What's up with the term Weeb.

[Greenfrost]

I've seen it spelled differently, like weaboo or something, but it means the same thing. The bad kind of anime fan. It reminds me of when I was in high school, and people would throw around the term "cool nerd", like they were willing to admit they were nerdy, but still needed to feel superior in some way. The idea of a "weeb" seems a bit archaic, like something from the 80s and 90s. I mean, can't we just leave people alone, and allow them to like what they like, and do what they do. If they aren't hurting themselves or others, who cares.

 

[firelight]

Some people always need to feel superior to others. Gaming used to be for "nerds" but now most people are (casual) gamers. Same with the internet.

 

[DarkFlame]

This usually happens with the introduction and popularization of new mediums. It's best to just ignore the terms and do what you want to do (so long as it doesn't hurt yourself or others).

 

[DANDAN_THE_DANDAN]

 

[PantsMan]

What are you guys even talking about? "Weeb" isn't a derogatory term for "anime fan", it's just a nonsensical word that stands for "Japanophile". The kind of people that go "everything in Japan is the best, and I totally want to go there since I'll be accepted because I love anime and manga so much!" You have it the wrong way around: if anything it's weebs who are usually acting superior over others who happen to not know why Nihon media is totally much more deep than any adult movie, and that they're not comics, but mahn-gah!

It's kind of turning into an annoying, catch-all term nowadays ever since people started using it ironically, but the underlying meaning is still the same.

I mean, can't we just leave people alone, and allow them to like what they like, and do what they do. If they aren't hurting themselves or others, who cares.

I'm all for "live and let live", but namecalling is just namecalling. Who cares. Since I haven't heard of kids getting pushed into toilets while being called "weebs", I'm assuming it's just Internet slang, so it's even less of an issue.

 

[Greenfrost]

@PantsMan

I was under the impression that the word otaku meant "japanophile", but I guess I could be wrong. My understanding of what a "weeb" is, is someone who'd go out dressed like naruto when grocery shopping, or have a room filled with Sailer Moon figurines. Like, they express their passion for their hobby in ways that casual anime viewers may see as cringey and odd. My definition of the term may be wrong though, if so, please correct me. And, my main point was that even if someone likes Naruto, they should be able to express it in however way they like. Either by, watching the whole series in one go once a year, or Larping the first season in the park.

 

[firelight]

That's the definition, but a lot of people use it to mean anyone who watches anime.

 

[DarkFlame]

@Greenfrost From what I recall, the original meaning of a "weeb" was used primarily for people who took things over the top in relation to anime and manga that seem to inherently make fun or poke fun of Japanese media (whether intentional or deliberate). An example would be using Japanese phrases in the middle of conversations with other people that have no idea what you're saying.

I'm not sure if this definition is correct though or some sort of regurgitation, but I hope this helped a little.

 

[DANDAN_THE_DANDAN]

@Greenfrost The western definition of "otaku" is "anime fan" but in Japan it literally translates to "nerd" (I think). If you're a big fan of anything, in Japan, you are called an otaku because you are a nerd.

I meant this is just one of many Japanese terms whose true definitions got butchered over in the western interpretations.

 

[Exiled]

@DarkFlame It is this. A "Weeaboo" (the origins of the term are both obscure and dumb) is someone who takes their love of anime/manga so far that they become a hardcore Japanophile.

 

[NSUCOMMPROF]

I was always curious about the derivation of the word otaku. I found a short article on the word otaku (https://www.tofugu.com/japan/otaku-meaning/) has changed, but like most things when it gets taken out of its cultural context it gets messy. No idea what a weeb is.

 

[josephgomes619]

Original definition - Somebody who is obsessed with Japan due to watching anime, says Japanese catchphrases randomly/has pillows of anime characters etc

Current definition - Anybody who watches anime. Can be used either ironically or unironically, by anime and non-anime viewers.

 

[DANDAN_THE_DANDAN]

It's pretty much a greeting in r/animemes

 

[ElBichoRaro]

Otaku is more than just being someone who loves manga/anime too much. It's more like being a recluse that'll focus so much on their interest (manga/anime, idols, games, trains, anything you can think of) that they'll forgo any other things (like spending time with "normies" or sometimes even working) in order to spend more time with what they like. Considering the extreme fanaticism of some people over there regarding certain things (like idols or seiyuu, going to the point of stalking or trying to attack the object of their admiration), I guess that it can be a bit of a mental illness. (Example: 3DPD)

A weaboo, on the other hand, is someone whose Japanophilia is on otaku levels of extremity. Like girls who abuse the words kawaii, baka, desu, etc., because of their fanaticism, or dudes who claim waifus and all that because JAPAN IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN AMERICA BAKA GAIJIN blah blah blah. It later becomes the standard reason why some people are afraid of admitting they like it.

Neither are healthy ways to live or act. Later ostracism and bullying can and will happen, because anything that's different isn't welcome. Granted, we should be in a time where people just accept likes and dislikes normally, but let's be honest: Human nature leads to us wanting to feel superior to others and name-calling and bullying to feed our egos.

Just my $0.02

 

[DANDAN_THE_DANDAN]

I think people long ago were afraid to be labeled as an otaku because of the Otaku Killer.

Tsutomu Miyazaki (宮﨑 勤 Miyazaki Tsutomu, August 21, 1962 – June 17, 2008), also known as The Otaku Murderer or The Little Girl Murderer, was a Japanese serial killer, cannibal, and necrophile who abducted and murdered four young girls in Saitama and Tokyo Prefectures from August 1988 to June 1989. His crimes included vampirism and preservation of body parts as trophies.

On July 23, 1989, Miyazaki attempted to insert a zoom lens into the vagina of a schoolgirl in a park near her home and was confronted by the girl's father. After fleeing naked on foot, Miyazaki eventually returned to the park to retrieve his Toyota car, whereupon he was arrested by police who had responded to a call by the father. A search of Miyazaki's two-room bungalow produced 5,763 videotapes, some containing anime and slasher films (later used as reasoning for his crimes). Interspersed among them was video footage and pictures of his victims. He was also reported to be a fan of horror films of which he had a collection. Miyazaki, who retained a perpetually calm and collected demeanor during his trial, appeared indifferent to his capture.

The media called him "The Otaku Murderer". His killings caused a moral panic against otaku, accusing anime and horror films of making him a murderer. These reports were disputed. In Eiji Ōtsuka's book on the crime, he argued that Miyazaki's collection of pornography was probably added or amended by a photographer in order to highlight his perversity. Another critic, Fumiya Ichihashi, suspected the released information was playing up to public stereotypes and fears about otaku, as the police knew they would help cement a conviction. Miyazaki's father refused to pay for his son's legal defense and committed suicide in 1994.

 

[aloe_Cloud]

W - Wevy
E - Epic
E - Ecchi
B - Bruh

 

[DANDAN_THE_DANDAN]

I'll do you one better:

Be a WEEB!​

Wgo get a life
E
E
B

 

[aloe_Cloud]

this one hurts dandan-san

 

[DANDAN_THE_DANDAN]

*Rubs healing potato on Aloe*

Spoiler

It was a joke don't take it seriously

 

[EaterOfBooks]

@Greenfrost There's more info and history on how the term got popular on this page. TLDR: it was a 4chan word filter change replacing "wapanese" (white + Japanese, an older insult to white people who were madly in love with all things Japan), and people just started using it as a replacement.

Since then, there's been some linguistic drift - the western anime community has always been on odd mix of elitist and self-deprecating, so more anime fans started using the term to refer to themselves, so "weeb" isn't really that much of an insult anymore.