Wasians/Wannabe Asians.

[Guest KateLove]

Umm ... I'll say I only read post 1. BUT ..

I don't think it's right to stereotype someone as an "Asian Wannabe"

Honestly sometimes I get this, because I'm 75% white, .. 25% Japanese

but you'd only guess if I told you.

I love Korean culture, am learning Korean, Have Korean friends/boyfriend, &

plan on living in Korea teaching English after Uni.

Does this make me a "wannabe" ... no honestly I don't think so. Korean

culture doesn't belong solely to Koreans ... what is "culture" anyone could

have made up Kimchi Chigae ... just Koreans got there 1st.

I'm not an Anime Freak, I like Asian cultures. I'm not a "dreamer" because

I've actually been to Japan, am going to Korea next summer, & am going to

move to Korea. I can speak basic Korean. I don't sit and read anime all day,

I don't even like Anime.

Honestly, I think the people saying someone is a "wannabee" are a little

selfish & self absorbed. Let me put it this way ... "Do you live in America (Or England, Australlia, Ect)?",

"Do you speak English?", "Do you have American friends?", "Do you eat American food?"

Are you an American wannabe then?

I'm started to get to the point where if anyone says anything I'm just going to say

"I'm john teshing Japanese" .... no explanation about the 25% part.

[starfyre]

your all stupid hypocrites..

heh

Excuse you? Posts like that are just rude, sorry.

Umm ... I'll say I only read post 1. BUT ..

I don't think it's right to stereotype someone as an "Asian Wannabe"

Honestly sometimes I get this, because I'm 75% white, .. 25% Japanese

but you'd only guess if I told you.

I completely agree. It's quite dumb to just label someone. I mean, I know the kind of person people are talking about when people say Wangsta, Wasian or whatever like that but in reality it's just another label. Things we need less of in this world, we're all people you know?

[Guest -minerva-]

Im not Asian and I like Asian Culture and music and I've never been labeled, and I see no point in it, I like all different things and cultures, but no one can really have a specific label, unless they give it to themselves i guess. I've been made fun of several times for liking rock music tho. Sucks but it does happen alot. Regardless, im still gonna like what I like though

[ART SCHOOL DROPOUT]

your all stupid hypocrites..

heh

SRSLY. Come on, soompiers! Let's leave our egos at the door, shall we? People are allowed to be interested in other cultures, right? Just a bit? We're all speaking English here aren't we?

[Guest dancingbymyself]

Umm ... I'll say I only read post 1. BUT ..

I don't think it's right to stereotype someone as an "Asian Wannabe"

Honestly sometimes I get this, because I'm 75% white, .. 25% Japanese

but you'd only guess if I told you.

I love Korean culture, am learning Korean, Have Korean friends/boyfriend, &

plan on living in Korea teaching English after Uni.

Does this make me a "wannabe" ... no honestly I don't think so. Korean

culture doesn't belong solely to Koreans ... what is "culture" anyone could

have made up Kimchi Chigae ... just Koreans got there 1st.

I'm not an Anime Freak, I like Asian cultures. I'm not a "dreamer" because

I've actually been to Japan, am going to Korea next summer, & am going to

move to Korea. I can speak basic Korean. I don't sit and read anime all day,

I don't even like Anime.

Honestly, I think the people saying someone is a "wannabee" are a little

selfish & self absorbed. Let me put it this way ... "Do you live in America (Or England, Australlia, Ect)?",

"Do you speak English?", "Do you have American friends?", "Do you eat American food?"

Are you an American wannabe then?

I'm started to get to the point where if anyone says anything I'm just going to say

"I'm john teshing Japanese" .... no explanation about the 25% part.

It would be different if you lived in Korea.

I count you as a *worean* a wannabe Korean.

You want to live in Korea, surround yourself with Korean

people and things and are learning the language. I count that as

being a wannabe.

If an asian person is from america and is interested in american things

its normal. If a white person is from Japan and is interested in Japanese things

that's normal. I would call a Japanese person that is obsessed with American

things a wannabe (haha I actually met someone like this)

Also I think there's a difference between being interested in things, and being a

wannabe. I have a friend, who is really interested in Korean culture.

She could care less about celebs and dramas, but she's interested in Korea's

history, and society. She's currently studying Korean studies as a grad student

at SNU. I don't count her as wasian because she's actually interested in Korean CULTURE

not just POP culture, and she stays true to her french/american (immigrant) cultures.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Then again i've been called a wannabe fob before, because

i'm only half, yet I know all the singers, and dramas, and actors

and am always the first person to her celeb gossip.

