Wasians/Wannabe Asians.

[Guest inthesoul-k]

That's not true at all, I've seen asian, white, indian, black OTAKU'S at anime conventions. Maybe that person feel's more comfortable indulging in Korean culture than her own. It's not big deal just like how everyone likes different music, even if there parents listen to hip hop they could like HARDCORE ROCK...reason being thats just them and what they feel comfortable with. Although I dont think people should just throw away there own culture or race, but if they like another culture no problem; JUST REMEMBER YOU WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED KOREAN OR W/E IF YOUR NOT by other Koreans.

[Guest azero]

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.

oooh snap!

[Guest Dulce de Leche]

I know several...

It's a little weird at first.

Then I'm just like 'eh' after a while.

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 wink.gif)

(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

AND WOW.

That would be such a great essay xD

But yeah, I would agree with you.

[Guest Nerdy]

Wannabe Asians? They freak me out a bit.

[Guest stickycarnival]

in relation to the so called wanabe korean....

please explain the difference between an asian living in the united states getting involved with americian live aren't they as a much a wanabe as the girl wanting to live in korea everyone should be entitled to live there live whatever way they please theres no law stoping them who are u to judge? when u are living in a western society living as an americian

have to open ur mind multi cultural world technology has advanced u can get involved with anyone u want whats wrong with her marrying a korean man asian women western men all the time just look at thai girls chinese girls korean japanese whatever all them want to see the world embrace a new culture so why cant she i am all for it wanabe or not whats wrong with being a wanabe why is it a negative?

[Guest HighSkies]

so why cant she i am all for it wanabe or not whats wrong with being a wanabe why is it a negative?

There is nothing wrong with being a 'wannabe' (meh, I feel inclined to not use that would so carelessly right now but to explain), its all the negative connatations which are attached to it.

Wannabes are generally seen as people who want to be something which they wouldn't usually be without the influences of other things, whether thats a style of clothing, lifestyle, etc, someone who copies or immitates aspects dealing with whatever it is that they want to be like.

So really, there isn't anything wrong with wanting to be like someone you admire because we all have free will blah, blah, blah.

BUT, wannabes as I said before have a million and one bad connatations attached to them. i.e.

They are seen by some people as people who can't think for themselves and feel the need to copy from something else. While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery as they say, having lots of people copying your style, your lifestyle etc can begin to annoy people greatly because they are proud of what they have created originally. To have someone come along and copy all that which is essentially what they are doing becomes irritating to the 'creators of whatever it is' as such.

A small minority of people will feel like this strongly and *POOF* the phrase 'Wasians' is born.

I don't really mind 'wasians' really. The only thing I mind is when people become obsessive over it i.e. Non stop talking of it/ 90% of the time talking about it / goes out of their way to be whatever they are wanting to be like and/or become delusional and start saying they are whatever they are trying to be and insisting it. i.e. Someone thinking they are japanese when they are not. Then that annoys me because that shows complete dependancy which is quite frankly pathetic. Everyone has the ability to think for themselves, so why waste it? Fitting all the negative stereotypical ideas of 'wannabe asians or wannabe whatever' also doesn't help.

Incorparating parts of something you admire with yourself to be more like something/one you admire is fine.

Devoting your body/mind/soul to being nearly if not identical to something/one you admire/like alone is not.

[Guest xrockstar]

LOL yeah I agree they are annoying. I am asian and proud to be. LOL. I listen to Korean and English music yet I'm Viet. I just enjoy the music.

Anyways back to the topic, just because white/black people enjoy the music and anime, DOES NOT mean that they are wasians. Wasians are, TRYING to dress asian, trying to act asian like saying "aisshhh" or "aigoooo" or "omoo!" and all that. I've known one girl that put xasiangirll in a username, even though she wasn't Asian. Now that is a true wasian.

[Guest Eijiro]

The ignorance of some people in this topic really astounds me. Really.

