Interracial Couples

[Otosan-no-Conan]

I have noticed on my trips to Japan and abroad that one can see many different ethnical pairings of couples. In England, France, Germany, Ireland, USA, Canada and Hong Kong. I have seen/met many different interracial couples.

Two observations I have noticedﾂ…

I have observed that it is more common (amongst Asian nationalities) to find an Asian female with a male of a different ethnicity.

I have yet to see a black or middle-eastern female with an Asian male. I am not saying the relationships do not exist, I just have not seen them.

So this got me to wonderingﾂ… is there an aversion/taboo for Asian men to date or marry outside their ethnicity? If so why?

Does this also apply to Japanese/Asian men born or raised outside of Asia?

Why does it seem that Japanese/Asian women are more willing to inter-marry/date out side their ethnicity?

In my earlier days I dated through almost every broad ethnicity, white, black, Asian, Hispanicﾂ… Is this a common practice or happening in Japan? For either gender?

I would imagine that with foreign military personnel, political elements and international companies being in Japan that there will always be a chance for the children and young adults to interact, date or marry.

I guess what got me started on this isﾂ… when my son (a hafu) is older I do not want him to feel he is expected to date or marry within a certain ethnicity. I would like freedom of choice to be his path, not pressured conformity.

 

[Mike Cash]

There's a growing number of Japanese men married to women from the Phillipines. Quite a number of Filipina moms are in evidence at school events at my kids' elementary school. One of my coworkers has a Filipina bride. Another is married to a Chinese woman from Shanghai.

 

[kirei_na_me]

I'm a member of three groups that are specifically designed for foreign women married to Japanese men, and they have hundreds of members between them. There are many different nationalities and races represented. I think dating outside of the race/nationality is becoming more popular with Japanese men.

I don't know if I'd seek one out, though...

 

[Kinsao]

I would agree with Kirei_na_me. My BF is Japanese, he says that it's not so usual for Japanese men to date non-Japanese women (more usual the Japanese woman to date non-Japanese man) but it is certainly altering, but slowly. In fact, he is kind of at the older end of young, so the younger generation probably more open-minded. BF says that Japanese not generally so open for such relationships, but he thinks this is not really a good thing (especially given the falling birth rate), on the other hand, his attitude maybe not what you'd call 'stereotypical Japanese' so I don't know...

Lol I haven't added anything whatsoever to this discussion except drivel!

Although I did wonder whether he's an agent employed by Japanese government to increase their population

 

[jet_dee]

So this got me to wonderingﾂ… is there an aversion/taboo for Asian men to date or marry outside their ethnicity? If so why?

Slightly racist parentage, for one. I'm Indian (which in Britain is "Asian". Japanese, Korean, Chinese etc. are under the blanket term Oriental most of the time), and my parents have stated in the past a severe dislike with me ever dating a non-indian lady. The indian/pakistani social group at my old college also frowned deeply upon asians dating outside of your own race.

Does this also apply to Japanese/Asian men born or raised outside of Asia?

My friend of Chinese origin is unable to date non-Chinese. His parents have told him to date only Chinese, and he does not disobey them (most of the time). So I would say, yes.

Why does it seem that Japanese/Asian women are more willing to inter-marry/date out side their ethnicity?

I think it's to get away from things they dislike or hate about their own culture. I know that's why I'd not date an Indian girl, I'm not strictly religious like almost every other asian I know, I'm also into my own music, movies, etc. This gets criticised/frowned upon by other asians, who will therefore not treat me as just another Indian, but as a special case. I don't really care about that anyway, which is a benefit of making my own path and choices .

In my earlier days I dated through almost every broad ethnicity, white, black, Asian, Hispanicﾂ… Is this a common practice or happening in Japan? For either gender?

The only races I witnessed as popular among young Japanese girls/ladies, were Caucasian, African-American, and of course, fellow Japanese.

I guess what got me started on this isﾂ… when my son (a hafu) is older I do not want him to feel he is expected to date or marry within a certain ethnicity. I would like freedom of choice to be his path, not pressured conformity.

