[...] Rachel – The Overuse of Otaku [...]

@Ez, the anime does have to get switched off sometime, but some people really absorb it in, so it’s a part of them. That’s bad, bad, bad, and maybe one reason some fans get so weird when someone bad-mouths their fave series.

@Marie Turner, I like the “disbeneficial” part of your definition. It’s one thing to have a hobby, it’s another to be so into it makes a person a burden on society.

@Sakura, “; people actually tried to address why these people have become so absorbed into their world and make the effort to understand why they have become so disconnected, then we would have less incidents like Akiba.” Most people won’t do that, however, and it’s sad. But if even one person at least makes an attempt, that’s something.

@Caitlin, I have the same feeling you do and don’t really like the use of the word. I have met some really cool anime fans and some fans I’d avoid meeting in a dark alley, or a well lit park.

I’ve figured out ways of dealing with fans like that: either be super nice and nod and agree and keep saying whatever anyway or walk away. I usually try number one first and if that fails, I get the phone number of person I was attempting to have a conversation with originally and tell them I’ll call later and then walk away. It’s often effective.

@Hoshi, if someone wants to sling Japanese around with a friend of like mind, I say have at. But I personally wouldn’t do it to people who aren’t into it.

@atomicwasabi, judging and having an opinion are two different things. Having an opinion is: I personally think cat ears are a bad fashion choice. Judgmental is: That person wearing cat ears is a complete moron. Everyone has opinions. I too think loud, smelly fans are obnoxious, but that’s an opinion. Judging them is condemning them for their choices and involves name calling and label slinging.

The day people can’t have opinions on what people wear or how they conduct themselves, I’ll throw myself under a train, because I’m one of the most opinionated people on the planet. So go ahead, have an opinion. Opinions are fantastic since they can be changed much easier than judgments.

The issue goes into the philosophy of language. How tangible and intangible things are associated with a word. Like “chair.” Really it’s just a word, but long long long ago it came to be associated with an object. Most people will in some way or another describe a chair as something we sit on. But I could very well associate the object we know as “table” as chair. It’d be in my right to do so, but no one would ever understand what the hell I’m talking about.

It goes the same for “otaku.” Ask any random person what they think is an otaku or anime fan. And for the most part I imagine you’d get a lot of the stereotypes mentioned here. We can discuss all day what an otaku is simply because what people associate with the word will vary.

Personally, I usually go ahead an just associate the stereotypes with these types of words. Just cause language is a form of communication…might as well keep a standard that most people can understand.

As for all the…don’t want to judge don’t want to presume to judge…I dunno…I’ve always felt is it really any better to hold that stuff in? Everyone is going to have judgmental thoughts at some point. If we all held it in, we’d be suspicious of everyone wondering what they’re really thinking…I’d really rather let everything hang out with NO FEAR. If people take it badly, that’s up to them. They don’t have to take it badly if they truly don’t want to

Then again, I guess when I think about otaku, I guess I have to say that all labels have some sort of negative downside.

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