Question about weaboo / koreaboo

[coreofsoul]

I was talking with my boyfriend about the weaboo / koreaboo concept yesterday, and a few questions came to my mind. 

 

1) Can Asians be considered a *whatever*boo? I mean if there is a Japanese person who is obsessed with Korea to the point that they want to move there, learn the language, become famous, live the Korean life, etc. will they be considered a Koreaboo? I've usually only heard the term applied to non-Asian people.

 

2) I've seen Chad Future called a Koreaboo a bunch of times. (I'm not arguing whether he is or not, idc about him) I'm assuming it's because he's trying to be famous in Korea, dresses like a Kpop idol, and so on. But if that's all it takes why isn't Luhan considered a Koreaboo? Amber? Jackson? Any of the other foreign Kpop idols? 

 

3) For people who call others Koreaboos or Weeaboos, do they also think it's weird/too much when non-Americans are obsessed with the US, for example? (want to move to the US, date Americans, learn English, only listen to US artists, watch US TV shows) Or what if a Canadian was obsessed with French pop culture and people? Stuff like that.

 

This isn't a rant, I'm genuinely interested in others' thoughts on this. 

[ñyan]

1. I guess so

2. Luhan was indeed a koreaboo with the dream of being an idol which he accomplished just like a lot of koreaboo, idk about others 

3. Idk, but I know people who try learn English using British accent and they think it sounds cool but sounds unnatural, they are britishboo? lol idk

[ANTI]

 

1. it's weird

 

it's slightly offensive

 

koreaboos tend to go overboard

 

see point 1

 

[yeokdae]

1) Yes

 

2) Kinda mind blown. I never thought about it like that. I think it depends on the person and how they got into Kpop and if they knew about it beforehand

 

3) That depends on the person, but yeah there are insults for people in other countries who are obsessed with America.

[bottomluhan]

1. Yes.

2. Yes, he's a Koreaboo. No, actual Korean idols are not. Neither are non-Korean idols.

3. It don't work like that.

[DragonFury]

1: Yes.

2: I don't think Chad Future is a Koreaboo. To me a fundamental trait of a Koreaboo is the desire to learn Korean, move to Korea, etc. and doing nothing noteworthy to fulfill that desire. Chad Future is at least doing something about his desire and that makes him better than the endless idiots who think being Korean is calling people oppa/unnie and greeting everyone with annyeong.

[Rosetty]

I don't understand why can't some people see the fact that if someone has a genuine interest in an area its not necessarily obsession :/

 

1) yes, I don't think it matters

 

2) probably, he can do whatever he wants though

 

3) that mindset makes me want to face palm so badly

[PinkPunk]

1) Yes

 

 

2) Tbh I think wanting to become an artist in Korea is fine but the problem I have with it is usually why some people try and make it as an idol. I think some people do it out of being delusional thinking they'll always have fun and meet all these idols and everything is going to be dandy. I don't trust Chad's motives tbfh. He treats the whole language as just another accessory for his songs. Probably shouldn't be talking shit since he follows me on twitter lol. 

 

3) Also I think anyone can be a weeb. I think knowing that pop culture doesn't reflect a country as whole and can kind of help prevent that.

[aoe]

1. yes

2. im guessing they like working as an entertainers in korea, just like some people like to be teachers in korea. but who knows, maybe they are koreaboos too. 

3. i think so

[�SHERRY�]

wanting to learn korean culture, language or even move to korea is not koreaboo tho. imo koreaboo or whateve boo is a person wanting to become another race altogether. and wanting to learn or even use a certain culture does not equal to wanting to be that certain race.

[Bitchfit]

Yeah

Luhan himself was a koreaboo

I feel like people expect everyone to hold some sort of interest in american pop culture so the whole *****boo stigma is nonexistent.

[hallah]

1. Depends.

 

2. The Western market is almost impossible for Asians to break into. With that being the case, it makes sense for Chinese and Japanese to want to bank in on the hallyu wave, and for Chinese and Koreans to want to make it big in one of the top 3 largest music industries in the world, AKA Japan. 

 

3. No, because USA and Canada are multi-ethnic cultures.

[myreflections]

Wasn't the concept of "___Boo" meaning something like denying your own culture and feeling more another culture?

In Europe for example, the immigration and transit between countries as workers, people going from one country to another to live is immense. Does that make them all boo? no. because it's one race with different social background and a relative similar cultural background.

 

a caucasian wanting to be asian is seen as "_Boo" because it goes outside of race. And you need more than to just enjoy a foreign culture. If a Caucasian goes to SK to work, they aren't necessarily a koreanboo because they have to talk and "do in Rome what the romans do"

 

I see this whole being a korean boo etc... more like.. a caucasian still living in their  country, with their own language, dressing and behaving and using korean language.basically behaving like a Korean while he is caucasian/european

 

 

but some people consider any sort of interest in korean culture as being koreaboo. 

 

1. I doubt it. The asian cultures are interconnected and from hanja to certain mindset, they go across the race. 

2. Chad Future is called a koreaboo because of his love for Korea and the fact that he has incorporated it in his date to day life while not living in Korea. Then again, a proper definition of a koreaboo must be made for it to be exact. 