Having just exited non-adult life myself, I can give some advice. Tell him that, if you don't want him to feel pressured then the best way is informing him, otherwise he will never know. After that, allow him to make his own choice, having the knowledge that his parents support him no matter what.

That took me a while, phew.

 

[lonesoullost3]

Another theory about why Japanese men don't date outside their ethnicity as often could go back to the same reason why a large population of male Japanese have lolita fetishes (see thread: https://jref.com/showthread.php?t=18117). It's been suggested that the reason for the lolita fetish is that Japanese men do not have the confidence to approach older women. Let me examine the case of caucasian women (from my experience) with the danger of over-generalization. Caucasian women are, for the most part, more outgoing and, for lack of a better term, "aggressive". This personality would seem to clash horrifically with the sexually-timid Japanese man suggested in the lolita fetish theory. Could this be the same reason for not approaching women of other ethnicities? It seems that it could be a very probable reason as it would take courage to go against centuries of homogeny (although it's never completely homogenous).

At the same time, I think that current generations would face much pressure from their parents about interracial marriage (anyone have any experience with this inside Japan?). Also, I think part of the reason why females are more comfortable (are they really? or is it just more accepted?) in interracial dating/marriage is some of it was forced upon them in the post-War years. The high amount of American personnell in Japan shortly after WW2 lead to many interracial marriages. Many did not last, but some did. This influx of non-Japanese was predominantly male, therefore giving females more opportunities for interracial dating in the changing era of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Many female non-Japanese at that time associated with SCAP were married to troops or officials stationed in Japan. Therefore, they were not free for Japanese men to approach.

 

[OkomeLV]

As an older "Haafu" (40 y/o), I felt the change in attitude over the years in Japan. My mother did not tell any of her childhood friends that she had 2 haafu children, all her life. I think deep down she may have been a little ashamed of having married an American rather than arrainged Japanese marraige. My father was completely oblivious. We as kids could feel the difference in treatment as children. Of course, we lived in Machida (once, long ago, it was pretty rural) with our grandparents . As we traveled to visit family outside of Tokyo, we were treated with respect in front of grandparents in town - who know what they said behind their backs. In Tokyo, we were sought after by talent agencies in the early 80's (high school.) So, I think Japanese society is changing - well, in the major cities, at least.

My friend Keiko, same age as I, grew up in Osaka and for the longest time never told me that her father was Korean. She still to this day doesn't really "own" that she is half Korean. Tells everyone that she is Japanese.

So, I don't know if it the same for inter-racial marraiges with Asian nationalities vs with non-Asians.

Ed

 

[Maciamo]

I have yet to see a black or middle-eastern female with an Asian male. I am not saying the relationships do not exist, I just have not seen them.

So this got me to wonderingﾂ… is there an aversion/taboo for Asian men to date or marry outside their ethnicity? If so why?

I think you see it the wrong way round. Most Middle-Eastern and quite a few African women are Muslim, and therefore not allowed to marry a non Muslim.

There may be a problem of compatibility too, as East Asia is usually seen as feminine, while Africa is clearly masculine. It means that it some cases African women could be seen as showing more masculine qualities (slef-confidence, assertion, agressivity, even physical strength...) as some Japanese men. However the other way round (male Africa, female East Asian) is less of a problem.

Why does it seem that Japanese/Asian women are more willing to inter-marry/date out side their ethnicity?

Maybe because East Asians are the most "feminine" ethnicity (less hairy or muscular physically, more submissive personality...) and therefore any men other ethnicities are seen as more virile. That's maybe why Japanese men choose South East Asians brides. It seems to be that South-East Asia is even more feminine than North-East Asia.

In my earlier days I dated through almost every broad ethnicity, white, black, Asian, Hispanicﾂ… Is this a common practice or happening in Japan? For either gender?

It cannot be a very common practice for the simple reason that the number of non-East Asian residing in Japan is pretty limited (e.g. less than 10,000 Africans were living in all Japan in 2003 according to the statistics).

I would imagine that with foreign military personnel, political elements and international companies being in Japan that there will always be a chance for the children and young adults to interact, date or marry.