I'm always call myself out as a twinkie though.

My korean is terrible. And my history... I know about

the three kingdoms... and something else happened...

haha maybe i'm just a hypocrite.

[catchlight]

It would be different if you lived in Korea.

I count you as a *worean* a wannabe Korean.

You want to live in Korea, surround yourself with Korean

people and things and are learning the language. I count that as

being a wannabe.

If an asian person is from america and is interested in american things

its normal. If a white person is from Japan and is interested in Japanese things

that's normal. I would call a Japanese person that is obsessed with American

things a wannabe (haha I actually met someone like this)

Thanks for sharing your opinion on this issue, and for being one of the only people who lays out a clear definition of what they think a "Wannabe" is and is not.

It's very fascinating to me that you draw such a sharp divide between interest in "Korean history/society" and interest in "Korean Pop Culture," as if the two aren't related at all, or as if being a K-Pop fan shows some lack of intelligence or misunderstanding of reality. I disagree--I believe that a country's history and society are deeply intertwined with what that country produces in the realm of entertainment, and that it is perfectly valid to have academic or scholarly study in elements of pop culture because it reveals so much about what goes on behind the scenes. (Research I conducted on gender roles and sexuality as portrayed in Korean Film and Dramas last year is a pretty good example )

(This is no longer in response to dancingbymyself, just some of my own thoughts ^^)

The Internet (with sites like Soompi, especially) isn't just a tool for finding information anymore. The Internet is making it MUCH harder to look at someone and assume things about them. It's not so easy to tell what a person's cultural identity is by the color of their skin, or even the country in which they were born. Holding on to these "traditional" notions of culture and community without acknowledging the massive effect the Internet has is counter-intuitive to gaining a full understanding of modern society.

Take this example: a 4th generation Korean-American girl with no knowledge of Korea's language or history lives in a predominantly Caucasian area, but she uses Soompi to get her "fix of Asian culture" and to feel a little closer to other Asians. I don't see anything wrong with this scenario--I don't see her as a "Wannabe Asian," but rather someone who has found something pleasurable and enjoyable about the culture she is exposed to on Soompi.

Change the story around a bit: an African-American girl lives in a multi-ethnic community, and some of her closest friends happen to be Asian; they introduce her to K-Pop and then Soompi. She falls in love with Asian Pop culture, and gets more involved on Soompi..over time, the people and cultural influences of Soompi have an effect on her own identity--it's not like she forgets/rejects Black culture, but that a new "section" is added for Korean culture. For many members of Soompi, it would appear that there is something inherently wrong with this picture, and that because of her country of birth, native language, and race, she will always be dumped in the "Asian Wannabe" category before she has the chance to explain herself out of it. This is very very unfortunate to me...because times are changing and we need to recognize that old barriers of race and nation and language are coming down very quickly.

I guess I'd like to conclude with the fact that each of us is an individual, and should be treated as such. We should embrace the idea that as people of the 21st century we have the CHOICE of what groups we want to identify with, what cultures we want to learn about, and who we want to be.

<3Stephanie

[Guest KateLove]

You want to live in Korea, surround yourself with Korean

people and things and are learning the language.

I count that as being a wannabe.

Also I think there's a difference between being interested in things, and being a

wannabe. I have a friend, who is really interested in Korean culture.

She could care less about celebs and dramas, but she's interested in Korea's

history, and society. She's currently studying Korean studies as a grad student

at SNU. I don't count her as wasian because she's actually interested in Korean CULTURE

not just POP culture, and she stays true to her french/american (immigrant) cultures.

Yes, this is exactly what I said. I'm interested in Korean CULTURE.

Like I said. I'm studying the Korean language, I plan on living in Korea,

having a life there, getting married there ect ect .. after University.

I know a thing or two about Korean History too.

How is this being a wannabe?

Isn't this just appreciating Korean culture

and wanting to embrace that culture more? Wouldn't living in Korea

just make it "My life"?

Like I said the people who only like an Asian country because of Anime

or Dramas or some superficial thing like that, can be considered wannabe's.

But someone interested in its culture .. is not.

I know you probably didn't mean to do this, but your opinions kind of contradicted

themselves because in the 1st paragraph you said that anyone who "surrounds themselves

with Korean culture is a wannabe" ... then in the next paragraph you say "I don't

count my friend as a wasian because she's interested in the culture."

나는 한국의 언어를 공부합니다. 나는 한국 문화를 사랑 해요.

한국되고 싶지 않아. 분명 차이가있다.

