..and later found out that neko[/b] is apparently a Japanese word for lucky cat...
...which is neither here nor there...
The Japanese word "neko" is the word for "cat." It is pronounced like neh-ko and not nee-ko. The "Lucky Cat" is called a maneki neko and is usually placed in the front window of businesses to bring in customers. The cats paw is waving to invite customers into the shop. The maneki neko is a good luck symbol to bring the shop owner money.
Just a question but would anyone query about African or Jewish names to apply to a pet?
Provided, the Japanese have cuteness down to a science but it feels a little perturbing to treat their names as fodder for pet names. I know the West has a long tradition of the West has infantalizing Asia - I guess this is just another form.
Yeah, I went there. I'm just not big on bantering about whether, say, my daughter's Japanese name would sound cute for a cat, especially since we'd never try this with other culture's names.
Oliver,
I appriciate you bringing this up, but maybe the situation is being over analyzed. Traditionally most people in Japan name pets with "pet" names like Tama, Pochi, Shiro, etc. A lot of people also make up names using katakana characters. Some people also use Japanese "people" names for pets. In the 1980's a lot of people in Japan named their dogs "John." John as you know is a Western biblical name. Is this disrespecting Western culture and religion by naming dogs "John?" Some Japanese people would find it strange to name a cat with a Japanese girl's name and some would not care at all. My wife's name is "Yuki" and her friend Heidi has a dog named "Yuki." My wife was not offended at all by the name because Heidi is an avid snowboarder and named the dog "Yuki" from the Japanese word for snow. My wife's name is pronounced the same way, but is written with different kanji characters that give it a different meaning. I am sure that lambert did not mean to offend anyone or cause further infantalizing of Asia. I think people would name their pets almost anything including names from other cultures. I would be willing to bet that there are people here in the U.S. with Italian greyhound's named Giuseppe, Giovanni or Luigi. Maybe people would apply African names to an African dog or cat?
I think people would name their pets almost anything including names from other cultures. I would be willing to bet that there are people here in the U.S. with Italian greyhound's named Giuseppe, Giovanni or Luigi.
I'm not all that educated when it comes to Asian culture, but I always thought Sakura and Kitana are beautiful names. But then again, I used to play Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat a lot when I was in grade school, plus dudes think I'm crazy for liking female names like Shirley, Ethel and Valerie too, so what do I know...
It's not an overanalysis - I mean, the thread is pretty clear: let's throw out cute Japanese girl names to name my cat.
Provided, Japanese names seem particularly well suited for cats and it's worth stopping to think about why, for a minute. I'd argue - and frankly, there's a lot of history to back me up on this - that it has much to do with how the West perceives Japan. That relationship, since post-WWII reconstruction, has always been rather paternal and this has likely contributed to Japan's own ways of infantilizing itself as is elevating the concept of "kawaii" (cuteness) is part of their national culture.
Trying to flip this around - by talking about how Japanese have given their pets Western names - doesn't work since the relationship between Japan and the West hasn't been historically equal. One could argue that the practice of African Americans straightening their hair with lye and white dudes rocking dreads are the same but such a comparison would be completely ahistorical.
I'm not trying to ride on Lambert here and frankly, I wouldn't be remotely offended that his - or anyone else's pet - rocks a Japanese name. I just think the way the question was offered up was a little problematic to me and in true Soul Strut fashion, I'm raising that issue. I'm certainly not going federal about it and I'm not accusing Lambert of being a racist. But yeah, I want people to stop and think about this for a moment.
Just a question but would anyone query about African or Jewish names to apply to a pet?
Provided, the Japanese have cuteness down to a science but it feels a little perturbing to treat their names as fodder for pet names. I know the West has a long tradition of the West has infantalizing Asia - I guess this is just another form.
Yeah, I went there. I'm just not big on bantering about whether, say, my daughter's Japanese name would sound cute for a cat, especially since we'd never try this with other culture's names.
Oliver,
I appriciate you bringing this up, but maybe the situation is being over analyzed. Traditionally most people in Japan name pets with "pet" names like Tama, Pochi, Shiro, etc. A lot of people also make up names using katakana characters. Some people also use Japanese "people" names for pets. In the 1980's a lot of people in Japan named their dogs "John." John as you know is a Western biblical name. Is this disrespecting Western culture and religion by naming dogs "John?" Some Japanese people would find it strange to name a cat with a Japanese girl's name and some would not care at all. My wife's name is "Yuki" and her friend Heidi has a dog named "Yuki." My wife was not offended at all by the name because Heidi is an avid snowboarder and named the dog "Yuki" from the Japanese word for snow. My wife's name is pronounced the same way, but is written with different kanji characters that give it a different meaning. I am sure that lambert did not mean to offend anyone or cause further infantalizing of Asia. I think people would name their pets almost anything including names from other cultures. I would be willing to bet that there are people here in the U.S. with Italian greyhound's named Giuseppe, Giovanni or Luigi. Maybe people would apply African names to an African dog or cat?
