Little things about Western culture that annoy you.

[LilithSlave]

Not don't get too up in arms, I'm not bashing the West or saying that the East is better or anything like that. I just needed a nice topic to see rant about things about Western culture I don't like and see if anyone else shared them.

Starting now:

Our bottled tea is just terrible. I mean, I don't know how, but the teas that East Asia sells are just so much better. And we don't sell any of them. Forget pocky, Asian tea is ridiculously good. I remembered going to Japan and the tea out of the vending machines was the best I'd ever had in my entire life. But we don't sell it. What is wrong with our vending machines and our tea companies?

We hate cute. Now this is a generalization, but it generally seems to be true. Japan likes cute, Korea likes cute, China likes cute. The West gets a bunch of guys who like My Little Pony and everybody makes fun of them. Why does nobody seem to like cute here? Why so macho, West? Tone it down, seriously, tone it down. Stop and smell the cute bunnies. No no, put that action flick down right now. Breath in, look at the bunnies.

Christianity EVERYWHERE. And I mean not like the good kind. Not all that cool stuff you always see in video games. It's all "morals"(like hating gay people and women) and none of the fun stuff(like cool stained class and badass nephilim and Solomon grimoires and things like that. Just like, lots of homophobia and anti-abortion stuff and other pathetic other non-fun things. If there's anything media has taught me, Christianity is a lot more fun when it's not really Christianity. You know, all that megachurch stuff. Not pipe organs, not Dies Irae, not stained glass, not Gothic architecture, not prayer beads, not all of those things that make video games fun. Real, boring, oppressive Christianity. If you're going to stick around in this world that doesn't need you, Christianity, keep all that cool LARP stuff, and drop all of the stupid "having a boring unfulfilled life is the path to heaven" tripe.

West, west, please. Can you stop it with the "caring about workers = left = communist = hating the west and freedom" and all that? Caring about workers is not fascism. Workers are the backbone of society and they deserve proper rewards and we should all move forwards as a country, not just a few of us. China and Russia are not the spawn of Satan for having some people who thought the poor deserved better.

Okay, onto the tinier stuff again.

Okay, seriously, West. Make more cartoons with action and plot and all that. Cartoons are not for children. Yes, animation is for everyone. It is a medium that is truly artistic. That's a good thing, it is not childish. And no, not just comedy shows. Okay, seriously. Give artists some credit. Give animation more respect. Think of it like a piece of artwork, except with the ability to move. Artwork is good, animation is good. It is not for children. If Rembrandt lived today, he might be an animator, except that nobody respects animation when they should.

West, okay, west. Seriously, when did it become a good idea to make your dolls bronzed shopaholics in hotpants? Yes, I'm looking at you Brat"z" dolls. You are an abomination that never should have existed.

Places being closed on Sunday. Christianity, this is your fault. Seriously, don't disable one day of the week just because of one silly mythological book that was written in the desert while their brains were frying from the heat. People have days of rest, it's called whatever day of the week they desire.

Blue laws. This is another Christian problem. If people want to sell alcohol, let them sell alcohol. If people want to buy alcohol, let them buy alcohol. There's nothing wrong with buying alcohol on Sunday.

People here seem to think that being loud and obnoxious in public is a positive trait. I don't understand how, but they do.

Western pop is not only a trash, but a cancer affecting everywhere. Western music used to be amazing, Western pop used to mean great composers. Now nobody listens to instrumental music, they listen to trash like Katy Perry. Please, please, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, you lot, put down the microphone, and play a violin.

Western animators, seriously, take a break from the stupidly thick lines that allow you to now have to draw and shade anything on screen. I'm not saying never do it again. And I know focusing on animating well is good. But please, shade some things, draw some things in realistic proportions, make less Timmy Turners, and more Jonny Quests. It's disgraceful. You don't have to sacrifice good animation for detail, I just ask for more Jonny Quests, please. Please? Please.

Hollywood, fire nearly every single one of your actors. They have almost all become annoying celebrities. You know what at least Asia does when it's celebrities do stupid things? They fade out of public eye, sometimes they have to get a different job then just being a starlight darling. You know what stupid Western celebrities get out of such situations? They get money. The stupid idiots get money out of doing ten times more stupid things than the Asian celebrities do. Stop that right now.

Hey, Western developers, lay it low on the production of first person shooters. You don't have any room to insult jRPGs when you are reproducing the very same game game every year. There's inventive stuff, that's good, keep that up. But stop producing a thousand copies of Modern Warfare and Call of Duty. Heck, try some other genres, back in the day Western developers were happy to make games in genres like the Fighting game genre. Not just Mortal Kombat existed, Rare back in their prime was one of the best gaming companies and made Killer Instinct. Remember that? Why has this ended? Why have you left this genre to Asian developers? Start making fighting games again. If a Western developer really put their minds to it, they could become the next Tekken. But they're too busy making another sports game, or first person shooter, or real time strategy. Cut that out right now, making a fighting game.

