stereotypes.

[Shirasagi]

I-samu wrote:

Shirasagi wrote:
People who have not been to Japan, please do not encourage stereotypes of Japanese stereotypes.

And for God's sake, Matthew Minami isn't representing a stereotype!

I am half Japanese, been to Japan, and talked to my Japanese family and have heard things. Just repeating what I've heard.

Obviously my post doesn't apply to you then.

[Kuri]

I hear Americans have shorter intestines and measure pregnancy wrong.

[Hatori]

Everybody is fat.

[Jumpman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTm2tk1yzSI

[Tesu]

Hatori wrote:
Everybody is fat.

This isn't a stereotype, its the truth!

[guitarplayer7694]

Tesu wrote:

Hatori wrote:
Everybody is fat.

This isn't a stereotype, its the truth!

14 male and 130lbs thank you very much.

[gfunk]

According to Fox News (not that they're 100% reliable in any way but... ) 75 Percent of U.S. Adults Will Be Overweight by 2015. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288967,00.html


And according to CNN...
OBESITY Percent overweight

Men Women U.S. 19.9% 24.9%, Japan 1.8% 2.6%
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/ ... /index.htm


Stereotypes should be taken for what they are, idiosyncrasies of a certain demographic... thus a certain truth is conveyed in them.

[prep_girl_Nessa]

Shirasagi wrote:
People who have not been to Japan, please do not encourage stereotypes of Japanese stereotypes.

And for God's sake, Matthew Minami isn't representing a stereotype!

Why not talk about stereotypes? I don't see why people get so upset... like for example, I'm an overweight college girl who goes to an all girls school. Stereotypically I should be completely out of shape, a desperate lesbian/bisexual hooker, and an extreme liberal/feminist. I'm actually none of those things.

I think people who believe 100% in stereotypes are fools, but talking about them isn't a bad thing.

And I used Matthew as an example. He may or may not have intended this, but I have heard from many people who have been to Japan that there is a stereotype exactly like Matthew's character.

[Shirasagi]

prep_girl_Nessa wrote:
Why not talk about stereotypes?

Talk about stereotypes all you like. My point is that you (and others who haven't been to Japan) are not qualified to talk about stereotypes in Japan. All you do is confuse the issue. Matthew Minami being a perfect example.

And I used Matthew as an example. He may or may not have intended this, but I have heard from many people who have been to Japan that there is a stereotype exactly like Matthew's character.

And now you're hearing from someone who lives there, speaks the language, has come to face-to-face with the stereotypes that do exist, and I'm telling you Matthew Minami is not one of them. First of all, he's essentially the broad gay character that Fujii Takashi originally played, as a Japanese person, with his Japanese name. The use of the name "Matthew" and the blond wig are just to separate that character and Fujii (who has very publicly married the very cute former gravure idol Otoha), and to provide for over the top character bits, like being the son of an English count's daughter and a Japanese cellist. He doesn't hit any of the usual comedic characteristics for gaijin - no big nose, no goofy intonation, not even dramatic exclamations of "オーマイゴッド". In fact, his supposed "English" heritage is played for comedic contrast against his encyclopedic knowledge of '80s Japanese idol song choreography.

A stereotype is ": something conforming to a fixed or general pattern; especially : a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment". Let me tell you, Matthew Minami is not standardized in anyway, and his image is not held in common among Japanese people as what foreigners are like. At least not the Japanese people I know.