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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/19/12 in all areas

  1. I find this slightly difficult to give an answer to, since there are multiple questions being asked, all not the same. As such, I'll have to ask for some clarifications on some things. First of all, what's your thesis and what observations support it? From what you've written and linked to, I can make some assumptions on what it might be, the most obvious being this: Japanophiles tend to have political ideals associated with the far right, usually involving nationalism and jingoism. But that doesn't quite square with that Yahoo link, since that person just seems to be a naive and brazenly ignorant fellow who shows no coherent political leanings. Nevertheless, your post makes it clear that you're concerned with a political outlook that some people find attractive. You'll have to tell me if my statements are close to what you're hypothesizing. The other problem I have is figuring out exactly what is meant by your use of the term "Japanophile". Of course, some links to examples were given, but giving examples isn't the same as actually giving a workable definition of what something means. All you provided were links to a questionable profile and two sites. Again, I can guess they refer to something like "Japan total kawaii ~^_^~", but maybe not. Moreover, you've linked to examples which might be [i]atypical[/i] of whatever a Japanophile may be. Is there something about anime/manga and modern Japanese pop-culture that somehow commits a person to ultranationalism and xenophobia (both of which are elements found in far-right politics that lean heavily towards fascism). I'm skeptical if that's being implied here. However, if you're asking if there's something essential or compelling about Japanese culture, society, politics, etc. that attracts certain people, then perhaps there is. But I would argue that it might not be something that's peculiar to Japan alone. You've mentioned Stormfront, and I have little doubt that some the people there have an historical interest in late19th early 20th century Germany. Maybe some idolize Mussolini's pre-WWII Italy and its heavy handed tactics of political suppression. Maybe some look back to American history itself and nod with misty-eyed approval at the line in the Declaration of Independence that speaks of "the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions." Maybe some are just unemployed beer-swilling jerks. Basically, I don't think this is strictly a Japanese problem concerning the "Japanophile". The last thing I'll comment on is what is meant by "this community". Is this community [i]this[/i] actual community, or those you've linked to? Perhaps a collection of everything? Okay, otakuboards.com isn't 4chan.org or sankakucomplex.com. (Stormfront is something altogether different.) They're all aspects of a broader community loosely joined together by a common admiration of Japanese culture (itself broadly defined to be close to what you're getting at). Some people really love Miku Hatsune and don't care less about Sino-Japanese territorial disputes. Others also love all almost all things Korean, but stop short of putting up Kim Jong-un posters on their wall. In a community so broadly understood, you'll find people with clashing ideals, rather than there being one homogenous heap. To understand "this community" as being exemplified by those linked examples and in terms of far-right activism, well, that's quite unfair to those of us who aren't prone to political jingoism and hawkish foreign policy. Unless I'm sure I know what's meant by "Japanophile" and "this community" and how they relate to your hypothesis (again, unstated), I find it difficult to give clearer answers to the questions you ask. If the community you write of is populated by jingoistic chauvinists, and that's not your cup of tea, then maybe it's a good thing to not belong to it. But keep in mind, those examples don't define the larger community out there.
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