Cultural Divide
I was reading some fangirl blogs today (I do this too often, don't I? It's sad, yes, I know), and came across one girl's entry from a couple of weeks ago.
This entry was her response in her personal blog to The Great "HOMG Tuti Is Stopping Smoking?!" Post of 2006. For those of you unfamiliar with all the aftermath of this post (the one with the subject line 'cigarettes'), his frankness and openness--something I think that is prized in the west--was received less than merrily by his native fans.
When he wrote in the entry the following sentences: "I’ve been hanging around with these guys since I was 15 years old, 12 years now. When I was younger, it was kind of a thrill to sneak off for a smoke, and even now passing the intermission in the smoking room is enjoyable," he was soon met with comments from fans seeking not to voice their approval of his decision to quit (or decision to decide to quit rather >_>), as many had--English and Japanese both, but disapproval of what the post seemed to advocate.
"You're a role model," they said, "You need to think about the message you're sending to minors, who do read this blog." Enough comments popped up mirroring this sentiment that he later went through, apologized, and removed the part I quoted above.
It's not something unexpected, really, though it makes me sad. He so obviously wants to write to his heart's content, and tries to--he writes the most inane entries (come on, katakana? THE WATERCOOLER?), deep entries, goofy entries, general entries. He truly is, I feel, himself on that blog. It's eerie how much closer I feel to him now since he started this--kooriyoukai! I was going through old text messages on my phone last night and found the one you sent me when he'd just established it! Brought back so many memories ♥
And yet he still has to maintain his status as an actor. No matter how open he is on this, he can never be the real, complete Tuti that he wants to be, and that's really sad. Always having to think about his image, lest he fall from grace as it seems he's really afraid of. I shook my head in dismay at every comment I read that reproved him for writing so freely and not thinking about his readers, because I feared deep down that this would discourage him from discussing something so important to him ever again for fear of the same reaction.
The hulabaloo has passed, though, for the most part, and I'd nearly forgotten it until I came across this blog entry today, and it spurred me to write this entry. The girl who wrote it had apparently been watching the whole thing unfold, and wrote out her thoughts, which I perused, and I'll now give my thoughts on her thoughts.
予想通りコメントでそのことを批判してる人も何人かいる。当たり前。
ツチは一個人として書いているつもりでも、ファンは役者・土屋裕一として見る。
素の部分を見せてくれるのは嬉しいけど、ツチの発言ひとつの影響を考えてみて欲しいなぁ。
たった一言、些細な発言がファンを去らせることがある。
ファンって言うのは去る時は黙って去っていくもの。
今、とても大事な時期なのだから、それを忘れないでいて欲しかった。
せっかくいいお仕事してるんだからさ。
失言でファンを減らさないでね、トテ。
[As expected, there were many people in the comments criticizing (the comment about smoking as a minor). Of course there would be.
Tuti may have meant to only write in his blog as he himself, an individual person, but his fans see him as Tsuchiya Yuuichi, the actor. I'm glad he's choosing to show such a great part of him to us, but I would like for him to consider the effect a single word he writes can have.
Just one single word, even a seemingly innocent utterence can make fans leave. Fans will just up and leave without a word when they do so.
Right now is a very important time, and I really want him to not forget that. He's finally gotten such a great job after all.
Don't lose your fans over a few poorly chosen words, Tuti.]
Like I said before, I understand why they replied to his post in the way some of them did--he did post a little absentmindedly, not thinking of the impact it might have on him personally, or how his words would be taken by his fans.
However, reading this post by this girl...has made me realize just how different our two countries truly are.
Tuti, you should've been born in the west.
What disheartens me most, and spurred me to make this post, is this statement:
"Tuti may have meant to only write in his blog as he himself, an individual person, but his fans see him as Tsuchiya Yuuichi, the actor."
Really? Is that what they really see him as? How is it that I, a random gaijin on the other side of the planet who's never so much as been in the same TIMEZONE as this wonderful man, can feel so much closer to him than them. I don't even speak his same language! I struggle through it to pick out and piece together what he's trying to tell us so I can share it with others, and maybe through that I feel I get closer to him. Is that it?
I may have started out seeing him as an actor--and there are some of the guys I still do see as actors. In fact, I'll even go so far as to say every other Japanese person of moderate or more fame I know of I still think of as '_____-san, the actor.' Nagayan, Kimeru, Tatsuya, MoriEiji, Daiki, everyone.
Except Tuti. Maybe it's this blog. This feeling of openness, his "katte na kanji" that he speaks of, letting him write whatever he wants without worrying too much about how it reflects on *pnish*.
I'm floored that they really do--or really admit they do--feel this way about him. No matter what, he's still standing in a glass case parading himself around for their entertainment, is still 'Tsuchiya Yuuichi, the actor,' and never 'Tuti, that funny guy who writes the weird posts and occasionally does theatre.'
Yes, Tuti's words can have a startling effect on his fanbase. All he has to do is mention a group or a song and we're on that bitch like white on rice. Remioromen? Downloaded liekwhoa. Naussica? Oh yeah, that got watched. And how is it that I actually want to try some of this stuff he takes pictures of just because he recommends it, when I HATE JAPANESE FOOD? umbrellaofdoom went to the LUSH store for crying out loud! The fact that Tuti has a large influence on his fans comes as noooooo surprise, believe me.
But it must be a completely western way of thinking to think, "...So?"
"Just one single word, even a seemingly innocent utterence can make fans leave. Fans will just up and leave without a word when they do so."
Well then they're not really fans, are they? The true fans are the ones who stick by him, who are willing to tell him that he's gone a little too far, been a little too liberal and might want to rephrase his statement, while AT THE SAME TIME supporting him and encouraging him. Not saying, "Don't say that! All your fans will leave!"
Tuti might lose fans, but he won't lose his friends. I've never even met him, and I consider myself his friend. Because of what I want for him, what I cheer for, what I get sad for seeing him write, the closeness I feel through something as cold and emotionless as the internet yet still connects us. For lack of a better analogy, it's like I've friended him on LJ, he just hasn't friended me back. I still care about him, even if he doesn't know I exist.
If not going to his plays or writing him fanletters or buying his swag (I so would by his crap, you know I would, I can't wait for this collab ♥) doesn't make me a fan, then to hell with fans.
If the above is a fan, I'm fine with not being one, thanks. I'm happy being his friend.