Thanks for the info….I usually say the word “funk” in Portuguese and not write it, hence the misspelling…and when I said the lyrics made no sense, I was talking about the parody, where they were doing a funk song , complete with the booty shaking and everything, to something that was completely off topic…I don’t remember what now, but it was something completely inappropriate for the song… sort of like a Weird Al version of funk, if that makes any sense…anyway, I have been studying Portuguese for over 2 years, and while I am far from fluent, I am able to grasp some of what they are saying (sometimes)…actually, as I write this, I am being subjected to some very loud funk music that is playing from the lobby of my apartment building here in Salvador (there is a birthday party going on)…I can appreciate the the 2 Live Crew type influence…funk music, like 2 Live Crew’s music, makes me want to dance and sing along even though I know I shouldn’t….

Japan is a first world nation, but that doesn’t make it a cultural “equal” in the eyes of the West–and certainly not in the perspective of Anglos/Americans.

Beneath all the propaganda about celebrating diversity or multiculturalism, the “Lost in Translation” syndrome is alive and well when it comes to Western treatment of Japan.

This review of that film touches upon some of these broader attitudes.

Is Lost in Translation Racist?
http://www.arc.org/racewire/031112e_paik.html

There is the little fact that America’s imperial troops have been occupying parts of Japan for the past half-century or so–”to defend freedom and democracy” of course.

For example, while it doesn’t seem to be as common these days, but cruxifixion imagery was rampant in anime/manga/games for a while…

Sharing in a safe forum can be the environment in which feelings of discrimination can be a platform upon which all people stand to say the way against discrimination is only tolerance and understanding, not hatred, not anger, not violence. After all, we are 99 percent the same.

Its difficult for some people to pay in these days and times but the blog continues to offer the discussion at a cost to the host Carmen that she donates to the community. Thank you for such a great blog!

Why are you assuming that the cultures that are being appropriated are confined to the countries they originated from? When speaking of appropriating Japanese culture, even if Japan as a country may be economically equal, those of Japanese descent who live in North America are not considered equal. And it is their culture as well that is being appropriated.

Or even if South Asians who grew up in South Asia may not feel offended, those of us who grew up in North America do.

Your comments are completely ignoring our existence in North America.

Yes, definitely blue skin. And I think something like five or six arms on each side of his body, but I could be misremembering that — it’s been about 8 years since this incident, and six since I’ve been to that restaurant.

“As sobia said Asians of her aquantaince dont seem to bothered. It seems the offence is much more in american eyes which seems a bit Westerncentric to me as it feels a bit patronising to get upset on somebody elses behalf when they dont want you too”

That’s not what I said. I said many South Asians who I know, who were born and raised in South Asia, don’t seem bothered. I never said no South Asians are bothered. I’m South Asian and I’m bothered by it.

I’m sorry, but I’m getting offended on my own behalf, not someone else’s.

A great example that came up during a debate on another website is this: there’s nothing wrong with me (a non-Italian) cooking Italian food and having a great appreciation for it. But if I start telling Italians that my Italian cooking is better and more authentic than theirs, that’s when the lines gets crossed.

I don’t care about how bits and pieces of Japanese culture are so much in vogue right now. In fact, it works to my advantage sometimes, when I want to find English-subtitled versions of obscure anime titles. But what drives me crazy is when people take their superficial knowledge of Japanese culture and then beat Japanese-Americans over the head with it… “Oh you’ve never heard of [insert obscure anime title]? What’s wrong with you? Are you REALLY Japanese?”

I don’t think Japanese nationals are all that affected by this trend, but it’s something that has very powerful impact on Japanese-Americans and by extension other Asian-Americans.

I’ve heard plenty of Indian people describing ow Hindu deities are super-commodified in Indian advertising. The Japanese model holds true. Kitschy Hindu-deity lunchboxes may not have any affect on Indians living in India… but the dynamic gets much more complicated (and often very negative and insulting) when it comes to Indian-Americans.

When people like us complain about appropriation, it’s not because we feel like we own the culture and no one else is allowed to borrow from it. It’s not about things, it’s about people… people who feel entitled to treat us like dirt because of their supposed connection to the culture.

I can certainly see there is an issue if you are dealing with imbalances of power, but what’s a bit of appropriation between equals?

