An Informed Crusade

Dear Twitter-users,

Johann Gutenberg never would have imagined the printing press would progenate the “attention economy” of today. This ancestor of the digital age has been so far outlapped that even thinking about relying on paper anymore is entirely unfeasible.

In many ways, this influx of information has allowed people to take their fate into their own hands. However, the internet creates an interesting duality in that by introducing so much information, it’s also bred confusion.

With Great Power...

The internet is a nebulous entity, a yin-yang of universality and individuality. Last year, my classmates and I were published in Japanese. Our teacher didn’t have to go to Japan, He didn’t even have to leave his house. With a couple emails and a couple more clicks, we became something much bigger than ourselves.

With the same technology, #ownvoice books are becoming viable sources of income. This is an amazing advancement in individuality—a decade ago, a subgenre of minorities writing about minorities would have been impossible.

But again, with the same technology, the internet doesn’t just generate information and community, it also generates a lot of noise. Is it good, bad, or just messy?

#OWNVOICE WARRIORS

Even benign movements like #ownvoice have their mires. For instance, debut author Amelie Wen Zhao pulled her book The Blood Heir from the press this year due to public pushback. This book, a fantasy exploration of the slavery still present today in her home country of China “erased a specifically African-American experience.”

She later apologized on Twitter.

#KIMOHNO

This brings up an interesting question—what is marginalization? What is cultural appropriation?

The Far away and Fantastic - Kanye gives us
the Western take on Japanese kimono

Maybe we can turn to the source of all modern wisdom for answers: The Kardashians. (Honestly, I didn’t know who they were until I ran into an article during self study.)

Kim Kardashian created a nude shapewear brand—christened “Kimono” as a play on her name. Kimono, however, is also the name of a traditional Japanese garment. Naturally, the internet had something to say.

Interestingly, however, one of the Americans that criticized Kim for insensitivity then mentioned ironically that Japanese kimono were even popular with Kanye West.

Except… they weren’t.

What the author had called kimono was, in fact, French. In an article about cultural insensitivity, the author had thought to refer to the Louis Vuitton kimono shirt—perhaps a better example of modern-day orientalism—as a traditional Japanese garment.

A Brighter Direction

I’m not saying Kim was in the right—even the mayor of Kyoto wrote an open letter on facebook asking her to reconsider. But from claiming slavery to be an African-American-specific experience to offensive underwear to mistaking modern western fashion for traditional Japanese… it’s worth noting that the internet hotbed tends to burn everyone who touches it.

As important as it is to be tolerant, sensitive, and inclusive, these accusers made faux pas of their own. They were armed with a cause and good intentions. However, even together, these tools only have as much substance as a whiffle ball. As a mob, though, these same whiffle balls become uninformed wrecking balls—in Zhao’s case, tearing through the foundations of a potential discussion on modern-day trafficking.

So in today’s world, I’d like to ask for patience and kind education. Rather than setting people on fire outright, consider giving calm, helpful direction. Furthermore, before criticizing, consider becoming more educated yourself on the subject of which you’re speaking. Kelsi, a classmate, mentioned that once we explain our views to each other, both parties can become more understanding.

Additionally, being informed and open is the line between true tolerance and well-intentioned orientalism. In, say, Japanese culture, volley for the translation of more than fetish novels, manga, and anime. Read more than fetish novels, manga, and anime; find #theirvoice and their culture. Don't just assume. If we’re open-hearted, we may have quite a bit to offer each other.