[Guest c0lap1nada]

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.

I agree... I hate half of the people here. They think DBSK/WG/SJ/SNSD = Korea.. its like, wow wtf do you even know...

I especially hate people who ask other people how to dress 'fob'. 1. You're not fob. 2. You don't even know how to dress fob. 3. Why even??

[Guest CitrusFlower]

I agree... I hate half of the people here. They think DBSK/WG/SJ/SNSD = Korea.. its like, wow wtf do you even know...

I especially hate people who ask other people how to dress 'fob'. 1. You're not fob. 2. You don't even know how to dress fob. 3. Why even??

Go to the Korean Celeb column, you'll see alot

[Guest Eijiro]

I agree... I hate half of the people here. They think DBSK/WG/SJ/SNSD = Korea.. its like, wow wtf do you even know...

I especially hate people who ask other people how to dress 'fob'. 1. You're not fob. 2. You don't even know how to dress fob. 3. Why even??

You'll find that 98% of people on the internet suck. It's not just Soompi.

[Guest HenRae]

wow what a big argument everyones having ;o, can't we just forget it all and just be cool, teh topic was just for everyone's opinion, lets just all be cool and friends

[Guest wongrolle]

I thought wasians were racially mixed folk--white and asian

[catchlight]

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.

Is this aimed at me, by any chance?

You're going to judge an entire multi-faceted, complex person by a few pixels they use to represent their interests on SOOMPI?

Please remember where we are--K-Pop for the Masses not "Rigorous Academic Study of Korean History for Koreans only"

If Soompi isn't a safe place to show your love for K-Pop in your avatar, then what is?

Sure, I'm proud to reveal to the Soompi world that my favorite drama is My Girl, and that I think 이준기 is beautiful

But that is one small part of my knowledge of and interest in Korean culture, and an even smaller part of who I am as a person.

<3Stephanie

::EDIT:: I'm trying to get to 1,000 posts so I can change my name...it was a joke but people can't seem to stop bugging me about it! LOL

[Guest fightforfreedom]

i think it's cool that asian wannabes even exist. it makes me proud to be asian

everyone knows we're the best

[Guest dancingbymyself]

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?

1. Yes, I am half Korean. I already said that in one of my posts replying to you.

Alot of Koreans don't consider me as a "Korean'' What's you're point. That has nothing

to do with what we were talking about. Which just so happened to be you.

2. Actually, I think it would be, I know alot of 2nd generation Koreans, that want to move

back to Korea.

[Guest c0lap1nada]

Go to the Korean Celeb column, you'll see alot

Beauty & Fashion section proves a lot too...

[Guest ST@R]

LOL.....Wasian is a funny name-calling-thingy I don't have a problem if people like what us Asian's do because it also makes me proud to be asian & I would love to make friends with people that like my culture or race but that's to a point. You should know where you come from & not claiming your own race is being cowardly.... Other than that...I would love for people to love Asians...more?

[Guest tisa-chan]

What's wrong with trying to eat with chopsticks! I do that from time to time because it's fun and new and I know I'm not a Wasian however I do admit that I wouldn't think of eating with chopsticks if I didn't watch Asian dramas.

Wasians don't exist for me only people who are very interested in Asian culture. I think they are really to be envied because they are able to find such strong interest in sth.

I don't need to be Asian to appreciate Asia. I find their food interesting (especially Korean), their respect for the elders and their desperate struggle to fit into the Korean society thus becoming an educated, successful and beautiful person.

[Guest Eijiro]

1. Yes, I am half Korean. I already said that in one of my posts replying to you.

Alot of Koreans don't consider me as a "Korean'' What's you're point. That has nothing

to do with what we were talking about. Which just so happened to be you.

2. Actually, I think it would be, I know alot of 2nd generation Koreans, that want to move

back to Korea.

Because they're 2nd generation.

I know a lot of Koreans who grew up there and can't wait to move abroad.