..and later found out that neko[/b] is apparently a Japanese word for lucky cat...
...which is neither here nor there...
The Japanese word "neko" is the word for "cat." It is pronounced like neh-ko and not nee-ko. The "Lucky Cat" is called a maneki neko and is usually placed in the front window of businesses to bring in customers. The cats paw is waving to invite customers into the shop. The maneki neko is a good luck symbol to bring the shop owner money.
But yeah, I want people to stop and think about this for a moment.
Even before I knew what the thread was about, the title made me cringe.
Is it that ODub is reading too much into this (I say no) or that what he???s saying rings true on how Western folks (men) view Japanese women and the culture and that makes some uncomfortable (file under: the truth hurts)? And the way to deal with that discomfort is to make ODub the villain?
For those of you who saw the OJ verdict Frontline ??? this point was made (way more articulately than me) about the race card and those who didn???t really want to face the fact that race was an issue. Turn the tables and point the finger at the person who raises the point.
I don???t think the original post is racist either, but the question was not post your favourite girls??? names, but post you favourite Japanese girls??? names.
My cats' names are Oscar, Squirrel and Puss. We have named the strays we feed Baby, Pinhead and Pound Cake.
I still think you are reaching in a big way. I am not disrespecting you in any way when I say this (though you might take it that way) but do you have a Chinese name? Why do you continue to use a "western" name if you do (which happens to be used by probably hundreds of thousands of pets around the world)?
Just a question but would anyone query about African or Jewish names to apply to a pet?
I was just thinking about this and they might. Since the beginnings of domestication of cats did take place in Africa. I remember doing a report on the ancient Egyptians, where I found out, some named their children after cats.
But yeah, I want people to stop and think about this for a moment.
Even before I knew what the thread was about, the title made me cringe.
Is it that ODub is reading too much into this (I say no) or that what he???s saying rings true on how Western folks (men) view Japanese women and the culture and that makes some uncomfortable (file under: the truth hurts)? And the way to deal with that discomfort is to make ODub the villain?
For those of you who saw the OJ verdict Frontline ??? this point was made (way more articulately than me) about the race card and those who didn???t really want to face the fact that race was an issue. Turn the tables and point the finger at the person who raises the point.
I don???t think the original post is racist either, but the question was not post your favourite girls??? names, but post you favourite Japanese girls??? names.
My cats' names are Oscar, Squirrel and Puss. We have named the strays we feed Baby, Pinhead and Pound Cake.
OK, good points raised. And I'm now starting to read into it a little. I still think it's reaching. But the title (Mixed with the topic) is and should have been put a different way.
And squirrel seems like a great name for a cat! Someone named ours Tiki (No one in our household gave the name)way back in the day.
I still think you are reaching in a big way. I am not disrespecting you in any way when I say this (though you might take it that way) but do you have a Chinese name? Why do you continue to use a "western" name if you do (which happens to be used by probably hundreds of thousands of pets around the world)?
Yo - if you want to say I'm reaching that's really fine. But everything else you write after that point is dumb shit. Seriously.
I agree with everything you have written. I was playing Devil's advocate to try and really get some discussion going on the issue. I am always interested to see your opinions and replies in these types of discussions even if you have no street credibility and some rappers don't like you . Your argument about the west having a paternal relationship with Japan after WWII is very accurate. The U.S. wrote and implemented a new constitution and General Macarthur was seen as a type of new "emperor." Is Professor Chalmers Johnson still at UC Berkeley? He would have some interesting things to say about this relationship. I think it is a little strange to give pets real "people" names, but if it makes the pet owners happy, cool. My brother and I had pet cats growing up. Their names were Superman, Wonder Woman and Carrots.
BC,
It's not an overanalysis - I mean, the thread is pretty clear: let's throw out cute Japanese girl names to name my cat.
Provided, Japanese names seem particularly well suited for cats and it's worth stopping to think about why, for a minute. I'd argue - and frankly, there's a lot of history to back me up on this - that it has much to do with how the West perceives Japan. That relationship, since post-WWII reconstruction, has always been rather paternal and this has likely contributed to Japan's own ways of infantilizing itself as is elevating the concept of "kawaii" (cuteness) is part of their national culture.
Trying to flip this around - by talking about how Japanese have given their pets Western names - doesn't work since the relationship between Japan and the West hasn't been historically equal. One could argue that the practice of African Americans straightening their hair with lye and white dudes rocking dreads are the same but such a comparison would be completely ahistorical.
