To "Otaku" or not "Otaku"

The use of "phile" as a suffix doesn't really have negative connotations to me but I can kinda understand if someone had only ever heard it used in terms of sexual fetishes. But it definitely isn't just used in that context only. Say if you take a lot of science classes, for example, we refer a lot to characteristics as something is hydrophilic, lipophilic, electrophilic, etc. I haven't really seen anyone get even the inkling of discomfort in that sense

I don't think you should call yourself a "Japanophile". I get what you're saying, all words can have a positive and a negative outlook but you should be mindful of what you say. No offense to you but "Japanophile" will instantly make anyone think of "pedophile" due to all of the negativity around that word. As a side note if you're going to use racial slurs as an example, blur them out as you will offend people here, myself included.

I think its important to understand the impact of such offensive words on people's lives, and I think blurring them out does a disservice. I'm not using them to describe someone, or characterizing someone as them, so it shouldn't be wrong to say the word. Some may disagree, and that's okay, but above all else I don't believe its politically incorrect to discuss the impact of said words without censoring them. As long as someone doesn't refer to me or someone whose white as a honky, cracker, etc I have no problem discussing the word. People should stop gasping and freaking out when they hear a racial slur, especially in this context, if we discuss them like adults and understand how they impact people with stereotypes, it should be okay. And since we're talking about words used to characterize people in a negative way, you can draw pretty clear comparisons to them to get your point across. I don't understand why its somehow taboo to even utter a racial slur in a context that isn't being used against a person. And I find it funny that ebonics makes heavy use of it in an endearing sense, but even if someone like me, whose family has a long history of supporting civil rights and who went to a mostly black public school system and had a lot of black friends and I'm one who actively speaks out about racism, can't discuss the word 'nigger' in a historical, analogical or psychological context without being perceived as intending to offend someone. So no, I will not censor myself when I'm simply making a discussion that can be approached like adults. Also, I agree with xueli. The only people who may get offended are illiterate people who have no idea the origin of the term philia. There's many other words in common english for phile that don't have negative connotation, such as anglophile, paraphilia etc.

@Elder Reaper - I'm only gonna say this, then we need to get back on topic. I Don't want this turnin in to a racial thing. Regardless of how you see words, you still have to have the courtesy of when and when not to say them eg (Time and a place), regardless if it's for educational purposes, adult conversations or whatever. If this were a thread about specifically about that topic (not saying we should create one here on a dating website), then I would be a little more understanding, however this is not the place to openly put stuff like that. Here's one thing that you have to learn. There are so many people just like you who keep using the etymology of a word as a defense to be able to say what you want openly and freely. I get what you're saying "people don't know the history of words and misunderstand them" However, anyone who strictly sticks to the denotation of words is foolish (not saying you are or trying to insult you) Any word can be hurtful because words have power. The word "stupid" can be hurtful when said a certain way or in certain situations even though we all use it as a playful word. As far as the "N" word being used regularly by black people, don't lump me in with the people that do say it. I disagree with it and was not raised to say it. Regardless of your intentions of word, you saying you won't censor just shows a lack of respect to others. Regardless of what your thoughts are, if someone does not wish to hear things like that, then you should respect it. I'm not upset but I am agitated. I'm pretty sure you've been teased before or have had words that hurt you right? Everyone has. That just goes to show that words can go far beyond their original intentional meaning. If you want to discuss more about this, then you can pm me, but no more here. This is not the place for that. Anyway, back on topic. @xueli - I get what you're saying. There are times when society can be over exaggerative. Japanophile, pedophile, sound the same mean to different things. No one freaks out when you say "pitch" even though it can sound like "bitch" No one ever links the two. What I'm getting at is that sometimes people will recall things when it's something negative. Another example similar to yours. A lot of science terms have the "sm" as such as orgasm, spasm etc. even though there are sciene terms with the "sm" and if they were to hear those terms, they would probably giggle. I'm not saying that just because certain words make a few people giggle doesn't mean we shouldn't say them and there certainly aren't any laws or rules preventing people from doing so. I'm just saying people should be mindful when using words. For example, it's not wise to say the word "bomb" on a plane or at the airport. There's no law against it as far as I know, there's no spoken rule against it either, hell, it could even be the old 90's context like "that's the bomb!" however due to certain events, saying such a thing just proves such a person lacks common sense. :D Since pedophile has almost nothing but negativity around it try yelling that you are a "Japanophile" in a public place and watch how many parents grab their kids lol

@fox Lol I think of it like this - Just because something has a positive doesn't mean it should always be acknowledged, just because something has a negative doesn't mean it should always be acknowledged. There's gotta be a balance. Example one, I hear drinking your own urine isn't harmful to you because it's sterile. Positive - it's sterile, scientifically proven. Does that mean we should start making pee soft drinks or pee popsicles or pee snow cones? If you want you can but probably not. That's a positive you may wanna ignore. Good luck getting kisses :D Example two - Going to a job interview thinking you will not get the job because you lack self confidence, that's a negative you don't have to acknowledge. Bonus examples Cannibalism - pretty sure there are some vitamins and nutrients you can get from eating people. Just kill the guy, no big deal, you'll be healthy - Ignore? Yes? No? Aids - The sex was good though - Ignore? Yes? No? lol. I think you guys get the point now.

