Matt Schley
January 18, 2016 
Call it a shot heard around Twitter.
On January 13, Twitter user @riekitazawa fired off a tweet that criticized the general public’s view of otaku, using a metaphor that involved some Australian marsupials. The tweet quickly went viral, attracting almost 15,000 retweets and a lot of back-and-forth on Japanese social media.
なぜ世論はいつまでも「オタクはみんな本当は現実の恋がしたいのにできないからオタクやってる」って思ってるんだろうか。なぜ勝手に自分らの価値観の土俵に引きずり込んで可哀想がるのだろうか。「コアラってユーカリが美味いと思ってて可哀想。唐揚げの方が美味いのに」って言ってるようなもんだぞ
— 桐沢たえ@次は変身!! 9 (@riekitazawa) January 12, 2016
“Why is the public always like, ‘in reality, otaku just want to fall in love, but since they can’t, they become otaku instead’? Why do these people feel like they have to impose their own values and treat otaku with pity? It’s like saying, ‘those poor koalas who think eucalyptus is delicious, they don’t even know how good fried chicken is.'”
Response to @riekitazawa’s tweet, which as of this writing has almost 15,000 retweets and almost 8,000 likes, included a lot of agreement from otaku tired of people making generalizations and assumptions about them.
One response on Japanese social media included this image:
First panel: “Why don’t you get a girlfriend? Don’t you want one?”Third panel: “Why didn’t you run away? Don’t you want to live?”
Do you see people making similar assumptions about American otaku? How do you feel about this tweet? Should koalas give friend chicken a try? Sound off below!
Related Stories:
As “Geek” Culture Assimilates, “Otaku” Remain Outcasts
Do we count?
Do you know? Do you know? Have you heard the news?
“Geek” is now “mainstream.” Several of the most successful movies in the world and most…
Japan’s NEET Population is Declining
Government study says young Japanese nerds are “getting a life”
For the uninitiated, NEET is an acronym in Japanese culture which stands for “Not in Education, Employment, or Training” and refers to hermits who refuse…
What is an Otaku?
Definitions, history, meanings, and stigma
What is an otaku, anyway? Chances are you may be one, reading Otaku USA Magazine and all. But really, what’s an otaku?…
Related Posts
