αυτή την περίπτωση το πως αντέδρασαν οι οπαδοί της κοπελιάς νομίζω είναι παγκοσμίως απαράδεκτο.

[Flake]

I gave you guys a HAMSTER!!

So why the fascination with used panties? I can see all kinds of bad things happening there.