The word "otaku" is a formal second-person pronoun, of which the origin contemporary slang usage is often attributed to a 1983 article in "Manga Burriko" (a lolicon magazine) by Akio Nakamori, who chose the word to describe the people he saw at Comic Market. "Otaku" was chosen because the socially-awkward anime and manga fans at Comiket often used the formal pronoun to refer to each other, rather than more familiar pronouns. What people need to realize is that whatever derogative connotation the word "otaku" had was 100% manufactured by the media. When photos of Tsutomu Miyazaki's room surfaced, he was dubbed the "otaku killer" by the news media because he had stacks of videotapes and lots of porn and manga in his room. Just how much of an "otaku" he actually was is questionable. The negative connotation people usually associate with the word "otaku" is based in a news media firestorm that erupted in 1989 but died down very quickly and gained no real traction within the anime industry or fandom. The news media tried to do the same thing in 2004 when Kaoru Kobayashi killed an elementary school girl. Without any evidence to back his statement up, one journalist's assumption that Kobayashi collected anime figures was enough to spark a short-lived media uproar about otaku. The focus on the Miyazaki case completely ignores all other elements of otaku and unfairly portrays them as dangerous and deranged. In addition, it misrepresents the Japanese public's actual perception of otaku. In the mid-2000s, the Densha Otoko released, telling the story of an otaku who saves a beautiful woman from a drunk on a train. The novel, film, and TV drama were all very well-recieved, with the film staying on the top 10 list for 10 weeks and the TV drama winning multiple awards. In addition, current Deputy Prime Minister and former Prime Minister of Japan Taro Aso actively identifies an an otaku. And all that's not to mention the fact that otaku are a powerful market force in Japan. All-in-all, the assertion that there's anything wrong with the term "otaku" is short-sighted at best, and at worst, pushes a dangerous narrative. Otaku do a lot of good, but it's ignored in favour of perpetuating a false assumption. In May of this year, a group of anti-foreigner protesters assembled in Akihabara (A well-known otaku hub) to protest the presence of foreigners in Japan. The otaku of Akihabara organized a blockade in response. Let's start talking about stuff like that instead of focusing on a 26-year-old murder case, of which the perpetrator was hanged 7 years ago. -Further reading- https://www.iyashikei.moe/articles/otaku-protest-racism/ https://www.iyashikei.moe/articles/what-do-people-think-about-otaku/

@Anubis. I figured someone would say that about the case. I understand what you're getting at. The media can blow things out of proportion and will use any little piece of evidence they can to exaggerate their story. Of course all of us here know that not all fans of anime aka "otaku" are all like Miyazaki. I stated earlier in this thread that it started out as a word without any negative connotations. The argument here isn't about whether people who consider themselves "otaku" are bad because we all know that's not true. We also know that "otaku" are a huge driving force in the products of the anime industry. My argument was whether the word "otaku" still had some sensitivity for Japanese natives due that horrible murder case all those years ago. I read that it has diminished a great deal. To me though, it's kinda like..well. This may not be a good example and a bit on the extreme side but it's kinda like 9/11. There was nothing negative about it before but even now it's a very sensitive thing to talk about. Again, I realize that wasn't a good example but I'm tired lol

@Idrewguy I understand what your argument was, and my point is that it doesn't. If you check out the second article I linked, part of it's a Youtube video where a guy actually takes to the streets of Tokyo and interviews people about their perspectives on otaku. The consensus ended up being: -Otaku are normal people who are just really passionate about their hobbies. -Stereotypes of otaku exist, but are outdated. Otaku are too diverse a group to generalize. -Bad examples of otaku exist, but they’re outliers and most people are fine with otaku in general. It's real easy to point to the Miyazaki case and try to make the assertion that people are sensitive about otaku as a result, but that does not represent reality. If Japanese society was still tender about the Miyazaki case, would Densha Otoko have seen the success it did? Would they have elected a self-proclaimed otaku to be their head of government in 2009 if they were still reeling from the Miyazaki case?