I think maybe you misread my post =]

Oh, & yes. Of course I watch Korean Drama and listen to Korean music,

if you're interested in Korean culture at all, you'd end up doing this. Lol.

Korean dramas and Music are awesome. 성시경 =]

[Guest onewaylove]

well, i just kinda find it weird when people are like 'i dont like anime or manga at all im not a wannabe' blahblah... well yeah, but that doesn't change anything. :/ people CAN like these things and not be wannabes. duh

anyway, i think its cool when people like all aspects of asian culture, not just the mainstream music, dramas and stuff sadly the only non-asians ive met who were interested in asian culture were overly obsessed with usual japanese things... people needa broaden their horizons. listen to krock and underground and everything you dont hear about etc etc the only things that REALLY bug me is when anyone claims to be something they're not, uses that language in their english sentences, or claims to be fluent, when they use honorifics (-chan -kun -sama oppa unnie etc) on every other person they know. oh, and when people think asia= china korea japan. uh, NO.

anyway. just my two cents. im afraid it makes no sense at all. o _o

[Guest azero]

[Guest tiffanyco]

It's weird.

But I think the real scary ones are the otakus. D8

[Guest Eijiro]

It's weird.

But I think the real scary ones are the otakus. D8

Because all otaku are white.

Obviously.

[starfyre]

Of course all Otakus are white.

Just like all Black people are gangsters, all Muslims want to blow us up, all Chinese people practice Kung-Fu, etc etc...

[Guest Eijiro]

I think Japanese otaku are creepier than the White ones. No, seriously.

[Guest dancingbymyself]

Yes, this is exactly what I said. I'm interested in Korean CULTURE.

Like I said. I'm studying the Korean language, I plan on living in Korea,

having a life there, getting married there ect ect .. after University.

I know a thing or two about Korean History too.

How is this being a wannabe?

Isn't this just appreciating Korean culture

and wanting to embrace that culture more? Wouldn't living in Korea

just make it "My life"?

You want to make Korean culture "You're Life". You want to be Korean,

you said it yourself. That makes you a wannabe.

[Guest dancingbymyself]

~sorry double post... stupid library computers...)

[Guest lostieee]

It's fascinating seeing some of the people in here claimed to be so dedicated to the Korean culture when their avatars and signatures gave the truth away that they're only fangirls who are over-obsessed with the Korean celebrity/pop culture.

[Guest KateLove]

You want to make Korean culture "You're Life". You want to be Korean,

you said it yourself. That makes you a wannabe.

& your friend is different how?

Please read the whole post you wrote.

You said she's majoring in Korean studies.

That's kind of dedicating your life to Korean

culture.

A wannabe is someone who wants to BE Korean.

I'm perfectly happy being who I am Haha.

I wouldn't have all the friends/family I have if I were

someone else.

[Guest dancingbymyself]

& your friend is different how?

Please read the whole post you wrote.

You said she's majoring in Korean studies.

That's kind of dedicating your life to Korean

culture.

A wannabe is someone who wants to BE Korean.

I'm perfectly happy being who I am Haha.

I wouldn't have all the friends/family I have if I were

someone else.

1. Way to avoid what I said and try to chang change the subject.

2. She doesn't want to live in Korea, or marry a Korean guy,

and have Korean kids, and live a Korean life.

As far as I know, she wants to teach Korean Studies

or some such thing.

If wanting to marry a korean guy, have korean kids, live in Korea,

and live a pretty much totally korean life doesn't make you

a wannabe Korean, then I don't know what else does.

Eh, who cares, go to Korea, marry a korean guy.

Even if you get Korean citizenship, you will never be

a "Korean" and always be treated as an outsider.

Have fun with that.

[Guest LionAngel]

lolol, i don't think that excessive liking for anime,kpop or anything

asian is like a wannabe asian.

edits: geehh, nevermind i just don't like it or i find it

really funny when people pretend that they're half japanese/korean/chinese/german/swedish/spanish etc

when it's TOO obvious that they're not.

dang what's wrong with being

whatever you are.. well, there's nothing wrong with learning and showing

interests in other culture but you should be proud regardless of what your ethnicity/race is.

[Guest KateLove]

Even if you get Korean citizenship, you will never be

a "Korean" and always be treated as an outsider.

Have fun with that.

Like I said. I don't care. I'm not Korean, I'm fine with that!

That's probably a main reason I appeal to so many Koreans.

If I were Korean do you think it'd be that interesting for me

to learn Korean and be moving there?

But Thank You, I will move to Korea and have a life there =]

& I think I'll be pretty darn happy.

Oh, and wait. Aren't you only 1/2 Korean?