You know what really irritates me? Why is it that someone can't learn a language without being called a weeaboo or a koreaboo or anything that has to do with "changing" your race and/or ethnicity? Why is it that no one calls someone out for learning Spanish? Or Italian, or even so much as klingon? And that one isn't even a legit language!!! But oh if someone learns Japanese or Korean or any other Asian language they want to become that race and ethnicity....? What?
They say things like, “ oh you’re just learning it because you want a Korean boyfriend/girlfriend.” or, “you’re just learning Japanese because you watch a lot of anime and stuff.” like….what does my genitalia have to be put i to the mix for why im learning a language? And why is it that if I watch anime that mean im doing it to watch even more anime and become an ultimate otaku or get a Japanese boyfriend?
Like why can’t I just learn a language to further my cultural knowledge and understanding of people and how they do traditions and what they celebrate and appreciate what they do and who they are and participate in a few as a sign of respect and to broaden my horizons and meet new friends?
Like why? Are you so jealous because im actually doing something that you aren’t and you’re hating on me for it? Or you just find it so difficult to learn, while im succeeding in learning it and you just gave up when it got “too hard”? (No dirty pun intended)
LOL it’s usually because those people are only fascinated with one part of that culture and therefore seems to want to learn and even become everything related to it. for example, people who are really into anime and for some reason thinks that EVERY japanese person acts like anime or watches anime, some even treat the entire country as some sort of “cartoon.” same thing for korean. sometimes i hear people who just know how to read hangul claim that they speak and write fluent korean; i have a lot of korean friends who look down on people who seem to fetishize their culture.
also, i think a big reason why these two terms even exist is because asians aren’t taken seriously in the western world. when people are genuinely interested in asian culture and they want to learn their language, sometimes people see it as fetishizing, although it’s not their intentions. whereas on the flip side, people who really don’t actually care about asian culture and only care about the pop phenomenon/entertainment side of the culture don’t acknowledge that there is so much more to a culture than anime and kdramas/kpop.
of course, there are people who genuinely want to learn a language and culture they’re fascinated with! but often times, as an asian, i see both sides of the argument :\