I'm not trying to ride on Lambert here and frankly, I wouldn't be remotely offended that his - or anyone else's pet - rocks a Japanese name. I just think the way the question was offered up was a little problematic to me and in true Soul Strut fashion, I'm raising that issue. I'm certainly not going federal about it and I'm not accusing Lambert of being a racist. But yeah, I want people to stop and think about this for a moment.
I am not disrespecting you in any way when I say this (though you might take it that way) but do you have a Chinese name? Why do you continue to use a "western" name if you do (which happens to be used by probably hundreds of thousands of pets around the world)?
I still think you are reaching in a big way. I am not disrespecting you in any way when I say this (though you might take it that way) but do you have a Chinese name? Why do you continue to use a "western" name if you do (which happens to be used by probably hundreds of thousands of pets around the world)?
Yo - if you want to say I'm reaching that's really fine. But everything else you write after that point is dumb shit. Seriously.
It was just a comment. I wasn't trying to disrespect you in anyways. And I'm not saying I disagree with you or saying your wrong for that matter. While, sure the thing I wrote after was nothing to do with the topic, it was just a side thought and probably not necessary, but thx for the "dumb shit" deal.
But after all, you are way more edumacted than I. I will not ask anything further.
I am not disrespecting you in any way when I say this (though you might take it that way) but do you have a Chinese name? Why do you continue to use a "western" name if you do (which happens to be used by probably hundreds of thousands of pets around the world)?
I still think you are reaching in a big way. I am not disrespecting you in any way when I say this (though you might take it that way) but do you have a Chinese name? Why do you continue to use a "western" name if you do (which happens to be used by probably hundreds of thousands of pets around the world)?
Yo - if you want to say I'm reaching that's really fine. But everything else you write after that point is dumb shit. Seriously.
It was just a comment. I wasn't trying to disrespect you in anyways. And I'm not saying I disagree with you or saying your wrong for that matter. While, sure the thing I wrote after was nothing to do with the topic, it was just a side thought and probably not necessary, but thx for the "dumb shit" deal.
But after all, you are way more edumacted than I. I will not ask anything further.
My bad.
I don't know what's wrong with DOR's question. I would have like to have seen O- Dub answer. I have a jewish name & I don't use it because it sounds old & kinda biblical. Culturally, it has little relevance to me. It would be interesting to hear another person's perspective, especially since we all share different cultural & religious backrounds. Simply calling a question "Dumb shit" leaves for little illumination. Maybe its a dumb question to you because you only have one name & so its redundant?
I think people would name their pets almost anything including names from other cultures. I would be willing to bet that there are people here in the U.S. with Italian greyhound's named Giuseppe, Giovanni or Luigi.
I still think you are reaching in a big way. I am not disrespecting you in any way when I say this (though you might take it that way) but do you have a Chinese name? Why do you continue to use a "western" name if you do (which happens to be used by probably hundreds of thousands of pets around the world)?
Yo - if you want to say I'm reaching that's really fine. But everything else you write after that point is dumb shit. Seriously.
It was just a comment. I wasn't trying to disrespect you in anyways. And I'm not saying I disagree with you or saying your wrong for that matter. While, sure the thing I wrote after was nothing to do with the topic, it was just a side thought and probably not necessary, but thx for the "dumb shit" deal.
But after all, you are way more edumacted than I. I will not ask anything further.
My bad.
I don't know what's wrong with DOR's question. I would have like to have seen O- Dub answer. I have a jewish name & I don't use it because it sounds old & kinda biblical. Culturally, it has little relevance to me. It would be interesting to hear another person's perspective, especially since we all share different cultural & religious backrounds. Simply calling a question "Dumb shit" leaves for little illumination. Maybe its a dumb question to you because you only have one name & so its redundant?
Comments
I named my cat "Chuck". Luckilly, I didn't get a cease & desist from the S1W's.
..and later found out that neko[/b] is apparently a Japanese word for lucky cat...
...which is neither here nor there...
The Japanese word "neko" is the word for "cat." It is pronounced like neh-ko and not nee-ko. The "Lucky Cat" is called a maneki neko and is usually placed in the front window of businesses to bring in customers. The cats paw is waving to invite customers into the shop. The maneki neko is a good luck symbol to bring the shop owner money.
