If you spend even a little time reading up on anime fandom you’ll run into the term “weeaboo” at some point. You might immediately notice that this term has a rather negative connotation, thrown around as an insult aimed at people who are fans of anime and manga. So what is a “weeaboo” and should you care?
Where the Weeaboos Roam
The word itself seems to come from 4Chan, that anarchistic image forum known for affecting internet culture in a subtle, subversive way. It’s the place where memes are born and people go to empty out the darkest parts of their minds anonymously.
“Weeaboo” describes a person who is obnoxiously obsessed with all things Japan. This usually starts with anime and manga, but goes on to encompass anything with a Japanese label. Such a person begins to irrationally think of everything Japanese as being better. They think Japanese culture is objectively better than their own. Often they want to be Japanese or wish they were born Japanese.
The word actually comes from a Perry Bible Fellowship cartoon where the term was used in a different context as a nonsense construction. The moderators took the word and set up a word filter that would replace the term “Waponese” or “White Japanese” with “Weeaboo”. As luck would have it, people simply started using weeaboo instead.
The Weeaboo Stereotype
So what is the profile of a stereotypical weeaboo? One common assertion is that these people interject Japanese words into their normal daily speech. To be clear, they do not necessarily speak Japanese. These are phrases like “baka” (fool or idiot) that might be used often in shows. Such people may want to eat only Japanese or Japanese-style food. They alter the way they dress and how they live in general to be more “Japanese”, based on a stereotypical and inaccurate view of Japan.
The problem is that the Japan depicted in popular media such as anime and manga doesn’t exactly provide any sort of realistic view of Japanese society. Something that goes over the head of a typical weeaboo is that many anime paint a picture of Japan that caters to the fantasies of Japanese people themselves.
While it is true that Japan is an exceptional country on the modern world stage, it’s hardly a utopia. It suffers from its own share of economic and social issues. Japanese society itself is a high-pressure conformist, collectivist system which often clashes with individualist ideas from the West. So while it is perfectly understandable to be fascinated by Japan, the idea that everything Japanese is somehow better is an irrational one.
Japanophiles and Otaku
It’s important to understand that the term “weeaboo” means something different from “Japanophile” and “Otaku”.
A Japanophile is someone with a love for and interest in Japanese culture, language and history. Just as there are Anglophiles (lovers of English culture) in Japan, there are Japanophiles in the rest of the world. A Japanophile doesn’t necessarily care about anime or manga, but might love ikebana, Japanese history, literature or any number of things. The point is that they do not have an irrational, stereotypical view of Japan and certainly don’t think it is objectively superior to all other cultures.
The word “Otaku” has a pretty negative meaning in Japan, where it describes anyone who has an unhealthy obsession with a particular topic or hobby. Once again, not specifically when it comes to anime or manga. It could be motorcycles, chess, or sock puppets. Western geek culture has, however, adopted the term Otaku and given it a new meaning. Outside of Japan the word now refers to the collective hardcore anime and manga fandom. It may seem strange to Japanese people that someone would want to call themselves an Otaku, but actually I’ve seen some indications that Japanese otaku are also embracing the label. I don’t know if this is because they see Western fans doing it or because Japan is mirroring the mainstreaming of geekdom, but there’s more self-reference these days, from what I can tell.
As you can see, there’s a big difference between a weeaboo and either a Japanophile or an Otaku. How socially acceptable it is to be either of those is going to depend on your context. In my opinion, both are totally normal interests.
How Not to be a Weeaboo
While most people who like and enjoy anime, even hardcore fans, don’t share the irrational viewpoint of the stereotypical weeaboo, that doesn’t mean one can’t fall into the trap such thinking poses.
The best way not to be a weeaboo is to practice a grownup approach to your hobby. The big problem is that some people are defined by their hobbies, which means that any negativity from the outside can break that bubble of undeserved self-confidence.
Even if you love anime and worship the ground upon which your favorite industry figures walk on, one must realize that there is no such thing as perfection. If you really want to appreciate anime as a cultural product and artifact, then take the time to read about the history of Japan and the culture of its people.
Imagine someone whose entire idea of countries like the US and UK was simply based on their pop-culture outputs. It would be a ridiculous caricature of the real living experience within that nation.
This is not the same as saying you shouldn’t be yourself and proudly embrace the things you love without shame. The people for whom the term weeaboo is reserved have taken a simple love of something and mutated it into a social problem – something that puts them at odds with the societies they find themselves in. If your love for anime turns into an obsession that sees people shunning you, then perhaps it’s time to rethink your life.