stop calling atsumu “r/tsumu”
calling japanese characters “rats” is racist. i’m tired of seeing it.
in fact, don’t do it to any east asian character.
yes, the term “rat” is used nowadays as a way of saying a “snitch” or “tattle-tale,” and so people use it without the racism intended. the issue is that, in american media, the japanese character IS a snitchy type.
back in world war two, there was anti-japanese propaganda calling the japanese “rats.” it was to say that “the rats are always listening” in that the japanese were spies and/or double agents for the japanese government.
on top of this, america had a period that they called “the yellow peril”, a racist color-metaphor that misrepresents the peoples of east asia as an existential danger to the western world. they used the term “rat” to further integrate and spread that propaganda (these links refer you to wikipedia articles on the matter).
if you’re going to use the term “rat”, just use “snitch” or “tattletale.” so stop calling atsumu a “rat”. stop using that to sound quirky, to tease, to sound “cutesy.”
don’t use it!! even if you are east-asian, because most people don’t know you are and the best way to stop the usage of it is to stop using it entirely.