Mostly in Okinawa and Tokyo. But even in Tokyo, non-Asians are outnumbered about 100 to 1.

 

[Maciamo]

Slightly racist parentage, for one. I'm Indian (which in Britain is "Asian". Japanese, Korean, Chinese etc. are under the blanket term Oriental most of the time), and my parents have stated in the past a severe dislike with me ever dating a non-indian lady. The indian/pakistani social group at my old college also frowned deeply upon asians dating outside of your own race.

I think this trend among "British Indians" is well described in the film Bend it like Beckham. For those who haven't seen the film, in short it's about an English girl of Indian descent whose parents are against her playing football and dating a "white" boy.

My friend of Chinese origin is unable to date non-Chinese. His parents have told him to date only Chinese, and he does not disobey them (most of the time). So I would say, yes.

I realise that this kind of "narrow-mindedness" of parents telling their children to date only among their ethnicity or national or religious group is almost stereotypical of people born in non-Western societies. I think that most European parents wouldn't make any problem if their children were dating other Western or Asian people. Children are usually free to do what they want, without asking for their parents' approval. Nowadays, most parents don't mind as long as their children are happy. That's what I call "developed/mature society".

However, it may be more difficult with Black or Arabic people (especially if it is about marriage and not just dating) given the increasing racism against those immigrant communities in Europe - usually because they do not want to adapt to the local customs, continue to wear clothes like in their country of origins, do not speak well the local language even after 1 or 2 generations because they live in their own secluded world, etc. Usually these racial prejudice do not hold if the Black or Arabic person is from, say the US or Canada, as they don't have the 'maladapted economic migrant' stigma.

Because this rejection is more socio-economic than racial, it makes me particularily angry when I hear of Japanese (or other) families who refuse that their daughter (or son) date or marry a Westerner (all the more if the Westerner is of higher socio-economic status). Fortunately my in-laws never once even slightly objected to my marrying their daughter.

Personally, (being an atheist) my choice was not to date anyone with strong religious convictions, as I know it wouldn't have lasted more than a week. But that came from me, not from my parents.

Basically, the socio-economic background and the compatibility of values and personality are the determining things in a long-term relationship.

 

[Bramicus]

Basically, the socio-economic background and the compatibility of values and personality are the determining things in a long-term relationship.

I think that's true.

Meanwhile, telling the children to "stick to your own kind" etc. may not be as racist as the children might think; quite often -- perhaps even usually -- it's a matter of wanting to protect their children from falling into an unhappy marriage. Experienced parents often believe strongly that the recipe for a happy marriage and family is to marry someone with the same background and beliefs.

I'm not saying people from different backgrounds can't be happy, but it often can cause problems. So don't think too harshly of the parents who warn against "mixed" dating: they're not necessarily racist.

 

[MotomanInuyasha]

https://web.archive.org/web/20050828224814/http://www.modelminority.com/article938.html

Read the reviews that go along with the article, and if you have already seen this, don't complain about how this has been posted "thousands of times before" ignore it and leave me alone.

 

[Kara_Nari]

I have a few friends married to Asain men, my most recent relationships were with asian men (in New Zealand). Granted its not that common, but nor is it 'strange'.
Nobody judged me, my family was accepting, their families were fine (however they hadnt met me, just talking on the phone).
In saying that I also have a lot of female friends dating, or married to western men. Yes it probably is more common, but I think that times are changing.

 

[Tsuyoiko]

Basically, the socio-economic background and the compatibility of values and personality are the determining things in a long-term relationship.

Socio-economic background is only a factor if you are the sort of person who cares about such things. My in-laws didn't want their working class son to marry a middle class girl, but 10 years on we are still happy because class distinctions are irrelevant to us. We have values in common that are far more important. So I agree with the second half what you said.

 

[666Arigato]

From what I see here in the states :
Frequent sightings:
Asian girls with other ethnicities

Very rare sightings:
Asian male with gal oustide of asian ethnicity

Not too much deviation from that.

