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Further reading seems to show they are different from pop idols of the west, both in fan culture[0] and how much control a talent agency has over the idols' per

by dfxm12 7y ago

Further reading seems to show they are different from pop idols of the west, both in fan culture[0] and how much control a talent agency has over the idols' personal life, including forcing idols to remain single so as to seem attainable by their fan base, which "may cause fans to be unable to distinguish between fantasy and real-life" [1]. 0 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_idol#Fan_culture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_idol#Fan_culture 1 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_idol#Criticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_idol#Criticism

autoexec 7y ago
yeah, my main issue with it is it seems really exploitative. Get a bunch of kids and control every aspect of their lives in exchange for fame, subjecting them to all kinds of pressures and limiting their experiences...
coldtea 7y ago
That was commonplace in the west for musicians and actors with a mass young fan base -- they often were forced by management to be single, or appear single, hide their relationships etc, not to disappoint the fans of the opposite sex. And of course actors/singers/etc who were gay/lesbian/bi/etc were forced to hide it for marketing reasons.
- Iv 7y ago
  And we grew out of it. Japan did not. I wish we stopped giving Japan a pass for the things it does wrong. In terms of gender equality, minorities inclusiveness, gay rights, it lags far behind.
  - coldtea 7y ago
    >I wish we stopped giving Japan a pass for the things it does wrong. I also wish people stop considering their country's morals and current fashions as the yardstick to measure the whole world... (Especially if they don't have such a great, past or present, track record even by their own standards, to begin with). Who are you to give or give not Japan "a free pass"? Who said Japan needs a pass from outsiders? To quote Feyman: "The next morning the young woman taking care of our room fixes the bath, which was right in our room. Sometime later she returns with a tray to deliver breakfast. I'm partly dressed. She turns to me and says, politely, "Ohayo, gozai masu," which means, "Good morning." Pais is just coming out of the bath, sopping wet and completely nude. She turns to him and with equal composure says, "Ohayo, gozai masu ," and puts the tray down for us. Pais looks at me and says, "God, are we uncivilized!" We realized that in America if the maid was delivering breakfast and the guy's standing there, stark naked, there would be little screams and a big fuss. But in Japan they were completely used to it, and we felt that they were much more advanced and civilized about those things than we were."

by dfxm12 7y ago

autoexec 7y ago

yeah, my main issue with it is it seems really exploitative. Get a bunch of kids and control every aspect of their lives in exchange for fame, subjecting them to all kinds of pressures and limiting their experiences...

coldtea 7y ago

That was commonplace in the west for musicians and actors with a mass young fan base -- they often were forced by management to be single, or appear single, hide their relationships etc, not to disappoint the fans of the opposite sex. And of course actors/singers/etc who were gay/lesbian/bi/etc were forced to hide it for marketing reasons.

Iv 7y ago
And we grew out of it. Japan did not. I wish we stopped giving Japan a pass for the things it does wrong. In terms of gender equality, minorities inclusiveness, gay rights, it lags far behind.
- coldtea 7y ago
  >I wish we stopped giving Japan a pass for the things it does wrong. I also wish people stop considering their country's morals and current fashions as the yardstick to measure the whole world... (Especially if they don't have such a great, past or present, track record even by their own standards, to begin with). Who are you to give or give not Japan "a free pass"? Who said Japan needs a pass from outsiders? To quote Feyman: "The next morning the young woman taking care of our room fixes the bath, which was right in our room. Sometime later she returns with a tray to deliver breakfast. I'm partly dressed. She turns to me and says, politely, "Ohayo, gozai masu," which means, "Good morning." Pais is just coming out of the bath, sopping wet and completely nude. She turns to him and with equal composure says, "Ohayo, gozai masu ," and puts the tray down for us. Pais looks at me and says, "God, are we uncivilized!" We realized that in America if the maid was delivering breakfast and the guy's standing there, stark naked, there would be little screams and a big fuss. But in Japan they were completely used to it, and we felt that they were much more advanced and civilized about those things than we were."