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pastis
Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Posts: 82
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 Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 3:55 am Post subject: |
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cafebleu,
how about telling us what an utterly racist country China is instead? That would be a nice troll job for you. |
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Nagoyaguy
Joined: 15 May 2003
Posts: 425
Location: Aichi, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 6:23 am Post subject: |
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Whether or not the term is derogatory or not depends mostly on how the LISTENER perceives it, rather than the speaker. My great aunt from Nashville used to call black people "darkies", without a hint of malice. Just how she was raised. Yet I would not fault someone for being upset with her if they heard it.
Plus, the term Haafu does not mean simply "half Japanese". Does it include;
1/ half Japanese/ half Korean kids
2/ half Japanese/ half Chinese kids
3/ half Japanese/ half Philipino kids
It seems to be just applied to Japanese blends with white folks, and perhaps black folks too. Perhaps it has to do with Japanese insecurity with regards to "the west".
As for it being used in a complimentary way, I understand it. Hell, I hear it all the time. Yet I would rather just hear "oh, your son is cute" instead of "haafu kids are cute". Plus, I have seen some real nasty haafus in my time. Remember old Charles Jenkins (late of North Korea)? His daughters are, how can I say, not exactly model material...
If I were to compliment a Hebrew person's business acumen by saying "wow, you Jews are sure good with money" instead of "wow, you're good with money", I wouldn't find it acceptable even though it is a positive stereotype. |
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luckbox
Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 180
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 6:45 am Post subject: |
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| Nagoyaguy wrote: |
Whether or not the term is derogatory or not depends mostly on how the LISTENER perceives it, rather than the speaker. My great aunt from Nashville used to call black people "darkies", without a hint of malice. Just how she was raised. Yet I would not fault someone for being upset with her if they heard it.
Plus, the term Haafu does not mean simply "half Japanese". Does it include;
1/ half Japanese/ half Korean kids
2/ half Japanese/ half Chinese kids
3/ half Japanese/ half Philipino kids
It seems to be just applied to Japanese blends with white folks, and perhaps black folks too. Perhaps it has to do with Japanese insecurity with regards to "the west".
As for it being used in a complimentary way, I understand it. Hell, I hear it all the time. Yet I would rather just hear "oh, your son is cute" instead of "haafu kids are cute". Plus, I have seen some real nasty haafus in my time. Remember old Charles Jenkins (late of North Korea)? His daughters are, how can I say, not exactly model material... |
Good points, Nagoyaguy.
The sense I'm getting, especially from those of you foreigners who have haafu kids is that context is pretty key to usage of the term. I broached the topic today among a couple of my Japanese colleagues at school, just seeing what sort of terms they use, and haafu wasn't one of them. Rather, this or that kid has one parent from South America or Russia or Canada, or something along these lines.
I also think Sherri's frustarions as a parent are not uncommon, and I've talked to a few Canadian/American parent's of haafu kids who just got tired of the extra attention their kids seemed to get (both positive and negative), eventually opting to move the family and raise the kids back in their more multi-cultural home countries.
Interesting topic. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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If anyone is interested in staying on topic instead of deviating into France and China, here's another thread on the issue of "half". Same stuff so don't be surprised. Also a bit of a flamer's forum, so get your shields up.
http://www.gaijinpot.com/bb/showthread.php?t=26296 |
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luckyloser700
Joined: 24 Mar 2006
Posts: 308
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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| pastis wrote: |
cafebleu,
how about telling us what an utterly racist country China is instead? That would be a nice troll job for you. |
Say 3 positive things about Japan, will you, Cafe? That way we can be assured that you don't completely hate the country.
No food comments or stories about your liberal J-girlfriends, either. |
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Antonimus Prime
Joined: 02 Sep 2006
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 4:46 pm Post subject: |
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| A serious question here, would sending your children to an American school (if one can afford it ) curb many of these hafu/pure blood Japanese issues that children can face in their lives? |
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wintersweet
Joined: 18 Jan 2005
Posts: 345
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| A serious question here, would sending your children to an American school (if one can afford it ) curb many of these hafu/pure blood Japanese issues that children can face in their lives? |
Not to use a celebrity anecdote...oh well, what the heck. Taiwanese-Japanese actor Kaneshiro Takeshi has said that he had problems in Japan at both the Chinese and Japanese schools his parents tried, and it wasn't till the American school that he felt like he fit in OK with the other kids, because they came from various parts of the world. |
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