This topic seems to be pretty hot and heated in some groups, and some consider it a double standard that asian women have assimilated much quicker and are accepted in inter-racial relationships as oppossed to men.

I am not a subject expert on this topic just giving my opinion from what i have personally witnessed in my neck of the woods.


sweet666

 

[Minty]

~Bump~

I am an Australian but I am of East Asian decent. I used to have the idea that I should only date Chinese because of our cultural similarities back in high school.


However when I went to University that ideology has changed. I have begun to evolve and like to try new things. I am not as traditional as I was in high school.


I am now married to a Western European man and I have received disapproving looks or comments from other Asians when I am with him or the other European descendent men I dated.


The worst experience was in Taiwan, where my mother came from. Some people there treated us like zoo animals, my husband was so mad and I was embarrassed because I am half Taiwanese. Now I am not sure whether I should bring him back to Malaysia for vacation, because a lot of the people there are quite busy body and conservative. No offence but it's like this.


But Australia is ok; yes we will stick with Australia. This is not to say no Australian has a problem with this, I am sure there are people who do, but it is not as obvious. Otherwise Europe and Thailand are some of the places where people don't misbehave when they see interracial couple.


There is this rumour that it's more scowled upon by Asians for an Asian man to go outside of his race, than for an Asian woman. However it is beginning to change I think. I see more Asian man dating European descendent woman than in the past, although European descendent men dating Asian women are still more common. One of my dad's friends' son married a white American girl, he is Australian born Sino-Malaysian, as his parents are Chinese from Malaysia.


I have also been labelled as "whitewashed" by some Asians because I am married to an European Man that has been assumed as refusal to give Asian guys the time of day. Even just as latent friends.


As with any interracial couple, the Asian women/European men pair has its portion of stereotypes. I have heard and read about these assorted stereotypes from the Europeans' side and the Asians' side. It is pathetic I suppose, but it can likewise be neat to resist damaging stereotypes. For instance, a European decent man with an Asian woman is frequently stereotyped as having a ﾂ"little instrumentﾂ" that he can't intimately gratify a white woman. Or that he is solely into the Asian woman for her compliance and sexed charm. Also the Asian woman can get stereotyped as being regarded too unappealing for Asian men, thus having to be with a European descendent man. Or, another absurd (though sometime accurate, I guess) belief made is that the Asian woman experiences outclassed and detests being Asian, and is with the European descendent man to advance her self-respect and to experience as white as possible.


Now I don't really fit into any of those stereotypes of Asian women I read about. When I went to Taiwan with my husband to take professional photographs the people at the studio have tried to make efforts to make me changed my mind, and wouldn't stop asking me why I didn't choose Taiwanese men? I been to the studio 5 times with my husband, each time I was mobbed with questions of why I chose to marry a foreigner?


While back in Australia, after my parents told their friends of my marriage to an European man I received comments such as ﾂ"Those white men stole our pretty ladies!ﾂ"


I don't think my husband fits the classification of those stereotypes neither; he has been targeted by white women but also women of other descendents as well. But it is true that Asian women like him, and they are often after him.


Even the time I took him to Taiwan, the prettier ones were smiling at him, and they were not ordinary smiles, they were trying to hook him, the women did that in Thailand too, and he has also been targeted by Japanese woman.


But I get my share of attention so, I am not really threatened. :joyful:

 

[Supervin]

There isn't much to analyze really.

'White' men in places like Thailand and the lesser developed Asian countries are perceived by the locals as being richer (due to the better overall standard of living abroad) and more powerful (due to perceived higher social status and nationality), so being attractive. Thus, parents may urge their daughters to find a 'foreigner' so that they can have a 'better life' and higher standard of living abroad - or so they think and idealize.

In the developed Asian countries like Japan and in places like Taiwan, this philosophy can still be slightly relevant, although this would occur much less and is more apparent in poorer families there. Then it would come down to subjective preference in appearance (Western looks) and novelty (dating a difference race).

