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May 7, 2012
"Oatku Japan's
Database Animals" (2001)
The Animal/Human distinction by Hiroki Azuma
Azuma makes seemed quite a
puzzle at a distance-- OTAKU_BASE
Every description or summary of
Azuma's work makes it sound more
complicated than it is.
Originally, I wondered if the idea was
that living with a grand narrative is
to live as a human being (or perhaps
just a humanist?) and the otaku has
descended (or ascended?) to some sort From the translators
of animalistic level of indulging pure introduction, I got the
desire-- or perhaps gathering idea that the otaku
moe-points like acorns? engages with art by
identifying and cataloging
OTAKU_ACORNS familiar elements, that is
by "databasing" them; and
this way of relating to art
is "animalistic", as befits
a post-marxist classless
society that has gotten
beyond artificial "human"
status-seeking.
This all makes sense,
right? Animals are
well known for their
database skills.
Other riffs you
could play:
animal-animate-animismanimal-animate-animism
mal-adaption
What Azuma is really arguing:
Or see p 67, 68
Azuma takes the line that
humans have desires, but OTAKU_SNOBBED
animals merely have needs,
that desires are bound up in
complex interactions with ANIMAL
the other, but that in
post-industrial society,
humans have (or can become?)
"animalized": their needs I might go with the idea
can be satisified without that it's human to struggle
personal human interaction against the nature of the
(e.g. through restaurants, (Animals world, and that once that
or the sex-industry). love whore war is won, it becomes
houses.) possible to relax and drift
(see p.86, 87) and perhaps devolve into
consumerism.
So then, Azuma essentially buys
the mainstream critique of the
Otaku as socially damaged: trying
to live without real personal
interaction, instead substituting
the consumption of product. Azuma also has a bunch of
stuff about "snobbery"--
which I grant is at least
OTAKU_CONSUMED a form of interaction with
the Other-- but he seems
convinced it's the only
possible one. Or rather
it's the only possible one
now that our souls have
been postmodernized.
OTAKU_SNOBBED
(Oct 24, 2018)
Is this all a reduction to dualities?
Otaku as fans of popular culture, must
be regarded as in opposition to snobbery.
Otaku are looked down upon by the normals:
If the normals are the true "humans" then
Otaku must be animals.
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