I don’t think the solution is to introduce new words that specify if a person’s mixture includes European heritage or not, because then this goes down the same line as many other racial terms, as you’ve described in this article and also just screams political correctness. The best answer in my opinion, is to keep on using the term mixed, clarify that it means all mixed people, and only when talking about a particular group of mixtures should we specify what group, so as not to imply any kind of particular association with the word mixed. We kind of already have this with the word hapa. People familiar with the term in the US know that hapa is associated with being mixed Asian or Pacific Islander of some sort.

Although race and ethnicity are not mutually exclusive concepts, we tend to largely associate the word “mixed” with mixed-race, but mixed ethnicities can have similar issues as us…depending on the mixture. However, breaking down mixtures by ethnicity can hurt unity, and some areas of the world are in great need of unity and don’t need a concept like this differentiating themselves to that degree. This varies on a case by case basis though.

I’ve been to parties where the dj played both, and you would have mostly African Americans on the floor when hip hop plays, and then they’re replaced by Latinos when reggaeton comes on. However, I’ve also been to parties where everyone enjoys all the music. It’s all about what you’re exposed to.

I don’t think afro Latinos have to have the same sentiments on race as African Americans, and I would hesitate to prescribe it to a black denial. To myself, an afro Latina woman, my experience as afro Latina is not at all parallel with that of African Americans, and brings its own complications. I’ve worked to learn about my culture, and learn about and even accept the complications of where I come from. I’m by no means embracing them, but I’m also not ready to start any kind of conversation that revolves around “race wars” or about racial tensions, since it’s obvious half the commenters are already scratching their heads and going “but aren’t lots of Latinos black?”, which should make it obvious that it goes a bit beyond the lines that people like to form in the sand, replicating that same custom the US has of dividing things into categories without taking nuances into account.

A few years ago, a University of New Mexico Chicano Studies professor named Charles Truxillo suggested that a “Republica del Norte” could emerge in the not-so-distant future.

This Republic would take California and most of the US Southwest (which some call AZTLAN) and combine with it parts of Northern Mexico to form a new nation.

As Truxillo put it, “there is a growing fusion, a reviving of connections…. Southwest Chicanos and Norteño Mexicanos are becoming one people again.”

It would be very interesting to find out if the god in the picture was Krishna. As the storyof jesus and krishna are so similar that many believe the story of jesus is based on the the story of krishna which was based on the story of horus (i think) from ancient egypt and so on back in time.

Can you remember if the god had blue skin? As I say, it would be very interesting if your friend in his moment of ignorance had actually percieved something very deep!

As far as images of hindu deities go, in india itself there are pictures of gods and goddesses on everything from shopping bags to calendars to taxis to tee shirts to cigarettes. I dont think that indian people would be too upset with americans, or anyone else enjoying the art( as long as they are not obviously being offensive, krishna advertising beef might be a step too far!)

As sobia said Asians of her aquantaince dont seem to bothered. It seems the offence is much more in american eyes which seems a bit Westerncentric to me as it feels a bit patronising to get upset on somebody elses behalf when they dont want you too.

The main focus of the game turns out to be cooperation, Sheva is a skillful, fearless agent who makes the choice of following Chris until the mission is over.

A lot is explained in files that you can find in the game, files that tells about the location Africa, the background of Sheva and why Chris is in Africa.

To me, the game doesn’t make justice to the fright the other resident evil games had, but it tells the story of help, co-operation, partnership between a big, though white guy and strong, fearless black woman (who by the way follows Chris later on to make a stand for her fallen bothers. They don’t want to eradicate africans, they want to avenge them). That’s pretty good if you ask me.

Now unfortunately Sheva is no different when it comes to clothing because you can unlock two outfits of her, both with less clothes than the original. I agree when people say that women are mostly always degraded by their clothes in games… but really, I’m willing to accept Sheva’s leopard bikini or gold, belt-sized skirt if only Chris had something more… showing, too. Of course I’m joking, but it’s pretty hot in Africa… maybe he should take that shirt off once in a while

Scientists like who?

After reading Vespucci’s Mundus Novus recently, I think you have a point. My impression was that he spent more time than necessary describing the native women’s sexual behaviour and pointing out their willingness to sleep with Europeans.