In places like the US, UK and Australia, as 'white' is mainstream in such countries, ethnic minorities will often attempt to assimilate to the society by opting to meld in with the 'mainstream' color there by choosing a local there - in order to eliminate the distance. It could often be 'whitewashing' (as you put mention) for those ethnic minorities born abroad - i.e. having total neglect of one's original heritage and culture being replaced by the culture, tastes and preferences in the place of residence.

Personally, I would not really prefer dating someone with a very different ethnicity from my own. I've had experience and I hated the differences; it's almost as if we were always speaking a different language due to the cultural differences (despite being linguistically identical). It was refreshing at first during the first two years, but it soon became tiresome and despite numerous attempts to solve issues pertaining to culture, it was irreconcilable as culture is ingrained. But, nonetheless, some people may have a much better experience or prefer a different lifestyle for personal reasons.

BTW, Minty, have read my reply to your query about wedding photo shops in Hong Kong?

 

[godppgo]

From some of my asian female friends, they think white guys are more gentleman-like and asian guys are still stuck in this traditional asian thinking that woman should stay home and cook. Personally I know some Japanese women who say they rather stay single forever than marrying to Japanese guys.

 

[Rich303]

Personally I know some Japanese women who say they rather stay single forever than marrying to Japanese guys.

My (japanese)girlfriend says her ex-husband wanted her to give up her (18 year) career and be a housewife. I suppose she finds my attitude quite refreshing, that I like a 'working woman'. Mind you, recently she's taken to treating me like sh*t, so it's all immaterial anyway!

My ex-pen pal said she didn't want to ever get married, and I read a report on NHK's website about the drop in marriage rates.

I think less people are getting married in general, but it seems particularly evident in Japan.

 

[MajideSaiaku]

Slightly racist parentage, for one. I'm Indian (which in Britain is "Asian". Japanese, Korean, Chinese etc. are under the blanket term Oriental most of the time), and my parents have stated in the past a severe dislike with me ever dating a non-indian lady. The indian/pakistani social group at my old college also frowned deeply upon asians dating outside of your own race.

Apparently native asians (in the british sense) are less strict then their british and european expat cousins, i think its more to do with the pressures of a new culture making british asians more defensive of "their ways" then it actually being a racial thing.

In my city (aberdeen) theres a good few asians (oriental) so its even more common to see mixed couples then usual, me and my girlfriend didnt look out of place (the only couple i did really notice was a bloke we looked like me but in his 40's, with his asian (oriental) woman who was in her 40's, clinging to his arm like my g/f was to mine, looking at the same cinema timetable as us).

My friend of Chinese origin is unable to date non-Chinese. His parents have told him to date only Chinese, and he does not disobey them (most of the time). So I would say, yes.

Thats flat-out racism, just for that i think your friend should (if it comes to falling in love with her) marry a non-chinese woman when hes older, and if his parents dont like it, tough cookies, they should remember who will be in charge of their elderly care.

I never got why parents are like that i mean, do they not relise their son (or daughter) is in charge of them when they are old?.....more chinese and asian kids should just threaten to withdraw all support, financially and stuff if they dont butt out.

If they are real parents it will teach them some human respect.

I think it's to get away from things they dislike or hate about their own culture. I know that's why I'd not date an Indian girl, I'm not strictly religious like almost every other asian I know, I'm also into my own music, movies, etc. This gets criticised/frowned upon by other asians, who will therefore not treat me as just another Indian, but as a special case. I don't really care about that anyway, which is a benefit of making my own path and choices

Hear, hear.
Theres protecting your heritage and culture, then theres controlling it.
Im scottish, i dont listen to folk music at all, i dont plan on wearing a kilt until a wedding, i dont believe in dating only red haired blue eyed scottish lasses, and yet i still freely by my own choice hold great loyalty and high regard for my country and the culture.

Skin colour doesnt make you a scots, the heart and mind does.

I think other minorities should learn this aswell.

When i marry my japanese girlfriend and we have our family, my kids will be half japanese and half scottish, and if we live in scotland, this will a heavily influential side to their heritage, they can look as asian as it gets, it doesnt matter, they will be as scottish as the palest red haired ronald McPublic.

(Also please note, most scots are dark haired.)

