Forum - View topicHey, Answerman! [2006-11-03]
Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Next Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
Author | Message | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mohawk52
Posts: 8202 Location: England, UK |
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
Vicserr
Posts: 480 Location: Carolina, Puerto Rico USA |
|
|||||||||
Well, I still remember the time were OP/Eds were songs that had something to do with the show instead of being spotlights to whatever act is hot or up and coming in Japan but to each it's own |
||||||||||
ArielTsuki
Posts: 178 |
|
|||||||||
But what anime does bash black people in recent history? Yeah, there are some that do, but I seen a lot more Blacks portrayed in a more positive light. The only thing I see that is racially offensive is the sambo style that they used, but they don't know or expected to know the cultural signifinace of it unless there is someone who will teach them about it. And plus, besides other than Chocolove of Shaman King (despite he wasn't acting like an idiot and lazy person which sambo characters did), who is drawn like that nowadays? Cyborg 008 of Cyborb 009 series may be drawn in that style, but he never acted sambo either. And if you think that American entertainment is 'trying', that's pretty crazy. You rarely see Black people portrayed other than gangsta, loose cannon, and "oh no, you didn't!" type. I mean they give Denzel Washington, who is an excellent actor who is worth his merit, a Oscar for playing a dirty gangsta cop? Even some Black male actors would say that there's a dearth of roles that's not about gangstas or the like. And also most major network American TV still mostly white casts. The closest of being kind of diverse casts are ER and Grey's Anatomy. And other races does this too, like having a mostly Black cast with one White or other minority actor. And obviously you forgot the Whitewash season that was 3-4 years ago, where they pretty much had shows that had no minorites in it at all. And the NAACP had to bitch at them to fix it, that was your 'trying' there. And I never though Mr. Popo was black anyway. A Moor or a Indian maybe according to his dress. Dark skinned =/= black at the time people. And racism is racism, no matter what form it takes in. Besides a lot of people would agree that subtle racism is more dangerous than blatant because it gives a sort of justification to exist when we can do something against blantant racism because we can see it. Both hurt the victim no more or no less than the other. |
||||||||||
indrik
Posts: 365 Location: yonder |
|
|||||||||
I think if you look into the wars among Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and China, you'll find examples of invasion for the purpose of taking slaves, and definitely some taking of slaves after victory. I've come across it reading aout why the Japanaese and Koreans and Chinese and Vietnamese and Chinese and Koreans don't get along so well, but I've also gotten the impression that they collectively abandoned that behaviour some time before the West did.
I've got a friend who's a Black American who collects these. He insists on being called Black (like, you can hear the capitalization when he says it) which I occasionally find disconcerting. Anyway, I had no idea what you were talking about, but yes, apparently a Japanese company republished the original editions (or maybe a subsequent release that was worse than the originals? I'm not completely sure) in about 1998 and 2005. |
||||||||||
Mohawk52
Posts: 8202 Location: England, UK |
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
animalia555
Posts: 467 |
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
sabriyahm
Posts: 291 Location: Georgia |
|
|||||||||
I agree but it's still offensive no matter how cool you think the character. I don't think the way we drew Asians in cartoons in the 40's would be acceptable to Aians today even if the character was portrayed in a positive light.
You seem to have missed my point. Which was I don't care how bad America is it doesn't excuse the Japanese. But to consider your point, just look at all the most popular shows on TV, Law and Order CSI Grey's anatomy Lost Heros. These shows do a pretty good job and that's what I mean by trying. Two anime's that spring to mine that I have watched recently are full metal panic and tenjhe tenge. There was plenty in their you couldn't get away with in the US.
Subtle Racism is harder to defeat then blatent racism but it is also a sign of progress. The days when you could walk around on the street and say you wanted to join the KKK are over. Or that Black people are dumber are over. And that's progress. |
||||||||||
animalia555
Posts: 467 |
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
sabriyahm
Posts: 291 Location: Georgia |
|
|||||||||
Not the character just some of the things they say about him which I think were suposed to be complimentary but were actually pretty racist. You have to watch it subtitled because they change it in the dub. |
||||||||||
Wandering Knight
Posts: 94 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina |
|
|||||||||
Oi, oi, a couple of things here about racism and xenophobia.
