Japanophilia
Japanophilia refers to the appreciation and love of Japanese culture, people or history.[1] In Japanese, the term for Japanophile is "shinnichi" (親日), with "親" "shin" (しん) equivalent to the English prefix 'pro-', and "日" "nichi" (にち), meaning "Japanese" (as in the word for Japan "Nihon" (日本)). The term was first used as early as the 18th century, switching in scope over time.
History
Early usage
Dustin
20th century
Dustin
21st century
In the early 2000s, derogatory slang terms were created to demean those who appreciated Japanese popular culture. The term wapanese (from white Japanese, or possibly also wannabe Japanese) first came out in 2002 as a term used to describe a white person who is obsessed with Japanese culture, which includes anime and manga. The term weeaboo (or weeb later, compare dweeb) came from a comic strip created by Nicholas Gurewitch in which the term had no meaning other than it was something unpleasant.[2] According to an unpublished MA thesis, 4chan quickly picked up the word, and applied it in an abusive way in place of the already existing wapanese term.[3]
It is debatable whether weeaboo has the same meaning as the Japanese term otaku (people with obsessive interests) as weeaboo has been used as a blanket term that implies a connection. Frog-kun from Crunchyroll states that the meaning of the word Otaku is hindered by cultural appropriation, and that some westerners believe that it can only be used to describe a Japanese person.[4] In a blog post on Anime News Network, Justin Sevakis gives a difference between the two, saying that there is nothing wrong with loving Japanese culture. He points out that a person only becomes a weeaboo when they start to be obnoxious, immature, and ignorant about the culture they love.[5] Matt Jardin from the Alaska Dispatch gave an opinion on the definition saying that weeaboos blindly prefer things from Japan while looking down on anything else despite obvious merit.[6] Rocket News 24 did a number of interviews with Japanese citizens asking them what they thought of "weeaboos". A "general consensus" was that they felt that any foreign interest in Japan was a good thing, and that ignorance might over time become understanding of their culture.[7][8]
See also
- Japanization
- Japanification: cultural assimilation into Japanese society
- Japonism
- Japanese studies
- Cool Japan
- Japan Expo
- Anime and manga fandom
- Anime club
- Sinophile
- Korean Wave
- Taiwanese Wave
References
- ^ "Japanophile". Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster. 200. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
one who especially admires and likes Japan or Japanese ways
- ^ Chris Kincaid (2015-08-30). "Am I a Weeaboo? What does Weeaboo Mean Anyway?". Japan Powered. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Davis, Jesse Christian. "Japanese animation in America and its fans" (PDF). Retrieved 12 December 2015.
- ^ Frog-kun (August 22, 2016). "FEATURE: Found in Translation - The Evolution of the Word "Otaku" [PART 1]". Crunchyroll. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ Justin Sevakis (August 22, 2014). "Nobody Loves the Weeaboo". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
- ^ Matt Jardin (September 29, 2016). "Going to Senshi Con this weekend? Here are 5 terms to know". Alaska Dispatch. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
- ^ evie lund (Apr 7, 2016). "What do Japanese people think of "weeaboos"?【Video】". Rocket News 24. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
- ^ evie lund (Apr 21, 2016). "Japanese people react to "weeaboo cringe videos" on YouTube【Video】". Rocket News 24. Retrieved May 30, 2016.