 

3. I don't think all this "boo" thing functions in societies that are closely related or multi-racial. It doesn't apply for USA and Canada because there are many races living there, and it doesn't apply from one country to another of Europe, because there is a common basis for European cultures making each country different but not substantially different like Europe-Asia.

 

 

I would be a korean boo if while in my country I would dress like them, copy their actions and words and use heol and etc in my day to day life, giving up on my own cultural identity.

 

Cause if we apply being a koreaboo, a weaboo etc for everyone who moves and assimilates things from another culture, then we would all be boo something.

Even more, if we see koreaboo's as everyone with an interest in korea, language and culture, everyone here is a koreaboo.

 in this case, there would be no more reason to use koreaboo or weaboo as we use it now in a rather bad way. It would turn into a meaningless word

at least that's how I see it.

[♩ ♪ ♫ ♬]

i think a boo is someone who uses another culture's ettiquettes, social rules (that they read on wikipedia) to apply inappropriately in their everyday life

if everyone is dumbfounded & shakes their head at the foreign things you say/do then you're a boo

[KissontheW1nD]

I think being a Koreaboo is fetishizing Korean people and culture, not necessarily what some of you are describing.

Liking =/= Fetishizing

Generalizing, glamorizing, and equating a culture with things you consider good or interesting = Fetishizing

It's deeper than these little, surface-y definitions I keep seeing around the net.

 

Given that, anyone can be a *insert*-aboo if they fit the criteria

[camelliabloom]

To the first one yeah bc I know tons of Chinese people who are so obsessed with Korean culture that they forget their own

[lu-brican't]

I was talking with my boyfriend about the weaboo / koreaboo concept yesterday, and a few questions came to my mind. 

 

1) Can Asians be considered a *whatever*boo? I mean if there is a Japanese person who is obsessed with Korea to the point that they want to move there, learn the language, become famous, live the Korean life, etc. will they be considered a Koreaboo? I've usually only heard the term applied to non-Asian people.

 

2) I've seen Chad Future called a Koreaboo a bunch of times. (I'm not arguing whether he is or not, idc about him) I'm assuming it's because he's trying to be famous in Korea, dresses like a Kpop idol, and so on. But if that's all it takes why isn't Luhan considered a Koreaboo? Amber? Jackson? Any of the other foreign Kpop idols? 

 

3) For people who call others Koreaboos or Weeaboos, do they also think it's weird/too much when non-Americans are obsessed with the US, for example? (want to move to the US, date Americans, learn English, only listen to US artists, watch US TV shows) Or what if a Canadian was obsessed with French pop culture and people? Stuff like that.

 

This isn't a rant, I'm genuinely interested in others' thoughts on this. 

 

Imo, Asians born in Asian countries should not really be considered --boos because the cultures are more similar. Americans who are considered --boos are trying to worship a culture much much different then their own.

 

And lol, Luhan was a kpop-obsessed boy in high school when he was in China, so I guess you could label him a Koreaboo. But I'm sure he was interested on Chinese stuff too since he is rather patriotic. Idk about the others.

 

And I think it's weird when a --boo's culture is really different and they choose to worship another's culture. But that's just me

[lovevirus]

1. I guess so

2. Luhan was indeed a koreaboo with the dream of being an idol which he accomplished just like a lot of koreaboo, idk about others 

3. Idk, but I know people who try learn English using British accent and they think it sounds cool but sounds unnatural, they are britishboo? lol idk

 

Britishboo is Anglophile lol. There's Francophile for France/French culture as well.

[coreofsoul]

I don't understand why can't some people see the fact that if someone has a genuine interest in an area its not necessarily obsession :/

 

wanting to learn korean culture, language or even move to korea is not koreaboo tho. imo koreaboo or whateve boo is a person wanting to become another race altogether. and wanting to learn or even use a certain culture does not equal to wanting to be that certain race.

 

I definitely don't think a genuine interest is an obsession. But I have seen people called **boos for just liking anime or just listening to Kpop. I've never been completely sure about the definition because it was used on something seemingly innocent, but also used to describe people who were walking around like they were part of a race/culture not their own.  

 

 

3. No, because USA and Canada are multi-ethnic cultures.

 

 

1. I doubt it. The asian cultures are interconnected and from hanja to certain mindset, they go across the race. 

 

3. I don't think all this "boo" thing functions in societies that are closely related or multi-racial. It doesn't apply for USA and Canada because there are many races living there, and it doesn't apply from one country to another of Europe, because there is a common basis for European cultures making each country different but not substantially different like Europe-Asia.

 

Very good points. Makes a lot of sense. 

[silicon soul]

1 - ofc they can. Japan for example is really into western stuff, especially American.

 

2 - I think because Chad is white and/or not born Korea her gets labeled a koreaboo unlike the others who you mention who were at least born or spent a lot of time abroad.

 

3 - it's the same, like I mentioned, Japan is really into American pop culture. Though I think there's more if a stigma of not at least the same ethnicity, for example a white person into Japanese culture will get labeled a weaboo but a person from say a SEA country (who most would still deem Asian like Japanese) into Japanese culture would be called a weaboo less so.