All right, Japan may be a xenophobic country, but there's no way USA is a progressive one. Not one way. The USA is one of the most closed-down, conservative societies of our world, if not the worst. I don't mean to be insulting here, but it's the truth. I speak from a country literally bombarded by American culture, and it's quite easy to realise it when you're outside the bubble your government has planned for you. If not, then what about the 2 million latin americans working for you that are treated inhumanly, even being menaced with deporting? They are WORKING for your country, dammit! And what about the f*cking wall they're building up in the mexican border? I thought the Cold War was over decades ago. Besides, think about this for a second: The obligatory "minority races" cape for schools, movies, and etc. That is, far out, the WORST case of government racial discrimination I've seen in my entire life. Do you know what discrimination actually means? It means differentiation. If you're treating "minority races" as legally different, you're discriminating them. Please, bash Japan's xenophobia all you want, but please DON'T be hypocritical when talking about your own country. |
||||||||||
busyyuu
Posts: 5 |
|
|||||||||
Well, when you talk about the "country" and "Japan" in particular, I couldn't really tell. I'm glad you don't make those conclusions, but I don't personally don't know, nor can I read your mind. It simply looked like you were talking about "Japan."
Hey, thanks, dude. I've never seen Mai-Hime, so I can't really comment on that (do you have a you-tube clip that I can look at, perhaps?). I was always under the impression that Area 88 was a more mature show though (and made a fair time ago). I'm not saying that's okay, but times were also different back then. I think attitudes towards people of African decent are much better now due to the influence of the American hip-hop and rap cultures, though they were certainly not very good in the past. I'm not going to (and have no desire to) support the use of sambo as a detriment to those of African decent. However, I have noticed the big-lipped motif on other races as well, such as Japanese people, sans the darker skin because... well, Japanese people typically don't have dark skin (Onigiri in the fairly recent "Air Gear" particularly comes to mind). If he had darker skin, that would be one politically incorrect western icon that I'm sure would have people protesting the book here in the states. I certainly don't agree with sambo, but perhaps what we're seeing is not so much an intentional flipping of the bird rather than what is perceived to be a style. I don't know. Maybe it's not. We really won't know unless someone asks, though I'm sure there are still people in Japan who would (and have) done it intentionally. When Answerman was talking about this earlier, I presumed he meant something for kids, like "Anpanman." Are we talking more about pre-teens and teens here?
I don't know Aso, but he's probably a conservative jerk. Many older people tend to hold those views more closely than the more liberal younger generation(s) (much like any country, really). Screw him. But as for the crime rate, I really can't blame them. You have to remember that Japan is insanely safe, so small things are probably going to be a significant "rise in crime." I'm guessing they're referring to overly drunk foreigners doing stupid things as well as the usage of illegal substances, which most Americans (since I don't know as much about other foriegners in Japan) don't seem to realize is 2-3 years in prison instead of the slap on the wrist that you get in the states. I'm sure there's also simply a bunch of dumb misunderstandings because of ignorance on the part of foreigners as well as a lack of education by Japan. I think this last part should be helped through greater awareness programs of Japanese law, but I honestly can't justify the use of drugs and getting piss-drunk to the point of either personal injury or property damage. That's just stupid.
Never saw brainpowered, so I can't comment. I also saw only Nadesico from your list years ago, so I pretty much forgot just about everything, though I'm sure they portray people like that in some shows. What can I say other than the military that is the "world police" is an easy target to make fun of? However, I will say that modern uniforms in the JDF (Japanese Defense Force) are remarkably similar in style to those of the US. Perhaps because of American occupation and resulting influence(?). Not that I'm an expert, of course, but you can check out their site at: http://www.jda.go.jp/e/index_.htm Not so sure about that last one though. Sure, I've seen it in portrayals of Americans, but it seems more typical of (government) antagonist behavior than Americans in specific. Maybe I just haven't seen enough shows where the people in power are the good guys. |
||||||||||
Wandering Knight
Posts: 94 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina |
|
|||||||||
Oh, and you should be glad to observe that carcaturizations of American people like those stated above by Shinji Takase are seen in many countries of the wide world. I wonder what's the reason?
Last edited by Wandering Knight on Sun Nov 05, 2006 1:51 am; edited 1 time in total |
||||||||||
Zac
ANN Executive Editor
Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
|
|||||||||
No it isn't, and you saying this means you don't know a lot about other countries. We are currently suffering through a trend wherein hardline christian conservatives are seen as the "face" of America, but believe you me, this is still one of the most diverse countries on the planet and we are VERY progressive when it comes to race issues. No this is not a utopia for all races, but we have a LOT less problems in that arena than other countries - even other potential superpowers - in the world. You need to do a lot of reading on this subject before making statements like that. I am an extremely liberal Democrat who has absolutely no love for our current administration and I am ashamed of the way our country must appear right now, but to say that we are not progressive in terms of race - this isn't true.
