Quote:
Originally Posted by orbitalaspect
Honestly, I see it in my own actions that I'm grasping at straws as much as anyone to identify what the message is in the video. To me, the offense isn't necessarily in the context of whether a Japanese person made the video, it's more-so about whether a fat girl munching on a drumstick while running is a fair depiction of someone with weight issues. In retrospect, there are a number of individual WTF moments in the video that feel more offensive than parody. The video itself? Overall, not offensive.
My not-boyfriend thingy (ok, he's a boyfriend but not technically a boyfriend yet) pretty much asked the same question you do: Why should we care? We've done so many horrible things as a nation, etc. And the best answer I can give is that Japan has pillaged, plundered, raped, and exploited too. (The Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II.) So, it naturally follows to ask: Why should Japanese Americans feel bothered by Katy Perry exploiting Japanese culture for a music performance? That said, American and Japan societies are vastly different today. I think we should care because our present culture values inclusion more than ever before. I think it's OK for some Japanese-Americans to feel Katy Perry's performance at the AMAs was somewhat offensive. And from that I think it's OK for some Americans to interpret Ayu's PV as offensive.
EDIT: I appreciate the discussion, Coelacanth!
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DON'T instrumentalize the suffering of tons of people caused by political issues that have nothing to do with your culture just for the sake of wining an internet arguing. Please, show some respect.
Ayumi is a japanese popstar whose primary marketing is Japan. We, her western fanbase, are just happy accidents and will never be the main focus of her career.
She also doesn't hold as much power as a public figure on the west as Katy Perry worldwide. Everything Ayu does, the worst it is, have almost no impact compared to what any C-list american pop star have, it's a very weak comparative to make.