Hey West, Asian games having androgynous characters isn't a bad thing. Stop with the fixation with curves, and have more variety to your cast. You know, I don't complain about Tales of Symphonia having Regal. Because he's counterbalanced in a cast of characters, a motherly woman, an effeminate manslut, a plucky dwarven raised boy, an adult woman who's body never aged, and so on and so forth. Gigantic muscular women are okay here or there, but the same muscular guy over and over it a tired and annoying cliche. I look at the Western gaming titled and I just feel nauseated by almost every title have some big hair musclebound guy occasionally offset by a woman with hips twice the size of her stomach and boobs that would give anyone back problems.

Western games, just because everyone in Japanese games looks Central Asian, doesn't mean the solution to Western gaming means making everyone a Caucasian caricature that doesn't even look like the typical person. Not just androgyny, a few more round or flatter faces would not be a bad thing. Mirror's Edge was a good idea, do more of that. You don't have to shown off the fact you're "not those Eastern developers" by making everyone's faces look cartoonishly "Western" and angular looking. The balance of diversity in the Tekken franchise is pretty much perfect.

Okay, I don't know about the rest of the West, but commercials from the United States are truly obnoxious. Can you cut that out right now, please? There are a couple of cute ones, but almost all I have come across in recent year on the rare occasions I turn on the TV from my country, make me cringe.

Western games, I have another problem. Stop making Eastern countries the enemy, please? I mean, in all of your war games it's always about the West facing fascists or communists. Usually in Russia or China or Vietnam or Korea or somewhere. Can you just... stop that? In fact, how about some political depth. Like, go for a Metal Gear Solid but better. You know, Tom Clancy likes to write novels and all that. I've got a perfect game with political and psychological depth and characterization. While not make a game where the protagonist is a woman in the Chinese Red Guard, that details her motivations and psychology within the political climate of her country? I don't like first person shooters, but I would play that. Stop being so patriotic for a second, and see things though the eyes of another.

Okay, I really want to go on and rant longer. But I think I should save more of my wall of text for another post. Rant on.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

The fact that we can't let private lives be private. God help anyone who finds out that the person they are playing or talking with is LGBT, or a furry.

God help the furries.

 

[Radeonx]

Western games, I have another problem. Stop making Eastern countries the enemy, please? I mean, in all of your war games it's always about the West facing fascists or communists. Usually in Russia or China or Vietnam or Korea or somewhere. Can you just... stop that? In fact, how about some political depth. Like, go for a Metal Gear Solid but better. You know, Tom Clancy likes to write novels and all that. I've got a perfect game with political and psychological depth and characterization. While not make a game where the protagonist is a woman in the Chinese Red Guard, that details her motivations and psychology within the political climate of her country? I don't like first person shooters, but I would play that. Stop being so patriotic for a second, and see things though the eyes of another.

That's kind of an unfair thing to say. I mean, it isn't as if companies have the money or want to risk the money to just make random interesting games. They stick to what sells. The storylines/elements from CoD and the like are so used because they sell AMAZINGLY well, so they won't see a reason NOT to make some random storyline. Plus, people don't identify as well with non Americans in foreign situations that they don't know about, so it makes sense.

 

[likalaruku]

I was going to say "greedy rich people who will ruin entire economies if it will line their pockets," then I realized that they are one thing that absolutely all cultures share in common.

 

[AwkwardTurtle]

I can't believe I read about three-quarters of that text. :3 Well the differences in culture is definitely apparent. To each his or her own right?

Oh also it just came to me, I find it strange that you call it "Western" culture, but isn't this mainly about "American" culture? *Asks the guy who knows nothing about Canadian or Mexican culture*

On a final note, after reading all of that I feel like "West" is a physical being I can just talk to now. "West? What are you doing? Stop being silly!"

P.S I don't know why, but I feel obligated to state that I don't mean to offend anyone if I did. I guess I'm just paranoid?

 

[The Lesbian Flower]

Lady Gaga. I guess that would be part of the trash pop you mentioned earlier.

EDIT: I also find the western singing shows/competitions to be endlessly annoying. American Idol and Glee would be just two examples.

 

[Nemu]

This is a troll post, right? Because I had to stop and actually laugh out loud for a good minute after reading "Cartoons are not for children".


Yes.

Yes they are.

Obviously, there are adult-themed titles/series, but all-in-all, cartoons are for kids.



Oh hell I'm still laughing at this post.

 

[Dogstile]

Oh dude, have you ever realised that if you point out the flaws in what we have, the people over there who are like you probably praise us for the points you complained at?

Food for thought.

 

[arsenicCatnip]

Oh also it just came to me, I find it strange that you call it "Western" culture, but isn't this mainly about "American" culture? *Asks the guy who knows nothing about Canadian or Mexican culture*

Yeah, pretty much.

Personally, as a working-class woman, I hate the sense of entitlement in this country. Being made to bow and scrape to an obese woman driving a huge SUV and chain-smoking cigarettes because her skinny vanilla latte had the tiniest specks of foam on it makes me sick.

I also hate the litigious and loopholing aspects of this country. Having to warn people that their coffee is hot, or that the floors are slippery... it keeps me from being sued, but it's stupid. People who collect the coupons we give out and skate around the conditions piss me off.