Your arguments are full of apologist nonsense and equivilancy fallacies. Very little of what you say makes any kind of logical sense. There's no arguing with you because you don't actually state your point, you just try and vaguely refute what everyone else is saying, and you do it in a very logically unsound and incorrect manner. |
||||||||||
Wandering Knight
Posts: 94 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina |
|
|||||||||
I'm sorry, Zac, but I must disagree. Like I said before, you're living in a bubble. I do a lot of reading, and there's a lot of historical literature about American "close-mindedness", from some of the best historians of Europe and Latin America. Sure, you may be a progressist liberal, but a major percentage of your pals aren't. Maybe you should wonder, then, why you have your current administration? If all the US were liberally progressists as you, Bush wouldn't have won two times in a row. Don't kid with me.
Try to accept it. The vast majority of the population of your country is as xenophobic as the Japanese you're depicting. That doesn't mean you are particulary like them. It's just a sociological analysis of US's culture. PD: And if your country is so progressist, why are gay marriages illegal then? Last edited by Wandering Knight on Sun Nov 05, 2006 1:59 am; edited 2 times in total |
||||||||||
Gage
Posts: 480 Location: United States |
|
|||||||||
Then I'll be the opposite and share my dislikes of the United States. This ties into anime I assure you. I'll bash out on my own country because in this day and age, it's obvious! Mind you, I'm not racists so please do not say that! Government and Race have been many topics in history which have led to hate crimes and revolt. Let me explain:
Race: -So there was alot of talk about race being a sort of problem in anime and not in the "USA." Which I'd like to argue because if you look back into the 1860's-1950's there are mass amounts of racial events including the Ku Klux Klan and the Nazi regime. Though originally the KKK was formed in the 1860's as a scare tactic to prevent African Americans to go to vote. I'll go on but how could you say the United States does not show disliking towards strangers? Wait, OK, so I screwed up. Germany is in Europe but who cares I suppose, anyway it all ties into racism. -During the 50's and 60's, many white people were racisist towards blacks during the Civil Rights Era with Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. Even now the KKK is still around though in the South so we rarely hear of them anymore in the North. About the Nazis, there still remain followers to Nazi philosophy calling themselves "Neo-Nazis" who preform hate crimes and believe that there should be an all white America. Meaning no blacks and no immigrants basically... Guess I explained everything in this area let's move on. Government -Lying under Oath: Sorry for whoever here is a Republican but seriously, how can you believe our president when he says Iraq is becoming a better place?? It's apparent it is not! The death tole of American troops and Iraqis are climing every day and have basically reached the September 11th WTC death tole, unfortunately. Such a sad occasion and we have troops dying for what? Nothing. -Bob Woodworth's book "State of Denial" basically exposes the lack of government attention to threats from Al-Qaeda before the 9/11 and soldier demands from Iraq. Documents supposedly state that the Secretary of State was sent a document which indicated that Al-Qaeda members were receiving flight training and planned to crash planes into buildings. But they were simply ignored and stashed on a cabinent with other paperwork. - over 2,000 people died at the cost of not heeding a simple warning from a letter. You have to admit that is a bit foolish on our part! -How can the American people be led if we are not being fed the right information? Though it has been closely confirmed, there have been news reports around that the President and the White House have not been telling us the truth about what's been going on in Iraq. Deaths inparticular. So yes, those are just a few examples and I could have went on but this topic would have been way off if I continued. Anyway, government, has led to revolts like I have said. It is this in my opinion that would have led to a revolt back in the 1600's and 1700's. John Locke, who was a main person during the Age of Reason during the late 1600's (which we learn in Global History) and said that people have the right to rebellion. This is shown as the French Revolution went down during the 1790's. Progressing further in Russia during the Russian Revolution of 1917, there were attempts by revolutionaries to overthrow the ruler, or Czar, due to political power and unsatisfactory actions. By far I think the USA is worst than Japan when it comes to racial remarks, etc... Just a gut feeling. America is deeply active in my opinion in the whole racial scene. Though it all goes down without us knowing. - Well anyway, hope I did not bore you too much and forgive me if I offended anyone but its just the way I feel about the government. I'm sure MOST people would agree with me. |
||||||||||
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
||
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group