Culture vulture is a term for anyone:
- Trying to profit
- Benefit
- Take advantage of
And use without actually giving a F about the industry or culture they’re profiting from.
Or whether they “harm” the culture or industry in the process.
You see this in:
- Hip Hop.
- Video Games.
- Hollywood Films.
And other industries and sectors.
Culture vultures have no morals or standards, pushing an agenda at the expense of the industry or culture they abuse for their own self-righteous nonsense.
What is an “anime” culture vulture?
As Urban Dictionary puts it:
“A person or an organization making profit using unhonorable practices from a culture they do not care for.“
Let’s look at some examples
Kim Kardashian in February 2018 started making a few posts related to anime and manga.
In the Instagram post above she’s with Kanye, with the picture focused on Kim next to an isle of Manga in a Tokyo shop.
Cool. Fair enough. No issues here.
I am obsessed with anime. That was legit my inspo https://t.co/l3wVdwGyeN
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) February 28, 2018
Later that SAME month – Kim Kardashian unsurprisingly tweeted this.
Here’s the original photo:
Now let’s break this down.
- In February 2018 – darling in the franxx was EXTREMELY popular.
- The anime had a LOT of controversy surrounding it for different reasons.
- It was so popular – even non anime fans knew about it.
- Almost NO anime surpassed it’s mainstream appeal (at the time).
It was a time when Darling In The Franxx had made waves and a lot of progress as far as episodes.
I remember it like it was yesterday.
This is more than just a simple coincidence (seeing as Kim K deleted the image in her Tweet).
People seem to forget – business men and women promote and market themselves. And SOME will shamelessly jump on waves and ride it, no matter how disingenuous it is.
oh really kim? name your top 5 pic.twitter.com/5hGaSjVCkV
— steph ツ (@adtr_steph) February 28, 2018
Don’t be a gatekeeper. Doesn’t matter if all she’s into is mainstream sh*t, it’s still anime. Doesn’t matter if she’s only into two series. Literally does not matter.
— ren (@sadb0ydeku) March 1, 2018
In the first Tweet – “name your top 5” is a response to Kim K “being obsessed” with anime as she put it.
Someone responds saying don’t be a gatekeeper.
It’s a fair comment and I agree with the intent, BUT….
If you say you’re “obsessed” with *insert subject* but can’t even list off 5 basic things about said subject, you aren’t obsessed with that subject. Just because you saw an anime pic on your trip to Japan doesn’t make you an “anime fan.”
— Hero With A Guitar (@AirKing_of_Eden) March 7, 2018
As THIS Tweet accurately puts it:
“If you say you’re “obsessed” with a subject, but can’t list 5 basic things about it, you aren’t obsessed with that subject.”
The keyword here is obsession.
If you’re truly obsessed with something it shows up in your everyday life, what you do, your work, the pictures you take and your lifestyle.
This isn’t obsession, this is opportunity
Kim Kardashian hasn’t said ANYTHING about anime or manga ever since.
She even deleted the image associated with the “inspo” Tweet.
Was Kim Kardashian a low-key culture vulture?
That’s up for debate, but it wasn’t genuine for the most part.
Next we have CBR (.com), who call themselves:
“The world’s top destination for comic, movie & TV news.”
CBR has been writing anime-related articles since 2008. But back then – MOST of the articles were tiny news pieces about events, cons, and other “small” stuff.
Nothing serious. Just little-effort posts to keep people in the loop.
This was back when CBR (and other sites) were sane and the SJW agenda wasn’t as prominent (regardless of anime).
It’s also back when CBR never cared for anime from a culture vulture point of view.
But ever since 2018 – CBR’s been creating an INSANE amount of anime articles.
We’re talking hundreds since 2018 based on the history and dates on their site.
But that’s not the real issue
As the title of this post from oneangrygamer states, CBR (since 2018 and 2019 especially) is injecting SJW propaganda into the anime community.
And using their influence to profit off SJW agenda’s in the anime community, with NO regard for the anime community at all.
The definition of a culture vulture
This is the article in question.
The comments section speaks volumes.
And IGN – a site that’s changed drastically since the early 2000’s – is another example of “culture vultures” in the anime industry.
And the narratives they’re trying to push while profiting off something they don’t give 2 f*cks about.
This video can be boiled down to this:
“The entire video is about warping your perception about accepting diversity in anime. This video is pure propaganda. The SJWS want to convince that accepting diversity is the future of anime. The social justice warriors are changing the definition of Anime & Manga to suit their agenda. They would be producing western animation, and labelling it anime. (Reddit)”
It’s your typical “we in the west don’t like Japanese beliefs, so let’s change it to fit our own logic.”
IGN pushes this culture vulture message a lot these days and it never used to be the case, just like with CBR.
Next in line is GAMESPOT. A site that claims it’s about:
“Video game reviews and news.”
