Now, this is a very touchy subject, let me warn you!
So, you've been looking around on TheOtaku, and see mostly anime and manga related subjects, with some other stuff thrown along with it. Now, I bet you that TheOtaku.com is aware of where the word came from, and is also not afraid to use that word in a different context. Let me begin.
Now, the word, "otaku" is derived from a Japanese term meaning another house or family. Now in Japan, it is used as an insult to describe a person who is obsessed with anything to the point of not leaving his/her house. Now, for some odd reason, otaku is being used for something else as well, and here it is:
In most western countries, the word, "otaku" is used to describe a big anime/manga/video game fan, normally they do not obsess to the point of not leaving their house, but they are more like annoying geeks than anything.
Now comes the real issue. A lot of people are very upset by the fact that big anime fans are using this word to describe themselves, and most of the time, the fans do not know about the derogatory meaning behind it. It pisses people off enough to make people afraid of using this word with another context. The word, "otaku" has become a word of mass destruction. It is now a word of pure evil. I am not exaggerating. Now! I'm going to give my opinion on this:
I think that this word, like other words, can have dual meanings. The "otaku" word is only insulting if you use the word as such. Now, if you want to talk about yourself as loving anime/manga/video games a lot, you can use that word, and as someone said, it can be used as a pet name. Now, also keep in mind about where you live. Calling yourself an otaku in Japan and any other eastern country will cause people to look at you weird. Calling yourself an otaku in the states and other western countries will probably attract others like you, or drive away people who don't like crazy people. Also, I think that people are getting a stick up their ass because a word now has another meaning (does that tell you how weeaboo they are?).
Now, the debate over dual meanings will continue, now that this website is up, and that there are a few books about the American anime fangirls, such as Aoi House. I'm not saying that it is their fault for all this. I'm saying that these things will make the word less clear to people. I do not intend to insult this website, because I love it so much! I just want to point something out.
I can come up with a little solution to this. If you are on the internetz and you want to call yourself an otaku, maybe you want to use the word, "wotaku" instead. It can cut down on confusion a lot.
I know that this may be a little silly, but Wikipedia has a really detailed and varied article on it.
Now, I would love your opinion on this. Now, this may very well turn into a debate, but I would love your input on this, along with some sources, some fancy arguments, and maybe some surveys. I also know that I am adding to the crazy debates, but this place is much better for it than anywhere else. Maybe I can get some real input here.
Summary: The word otaku is used as an insult in Japan to describe someone who is obsessed with something enough to not leave his/her house. In western countries, it is used to describe a big anime/manga/video game fan. There has been some debates about the word being used with dual meanings, and it's getting to the point where the word itself becomes pure evil. I think that the word can have dual meanings, and can be used in two ways. I also think that weeaboos are making a big deal about it. An easy solution to this to cut down on confusion is to use the word, "wotaku". However, I want opinions, sources, good arguments, surveys, etc. on it from ya'll so I'll know what you think.