 

[The Clitosaurus]

I'd like to point out that a lot of what you said regarding animation is sorta incorrect. Sacrificing detail for fluidity of movement and quality of animation is a mantra that near-enough every animator follows or should follow, because that's what animation more or less -is-. It sounds like you're rather an ardent follower of anime, and all things eastern, but your desire for more detail is simply not possible with the given budgets.
Most anime produced for Japanese tv is of poor animation quality, consisting of static frames with minor movements, like the eyes and mouth. This is done, more often than not, because the companies producing the anime set aside a piss poor budget for the actual animation. It's pretty easy to do a pretty background, y'see, because you only have to do it once; actually -animating- it and maintaining the detail, on the other hand, is something entirely different. It may seem like the East has a greater focus on animation, but that's largely to do with the comparative costs of producing live action equivalents.

That, and your complete ignorance of the hard work of dozens of western-based animators and animation companies that produce fantastic works. Try looking around a little further afield than the saturday morning tv shows.

On topic, though, I certainly agree with the western tendency to idolize big, meatheaded macho types in film and gaming, though I guess they lend themselves well to the unfortunately dominant genres.

 

[RJ Dalton]

That we use a blanket term like "western culture" to describe such a huge area of the world with a fairly diverse set of cultures, peoples and societies.

In fact, how about some political depth. Like, go for a Metal Gear Solid but better.

So, not Metal Gear Solid at all, then.

No but seriously, I agree with most of what you said.

 

[LilithSlave]

but all-in-all, cartoons are for kids.

Oh hell I'm still laughing at this post.

Just because the majority of the West sees and produces cartoons for kids, doesn't mean that cartoons are for children.

It means that we unfortunately look at them as for children.

 

[Berethond]

I'm totally onboard with the "Christianity is more fun when it isn't really Christianity" bit, but the rest of it... meh.

Though I do get tired of shooting Russians and Germans.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Yeah, OP, most of the stuff you stated is what is wrong with American culture, way to generalise the rest of us.

OT: There's no such thing as Western culture. Europe has many different cultures, with good and bad aspects.

Western culture isn't some sort of 'catch all' word for places that ain't Asia.

I can't help but think that some of the OP's points are a little on the... weeaboo side.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

Lady Gaga. I guess that would be part of the trash pop you mentioned earlier.

EDIT: I also find the western singing shows/competitions to be endlessly annoying. American Idol and Glee would be just two examples.

Lady Gaga is out to make people notice her in anyway possible. So I just ignore her because there have been many artists that have done what she is doing better and more tasteful.

Anyway, most competition shows where the audience gets to vote is just plain, pointless. People will only go for their favorites and forget that the purpose of the show is to vote for someone that you would want to buy music from. Only a handful of Idols have really made it big and I'm sure the creators of the show make sure that those who did not find something for them to do so that it doesn't seem like auditioning and winning was a waste of time.

 

[I Have No Idea]

Oh also it just came to me, I find it strange that you call it "Western" culture, but isn't this mainly about "American" culture? *Asks the guy who knows nothing about Canadian or Mexican culture*

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. This seems more like a rant against Americans. Which is dumb, because not all Americans do all the things you just posted.

Hollywood, fire nearly every single one of your actors. They have almost all become annoying celebrities. You know what at least Asia does when it's celebrities do stupid things? They fade out of public eye, sometimes they have to get a different job then just being a starlight darling. You know what stupid Western celebrities get out of such situations? They get money. The stupid idiots get money out of doing ten times more stupid things than the Asian celebrities do. Stop that right now.

Jeremy Renner. Leonardo DiCaprio. Daniel Day-Lewis. Just a few of the many, many actors out there who aren't douchebags. Nobody gets paid for doing stupid things. Lindsay Lohan didn't get paid for becoming a drug addict. Sheesh.

 

[LilithSlave]

It sounds like you're rather an ardent follower of anime, and all things eastern,

No, I believe that Eastern and Western culture have their ups and downs. I believe that all cultures have their ups and downs. Things like animation, video games, commercials, tea, and things like that, are rather tiny and insignificant aspects of culture.

Also, I don't think you have to compromise the quality in other areas of animation for fluidity. If you'll notice, I praised things like Jonny Quest over things like Fairly Oddparents.

 

[searron]

Japan doesn't like cute. Japan is obsessed with cute. I'm living in Japan, right now, and while on a trip it might seem nice, after 3 years, it gets grating. The music industry is designed to pump out "idol groups" that are cute. Can't sing, can't dance. And while American pop music is pretty musically awful too, there is a good percentage of talented people that grace the charts. Women up in to their 40s, dress and act like little girls, because it7s "cute." 35 year old women, clutch teddy bears.

Also, regarding celebrities, in Japan. Celebrity worship is ridiculous. It's the same 5-6 people. Do you really want to watch some one like Paris Hilton, on every game show, movie, and commercial?

While some of your points are kind of valid, You are definitely overhyping Japan.

OT: That in America, sex is looked at as being more corrupting than violence.

 

[Lord Legion]

The truly bad thing about western culture: Binary thinking. In that things are only good or bad. Nothing can be both. This has spilled into everything, from Left versus Right, to Black versus White.