Terrace House is racist. (Opinion)
I didn’t really know why I didn’t like Vivi from this season, but now I think I know a little more. Which is, that I dislike what Vivi represents. As one of the characters for this reality tv show, it’s natural that she’s in the center of attention. But I’m just so tired of seeing white girls take on a show as a heroine. I’m so tired of white girls who are placed on pedestals for being that girl who’s chasing her dream, innocent, strong-willed and some may even say, independent. When she talks her opinion, she’s applauded, sugoi might be the word Japanese may use, as if she did something heroic. When she does get emotional, it’s cute and precious and, kawaiso. I’m tired of seeing white girls be placed as the heroine of any tv show, but especially on an asian tv show. Sure it is a depiction of Tokyo life, but where are all the other minorities. Where are the non-minories with different views? This got me to thinking, is Terrace House racist? My impression of what the characters in Terrace House represent is romanticised internationalism and chasing the celebrity dream. Where are the Chinese, Korean and Phillipinos that have the largest ethnic groups in Tokyo? I don’t personally dislike Vivi, but I dislike what she represents. She gets on my nerves, which is not to say she isn’t a “good” person. Sure, she’s not mean or inhumane, she’s a “good” person, but she gets on my nerve. And, it gets on my nerves for Japanese people to obviously ignore what she represents because of the color of her skin. So, is Terrace House really the “savior” of this genre, or is it literally just a racist Japanese version made un-racist from a person who only knows Japanese culture on a basic level?