Personally, (being an atheist) my choice was not to date anyone with strong religious convictions, as I know it wouldn't have lasted more than a week. But that came from me, not from my parents.

Amen (lol) , i could never marry anyone with strong religious convictions, even slight religious beliefs would rub me up the wrong way.
Dont get me wrong i aint hating on religion, i just dont believe in the current options given, science and reason still hold sway over my mind and i dont go to church so i aint going to want it in my house.
Though to be fair i do have a "Kami house", i actually find that on the rare occassion i do need to prayer to artificially comfort myself, praying to a kami seems much more innocent and safer, the kami isnt after my eternal soul, it doesnt want anything but a few 5 yen coins, it isnt telling me to follow a strict life-style or burn in hell, it isnt telling me how to think, it just asks in return for a little help, a 5 or 10 yen coin.

I can live with that.

I'm not saying people from different backgrounds can't be happy, but it often can cause problems. So don't think too harshly of the parents who warn against "mixed" dating: they're not necessarily racist.

It is racist, incredibly so, if anything being the exact same is a recipe for divorce, being different from each other ensures a healthy vibrant living breathing marriage for a life-time, being exactly the same just leads to bordom, apathy, even dislike and easily to divorce.
I think couples who are alike have to put in way more effort ultimately then a couple who are different.
Im always going to be learning something new with my woman, or always having something to discuss and debate and keep things refreshing, if i married a female version of me ide divorce her within a year of the marriage.

As with any interracial couple, the Asian women/European men pair has its portion of stereotypes. I have heard and read about these assorted stereotypes from the Europeans' side and the Asians' side. It is pathetic I suppose, but it can likewise be neat to resist damaging stereotypes. For instance, a European decent man with an Asian woman is frequently stereotyped as having a ﾂ"little instrumentﾂ" that he can't intimately gratify a white woman. Or that he is solely into the Asian woman for her compliance and sexed charm. Also the Asian woman can get stereotyped as being regarded too unappealing for Asian men, thus having to be with a European descendent man. Or, another absurd (though sometime accurate, I guess) belief made is that the Asian woman experiences outclassed and detests being Asian, and is with the European descendent man to advance her self-respect and to experience as white as possible.

This is called in physcology as "Projection", the person who says this thing is merely projecting his or her feelings of inferiority and/or poor self esteem onto others, as an attempt to hide their crippling sense of failure as a human being.

That or their just downright racist, in which case, i'll gladly beat the sh** out the next person who says something about me or my girlfriend and our relationship.
Luckily they never do, at least in fist-shot of me.

(i'm joking, im actually way too easy-going).

Now I don't really fit into any of those stereotypes of Asian women I read about. When I went to Taiwan with my husband to take professional photographs the people at the studio have tried to make efforts to make me changed my mind, and wouldn't stop asking me why I didn't choose Taiwanese men? I been to the studio 5 times with my husband, each time I was mobbed with questions of why I chose to marry a foreigner?

That was extremely rude, im sure in the west you could complain to someone about this to get appropriate action taken against the offending studio staff.

ﾂ"Those white men stole our pretty ladies!ﾂ"

Well....they ARE very pretty ladies....
Sometimes i was on the commuter trains with my girlfriend, ide sit in a fashion as if we werent a couple, and dudes would come on and start checking out my girlfriend, then ide take her hand just to crush their hopes, it was a creul yet fun thing to do.....i wish she wasnt so good looking it makes me bad.

Even the time I took him to Taiwan, the prettier ones were smiling at him, and they were not ordinary smiles, they were trying to hook him, the women did that in Thailand too, and he has also been targeted by Japanese woman.


But I get my share of attention so, I am not really threatened.

I think personally people who make the effort to a marriage with someone of a different country, and comprimise (such as not demanding he/she comes to their country and never go to theirs) are much more likely to remain faithful and loyal to their partner.

But thats my silly opinion.

It could often be 'whitewashing' (as you put mention) for those ethnic minorities born abroad - i.e. having total neglect of one's original heritage and culture being replaced by the culture, tastes and preferences in the place of residence.