Oliver,
I appriciate you bringing this up, but maybe the situation is being over analyzed. Traditionally most people in Japan name pets with "pet" names like Tama, Pochi, Shiro, etc. A lot of people also make up names using katakana characters. Some people also use Japanese "people" names for pets. In the 1980's a lot of people in Japan named their dogs "John." John as you know is a Western biblical name. Is this disrespecting Western culture and religion by naming dogs "John?" Some Japanese people would find it strange to name a cat with a Japanese girl's name and some would not care at all. My wife's name is "Yuki" and her friend Heidi has a dog named "Yuki." My wife was not offended at all by the name because Heidi is an avid snowboarder and named the dog "Yuki" from the Japanese word for snow. My wife's name is pronounced the same way, but is written with different kanji characters that give it a different meaning. I am sure that lambert did not mean to offend anyone or cause further infantalizing of Asia.
I think people would name their pets almost anything including names from other cultures. I would be willing to bet that there are people here in the U.S. with Italian greyhound's named Giuseppe, Giovanni or Luigi. Maybe people would apply African names to an African dog or cat?
I AM GOING TO NAME MY NEXT DOG SCHLOMO
It's not an overanalysis - I mean, the thread is pretty clear: let's throw out cute Japanese girl names to name my cat.
Provided, Japanese names seem particularly well suited for cats and it's worth stopping to think about why, for a minute. I'd argue - and frankly, there's a lot of history to back me up on this - that it has much to do with how the West perceives Japan. That relationship, since post-WWII reconstruction, has always been rather paternal and this has likely contributed to Japan's own ways of infantilizing itself as is elevating the concept of "kawaii" (cuteness) is part of their national culture.
Trying to flip this around - by talking about how Japanese have given their pets Western names - doesn't work since the relationship between Japan and the West hasn't been historically equal. One could argue that the practice of African Americans straightening their hair with lye and white dudes rocking dreads are the same but such a comparison would be completely ahistorical.
I'm not trying to ride on Lambert here and frankly, I wouldn't be remotely offended that his - or anyone else's pet - rocks a Japanese name. I just think the way the question was offered up was a little problematic to me and in true Soul Strut fashion, I'm raising that issue. I'm certainly not going federal about it and I'm not accusing Lambert of being a racist. But yeah, I want people to stop and think about this for a moment.
Go ahead and ruin my fun...
It's MY cat, damnit!
FUCK IT!
I'm going to call it Dan Rather. That's my word!
That'd be a better name for a crane...ba dum bum! I'm here all week!
Even before I knew what the thread was about, the title made me cringe.
Is it that ODub is reading too much into this (I say no) or that what he???s saying rings true on how Western folks (men) view Japanese women and the culture and that makes some uncomfortable (file under: the truth hurts)? And the way to deal with that discomfort is to make ODub the villain?
For those of you who saw the OJ verdict Frontline ??? this point was made (way more articulately than me) about the race card and those who didn???t really want to face the fact that race was an issue. Turn the tables and point the finger at the person who raises the point.
I don???t think the original post is racist either, but the question was not post your favourite girls??? names, but post you favourite Japanese girls??? names.
My cats' names are Oscar, Squirrel and Puss. We have named the strays we feed Baby, Pinhead and Pound Cake.
I was just thinking about this and they might. Since the beginnings of domestication of cats did take place in Africa. I remember doing a report on the ancient Egyptians, where I found out, some named their children after cats.
OK, good points raised. And I'm now starting to read into it a little. I still think it's reaching. But the title (Mixed with the topic) is
And squirrel seems like a great name for a cat! Someone named ours Tiki (No one in our household gave the name)way back in the day.
Do you give Squirrel crap for chasing squirrels?
Yo - if you want to say I'm reaching that's really fine. But everything else you write after that point is dumb shit. Seriously.
I agree with everything you have written. I was playing Devil's advocate to try and really get some discussion going on the issue. I am always interested to see your opinions and replies in these types of discussions even if you have no street credibility and some rappers don't like you
Perhaps the Jewish SoulStrutter who named his pet "Shaqueela" has something to say about this...
Whoah! Dude, you are out there.
He love her like no other before, ay?
It was just a comment. I wasn't trying to disrespect you in anyways. And I'm not saying I disagree with you or saying your wrong for that matter. While, sure the thing I wrote after was nothing to do with the topic, it was just a side thought and probably not necessary, but thx for the "dumb shit" deal.
But after all, you are way more edumacted than I. I will not ask anything further.
My bad.
For sure...
I don't know what's wrong with DOR's question. I would have like to have seen O- Dub answer. I have a jewish name & I don't use it because it sounds old & kinda biblical. Culturally, it has little relevance to me. It would be interesting to hear another person's perspective, especially since we all share different cultural & religious backrounds. Simply calling a question "Dumb shit" leaves for little illumination. Maybe its a dumb question to you because you only have one name & so its redundant?
peace
h
LMFAO
TOUCHE!
haz you ain't nothing but a house jew! rep your roots! hahahaha just kidding homey.