Honestly, I still think itās funny that you wrote, āHave you noticed how they usually avoid saying the people theyāre talking about are wrong? Theyāll implythe āPoCā are wrong (EG āthey donāt know betterā), but they wonāt just say itā considering all your posts like these and if you discount Japanese diaspora voices for not being āJapanese enoughā then you believe in a system of hierarchy and youāre being a hypocrite. But since youāre choosing to play this, you are admitting that your voice is not as important as the voices in the diaspora either (as the diaspora does include dual nationals and third culture Japanese, both of whom hold Japanese citizenships and some who were brought up in Japan, even if they identify more with the diaspora experience). Also, itās still too funny that youāre pointing out Jordanās race when itās not like youāre Japanese either and are doing the same by talking over those of us who have expressed our distaste (as Japanese individuals).
Cosplay as anime characters all you want and it really doesnāt matter (as long as youāre being aware of racial undertones and are obviously not making a mockery of someoneās race).
Unconditionally was not a song rooted in Japanese culture. Katy Perry was also not wearing a kimono. The style that dress she was wearing takes āinspirationsā from a particular kimono called a Furisode. Look up Furisode and youāll know they look nothing like sheās wearing. The other āinspirationā it takes after is a Qipao and that can be seen in the slits on her legs and the way itās buttoned on her chest. This is quite common for Americans, to merge Chinese and Japanese culture together in a semi-stereotypical manner. Not to mention that the way she opened up the show with her movements was also incredibly stereotypical..
Now.. if you want to talk about RESPECTFUL engagement by non-Japanese individuals, here are two YouTube videos that depict that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gutoy_1W298 & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Ux5w47Dy0
Sort of unrelated, I think they are partially problematic in some aspects (like the hats, the end, et al) but this is more culturally appropriate (minus the way the bottom part of the womenās kimono open because thatās SUPER NO NO in kimono culture) but this is far more respectful of actual Japanese culture than Katy Perryās performance (and I donāt think the male dancers are Japanese - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLY-VBTqxO8.
Nobody hear has claimed that the voices of nationals donāt matter (except for Jordan and thatās where I disagree with them even though it is true that the discussion is far more broad than those who have never left their own country). Especially with what stvlti and @somewhatasian and boatiechat have pointed out (just going to include Connerās response since they live in Japan and are Japanese - http://somewhatasian.tumblr.com/post/166738035002/wattaabunkamamuti-theunnamedstranger).
As Iāve stated many times before, āJapanese Americans and Japanese from Japan in the US (as well as other Japanese diaspora in other western countries) are more directly being affected by Katy Perry because Katy Perry is a western musician performing for a majority western audience (even if she is a global pop phenomenon). I donāt entirely agree with Jordan as I do think it is misguided in the lack of understanding of/about Japan but they arenāt wrong that Japanese Americans, at the end of the day, will receive more flack and racism for her actions that is already built on over a hundred years of racism and fetishization/orientalism towards us. Which is why Japanese voices from those born outside of Japan are important.
Can people in Japan have their opinions? Of course. Should their views be used to create a dialogue that all Japanese people feel the same way or that āAmericans are too sensitiveā? No. Do opinions from Japan matter? Of course. But guess what, so do opinions in the US made by some Japanese Americans or even Japanese individuals from Japan who found the performance uncomfortable. The first twitter post forces the viewer/people to believe that there is only one way to view the situation and we all should know that itās an entirely false way to react to this issue considering various views exist and itās a far more nuanced conversation. And on that note, the views of Japanese Americans are also a mixed bag.ā
Just because Japan has no problem with appropriating other cultures in a contemporary setting doesnāt make it right. For example, if I stole your house and all your assets does that mean it should be OK for all of us to start doing it?
Also, as an end note to boatiechat,Ā I agree with you about the experience of Japanese-Americans but I feel like I need to make a comment that while most Japanese have very little interaction with that form of racism I do think that racism that Japanese-Americans face does manifest itself in Japan. So I wouldnāt necessarily say that people in Japan donāt experience it (whether online or in real life). Not to mention that there are people who are brushed under being Japanese from Japan like mixed Japanese, Ainu, Okinawans, Zainichi, Burakumin, and even third culture Japanese who might/do identify as Japanese and many who have Japanese citizenship and have lived all/most of their life in Japan but who have experienced discrimination and some have been mocked for their traditional wear, their language(s), their cuisine, et al. But most people being interviewed, as stvlti mentioned that Yuta mentioned, are not often at the receiving end of those power dynamics that Japan has created for itself and/or the westās version of power dynamics.
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