White-washing is racist, as ive said, culture isnt attached to skin-colour, just the luck of the draw where the culture developed.

We'd be having this same argument if white people lived in asia and developed asian culture instead, only the incredibly racist term "white-washing" would be called "yellow-glossing".

My (japanese)girlfriend says her ex-husband wanted her to give up her (18 year) career and be a housewife. I suppose she finds my attitude quite refreshing, that I like a 'working woman'. Mind you, recently she's taken to treating me like sh*t, so it's all immaterial anyway!

My ex-pen pal said she didn't want to ever get married, and I read a report on NHK's website about the drop in marriage rates.

I think less people are getting married in general, but it seems particularly evident in Japan.

Not anything special, some japanese women just have an under-developed maturity level with causes them to behave childishly like that.

Mine is one of them, but god bless her, i love the girl.

I knew this for sure when i relise she was more of a insane child then i was. :S

Also she has a cute "Nyan-Nyan!"

 

[Supervin]

White-washing is racist, as ive said, culture isnt attached to skin-colour, just the luck of the draw where the culture developed.
We'd be having this same argument if white people lived in asia and developed asian culture instead, only the incredibly racist term "white-washing" would be called "yellow-glossing".

Hey, I don't disagree with the term being racist; I was simply acknowledging Minty's mention of 'whitewashing'. The term is a crude manipulation of the meaning of the word, 'whitewash'.

The troubling part of the word is that of 'white'. But, the term could easily be replaced with something like '[insert nationality]-washing' and would mean the same thing without the offensive part.

 

[MajideSaiaku]

Ah, kk, i agree.

Anyway my main point as always is that marrying a white girl or purple or something doesnt take away a culture or heritage.

White minorities in africa considor themselves africans, yet they are white...funny that.

 

[sabro]

One of the reason that I come here is that as an American with Japanese ancestry, I have so little contact with any Japanese culture. I read post after post trying to get a sense of what it is to be Japanese, looking for something to connect to-- to find a bit of myself that seems lost. (And that part is definitely not on the Jpop forum!)

 

[Rich303]

White minorities in africa considor themselves africans, yet they are white...funny that.

I saw a TV programme about a white governer in Jamaica and he spoke in full-on Jamaican Patois. It was brilliant to hear an old white man talk like a Rasta.
It wasn't frowned upon by other locals because he had grown up there and it was just natural to him.

 

[godppgo]

Hey, I don't disagree with the term being racist; I was simply acknowledging Minty's mention of 'whitewashing'. The term is a crude manipulation of the meaning of the word, 'whitewash'.
The troubling part of the word is that of 'white'. But, the term could easily be replaced with something like '[insert nationality]-washing' and would mean the same thing without the offensive part.

This is how I see it:

Whitewashed = Westernized

 

[Supervin]

This is how I see it:
Whitewashed = Westernized

Yes, though it would depend heavily on what you perceive of the meaning of 'Westernized'.

'Whitewashed' is often a very negative, derogatory term for those ethnic minorities who, after living in Western countries for a long time or since birth, are identical to the locals internally in mind and spirit (as opposed to external appearance) - this carries culture, habits, language accent, tastes, preferences and so on. In this sense, they perceive of themselves as being 'white' despite their appearance and prefer everything 'white' over those of his/her own ethnic origin. These people are said to be discriminatory towards people of their own ethnicity (because of preferring things, people, objects that are 'white'), thus being 'whitewashed'. Normally, these people are also said to have 'lost touch' with their original heritage.

Additionally, some people use 'whitewashed' merely for those who are obsequious to Westerners (i.e. ﾂ絶?吮?芭窶ｺZﾅ?O).

On the other hand, I attribute 'Westernized' as being a neutral term, in reference to people who have characteristics that are Western, be it lifestyle, education or simply those who have lived in Western countries for a while. In this sense, 'Westernized' would be a specific reference to particular qualities (i.e. the individual preserves at least some heritage), as opposed to 'whitewashed' which insults the individual as a whole (and has 'lost touch' with his/her heritage).