Just like CBR and IGN – they’ve published a SHOCKING amount of anime articles in the past 5+ years.
It seems everyone’s trying to ride the anime bandwagon, but I’m digressing.
For a site dedicated to gaming they push their ideologies on a lot of anime, they’re trying to change people’s opinions and push SJW logic, toxic feminism, and colonist culture the US is known for.
What are your thoughts on anime fan service? pic.twitter.com/muiHAE0JWJ
— GameSpot Universe (@GSUniverse) March 13, 2018
One example is this Tweet.
It seems genuine at first, but a lot of their followers are used to their propaganda and sniffed out the BS pretty fast.
I’m not a fan of excessive fan service in my anime, but i have to say, it really doesnt matter how WE feel about this. Anime is a Japanese culture phenomenon. We, as Americans, need to just shut up and take it how it is. Who are we to say what “too much” or “just enough” is?
— Sean C. (@StreetLethalUSA) March 13, 2018
Western people find this so weird. But in Japan it is quite normal. You cannot ask a country to change the culture just because westerners find it weird.
— Sai Krishan Kumar 🖥️💻🎮👨💻🌏 (@SaiKrishanKumar) March 13, 2018
EXACTLY!!! Websites forever trying to f*ck the formula.
— Enate (@TheRealEnate) March 13, 2018
As an American it’s this shot that gets on my nerves. Forever trying to f*ck with something we had nothing to do with on the first place. Most choice having *ss nation in the world. An people act like someone got them at gunpoint forcing them to do sh*t half the time.
— Enate (@TheRealEnate) March 13, 2018
This a lightweight example of what Gamespot has covered when it comes to anime, and certain culture vulture comments.
We can expect more of these “desperate attempts” this year in 2020.
Netflix can be considered a culture vulture.
And even ANN with the way they act these days, plus similar anime sites.
Related: The Emerging Problem With Anime Censorship, And What Could Happen In Future
Why Anime Culture Vultures Are Popping Up
1. Anime CAN’T be ignored anymore
Anime’s been trending for years now. Well over a decade or more.
The internet made a difference and has continued to push the industry forward (overseas).
While anime has always been level with Hollywood, it was never and still isn’t accepted in the west (on a mainstream level by the average person).
This is even true in countries like India.
But anime is TOO BIG to ignore now
Anime like My Hero Academia have been KILLING it for years now.
It’s not the only series but mainstream anime like this are being forced down people’s throats. The throats of people who’ve turned the other way and tried pretending anime doesn’t exist.
This is the reason some websites are on the offensive. Some which are driven by US feminist logic.
None of these sites cared until the loud minority of SJW’S and feminists screamed in people’s ears on Twitter. And similar platforms.
If you CAN’T beat them, you may as well try “changing” things from the inside out
And that’s exactly what culture cultures are doing.
2. The loud minority HATE their lack of “anime” control
In the west, or the US basically – the loud minority is forcing companies to “bend the knee” with films and games to some degree.
Disney is an example of a company that’s gone down hill, because they’re pandering instead of creating GREAT content most people actually want.
Anime is Japanese, and the loud minority hate it
Japan is its own country, with its own laws, ideals, culture and media.
No country is perfect, but the logic of walking into someone’s house and telling them HOW to live, just because it doesn’t pander to your own insecurities is a broken mindset.
It’s this mindset that can’t STAND anime and the culture surrounding it.
These people wish they could control anime, but Japan’s the home base so they can’t do a damn thing about it.
THIS is why some people are being culture vultures and trying to change it from the inside out.
But in the grand scheme of things they’re failing. Because Japan (the owner of the house) doesn’t give a F, and as they shouldn’t.
It’s a two way street, and the critics intent is driven by hypocrisy (imagine the shoe being on the other foot).
What Should Anime Fans Do About It?
It’s simple really:
- Call out B.S when you see it.
- Support those who have a genuine interest in the anime industry.
- Don’t bow down to so-called pressure or political correctness.
- Put your money into sites, people or companies who are in it for the industry, and NOT just to pander.
In the end though – it doesn’t matter if you don’t do anything… Because anime will remain pure and unfiltered no matter how hard the minority scream and shout about it.
The next 10 years of the anime industry is gonna be a good laugh seeing how things play out.
Recommended:
The Problem With Anime Sexism NOBODY Wants To Admit
Comiket Bloodrive Donation SUFFERS After Pandering To Feminists In The West
I’m the Founder of Anime Motivation.
The 1st anime I watched was Dragon Ball Z. Followed by Claymore, Inuyasha, Attack On Titan, and the rest as they say is “history”.
never heard the term culture vulture. I have been and anime fan since the 90’s. This article is right. Anime has become a cash grab and is both good and bad
That’s basically it, Andy. A “cash grab”. Ethics and standards (as with journalism in general) is missing these days.
“Anime Culture Vultures ” is the perfect term for these people.