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Tokyo's Geek Ghetto
anaesthetica writes "The Washington Post is running a story on Tokyo's "Geek Ghetto" which has arisen in the city's electronics retail district, "Electric Town." From the article: "We have been discriminated against for being different, but now we have come together and turned this neighborhood into a place of our own.... In Akihabara, we don't need to be ashamed of who we are and what we like.... We can feel comfortable because here, we outnumber everyone else." There are concerns, however, that the total immersion in escapist culture may be causing social problems, including a growing number of shut-ins." I've gone to Tokyo 3x and visited Akihabara all three times. Highly recommended for anime fans and techies.
I don't get it. Are you saying persecution is a plus? Or that being a geek is bad? Or something else entirely?
I've never been persecuted. I might be a geek, but I am also so many other things. Labels are stupid.
No... there might not be that many of them, but in general, geek girls are only interested in geek guys.
So: hello, speciation.
I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
So since when did Anime and comics become synonymous with the word 'geek'? Aren't we a little more diverse then the article states?
I play with Linux, computers and build things, but I have never really liked Anime, and I got over my comics phase when I was a teenager. In my spare time I sometimes play with the computers, but I also enjoy GETTING AWAY from the computer and play my son, go bicyling, play in the garden, etc.
94% of Repubs and 21% of Dems voted to renew the Patriot Act
Seeing as I am a recovering geek/computer nerd shut-in, I can empathize with some of the potential problems brought up by the article. It's taken me five years to become confident once again in social situations because of the amount of time I wasted sitting in front of a computer screen playing games. This is no one's fault but my own and it wasn't until I took responibility for my life that things started to change but I do honestly wish my parents had kicked me out of the house in high school and forced me to go out and be social; it would have made college life a lot easier. I don't think societies should encourage this sort of behavior because it is ultimately destructive; these people indulge in their hobbies without developing entirely as human beings. This is NOT a good thing in my mind...oh well just my two cents :)
I got to a * Institute of Technology, and it sounds about like this, other then the fact that we lack stores. Anime obsessed people, game obsessed people, social misfits, a good number of shut ins.... Yeah.... Sounds familiar.
In undeveloped countries, the consumer controls the market. In capitalist America, the market controls you.
As an IT professional - this is the LAST place I want to go on vacation.
A nice beach - cold beer - girls - bikinis!
The purpose of a vacation is to ESCAPE - the last thing I want to see is technology and be surrounded by GEEKS.
(no offense guys)
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I mean really wanting women to dress up in anime costumes? Give me a break. This is not remotely healthy.
Here in the USA, we have restaurants where women are paid to dress up in tiny orange shorts, white tank tops, sneakers and pantyhose. A while back there were clubs with women in satin bustiers, hose, high heels and rabbit ears that catered to the wealthiest businessmen. The servers in many casinos wear skin-tastic outfits that aren't remotely grounded in typical dress standards.
The shut-in part is certainly an unhealthy lifestyle, but there's nothing particularly odd about enjoying waitresses in 'fetish' costumes, particularly when common denominator is lots of exposed skin.
Apparently you are the "live to work" type, while your friend is more in the "work to live" camp.
As the famous philosopher Torquato Tasso said "Any time not spent on love is wasted." Sometimes those personal projects we like to think are important are really just an excuse to avoid social interaction. (trust me, I've wasted more than enough time in this manner)