For anyone who wants to listen to me rant, pull up a chair or pillow and get comfy. Today, we're going to talk about racism in anime/animation fandom spaces and how it is overlooked for the sake of correctness; a thread:

There is a certain term we have collectively decided to use to describe fandom experience that takes place in (usually) first-world, white/european dominated countries. This term is "western", and it blankets social mindsets of these mentioned regions.

So what of it?

Namely speaking, if we are going to talk about the reach of anime and it's impact on the west, the obvious part of this conversation is that anime is indeed not western. It is eastern, coming from Japan. But again, why does this matter? Several reasons, including appropriation.

A) Appropriation in a cultural context applies to fandom when you have people of western background trying to spin the meaning or likeness of something that is of norm in given culture detached from western line of thought. Sharing a space does not mean taking over said space.

B) While in the age of social online, it may feel as if media has no culture. This idea is how you get people with no insight to the roots of something (re: anime) speaking over those who live that way of life.

But what does this all mean besides vague definitions and examples?

Key words: ethnocentrism, cultural relativism, and social circumstance.

People in western fandom have an issue with speaking over those from other countries under the guise of correcting something when in reality, all they should be doing is listening.

Racism goes beyond the overt presentation. It goes beyond slurs and verbal aggression. It can be covert, and regurgitating the meaning of a word from another culture to someone who is of that culture, with malice as intent, is indeed covertly racist and needs to stop.

Overarching statements such as "I think that the anime industry has a problem with [x] that needs to be fixed" are rooted in misinformation and are harmful generalizaions. Beyond that, they are opinions presented as fact, but how can they be fact when you are uneducated?

Every region and culture has its issues, but that is a discussion for the people of that culture. People of Japanese origin and tradition do not need American teenagers rushing into their posts with baby's first political commentary on how their culture is problematic, actually.

"Well, that still is pretty harsh to label this behavior as racism when clearly they mean no harm." Once again, covert is the form of racism that takes place most in our spaces. It is subtle and easily missed. It makes you think on it for a second and then go, "wait, what?"

When someone from another culture taps you on the shoulder and goes, "Hey, we don't actually do that. It's tradition here, and while that seem strange from where you live, it is not bad."

Your immediate response should not be, "Doesn't matter, it's still toxic regardless :)"

In recent light of discourse around words like fujoshi/fudanshi/fujin, and the categories of yaoi/boys love/shounen-ai, as well as the debate over loli/shotacon+moe/geicomi subgenres, we need to ask:

"What is the root of these discussions?"

You like boy love. You're a fan! You're thankful for the genre and the community that has formed around appreciating the content.

B-but... you wouldn't call yourself a fujoshi. That word has negative connotations! How could anyone be okay with the word! Right?

C) It is racist to assume new context to a word from another language with complete disregard for its origin and meaning. To say, "I just don't like the *western* definition" in itself is a racist statement, as there is no western definition since the west did not make the word.

D) It's also ethnocentric. The belief that because of the taught morals from your culture, that you have free reign to dictate how other cultures express morale and decency. The idea that you know best because your background, is xenophobic, even if you mean well and good.

So wrapping back around and getting to the point of the thread: While media is shared and there is no need for segregating content, there needs to be a level of respect and understanding of something that does not belong to your sphere of attention.

It is not your place to assume another culture lacks moral hierarchy or empathy because of the content that is distributed, or to dictate the conversation about how that content is dealt with and enjoyed. If you are not of the culture, you have no place at the table.

Sometimes not every thread or discussion has to be overly informative, or even intellectual to be understood. Sometimes things can just be repeated several times until it sticks.

I, personally would like if we would stop having racially charged conversations that center around the right for certain aspects of anime to exist. We as in, those of us who live in western regions. You don't need to dissect everything to have a moral compass.

From the likes of one to another, ignoring this behavior can be just as bad as committing. We like to discuss matters of fiction but our words and ideas go beyond the fictional realm. We need to be mindful and coherent.

If you are going to center your online personality around a foreign media, atleast be educated and open minded. You can dislike things and find them uncomfortable without spewing racist rhetoric because all you wanted to say was "I don't like this thing."

And to end with something that should be obvious but isn't: an opinion has to be based on something factual to be an opinion. If you formed an opinion on false information, you are not opinionated on that topic, just misinformed.