Okashiratsuki - Vol. 3 Ch. 17 - Last Mushroom

[penniless1]

@mukade

There are people who have called and ambulance and try to escape if the EMT is black.
People refuse medical help from non-male doctors.
They start malpractice suits for having doctors of South East descent, with no regard to their nationality at all.

https://www.statnews.com/2017/10/18/patient-prejudice-wounds-doctors/

Black kids get suspension for their hair being to short or too long, girls can't be too modest or their Muslim radicals, too slack and they're 'influenced by ghetto culture' aka black.

I've seen people refuse to serve people with large moles on their faces, afraid of contagion. Not warts, moles.

Finally, think of Prince Harry's wife, Megan. Everybody loved her until they realised that she was part-black. When she stopped 'passing' for white. Their child was being compared to a chimpanzee when he was just born.

I was 8 the first time racist words were flung at my face. If anything, this series is mild, but definitely gets all the blind eyes and looking away down pat.

 

[pants]

As much as I hate the "wut does the tail meen tho?!" dialogue that this manga's been plagued with, I feel I have to throw in my two cents towards the direction the dialogue has taken. A lot of people have centered the discussion around race, which is understandable seeing as racism is the most common visible discrimination in the world. It may also originate from the amount of American users of this site and the history/impact/relevance of racism in America. Despite the relevance of racism towards the allegory in this story, I really don't think it's the appropriate reality to compare to the fiction. If the tail were replaced with a skin color difference the plot and dialogues would make a lot less sense. I think the reason people want to ascribe a visible parallel to the tail is because the tail itself is a physical feature, but in terms of it's role towards the story's plot and allegory, the tail is something hidden to almost everyone. It only shows itself in critical and personal moments, and for this reason I feel that a socioeconomic discrimination is a lot closer to what the allegory is trying to illuminate. A socioeconomic disparity is easier to hide day to day and many people will never notice it, but when an individual is revealed to have come from a "bad family" or "bad area" there is a very noticeable reaction and stigma, and this is universal to all cultures. I believe the mother of the male main character being a rural oddball hints towards this, and many of the interactions also make more sense with this context in mind; The mother doesn't want her daughter marrying someone of lower wealth/status, the friends recommend against it, the schoolyard bullying despite the MMC fitting in previously, etc.

People can take meaning from this story where they find it, and if racial discrimination is what you see in this story then more power to you, and hopefully it leads you to a greater empathy and understanding towards the issues of racism wherever you may find them. I personally feel that that's not the most accurate way to understand the conflicts and motivations in this story, or to derive the meaning from the allegorical component. Take that as you will, it's just my two cents from reading this story.

 

[suchtla]

I took a hard look at the first chapter, so now I have a few guesses regarding the school of his choice: something related to football, plants, playgrounds, birth, education, chemicals, allergies, tanning (lol).

I suppose something with plants since his mom is also into nature stuff.

 

[chusetto]

Oh, look at that precious friendship...
Friends: We don't like your "different" boyfriend, you should break up
Oh, no you didn't...

 

[anngie]

@pants that's a really good read. i think of the tail as being more metaphorical, too.

 

[Henny_]

At least taking things at face value, the "hurr durr tail" drama is pretty cringe and not very convincing tbh. EVERYONE acts likes he's got horns growing out of his head. Jeez, they act like he should be put down if his tail was any longer. Main thing I can't really take seriously in this series.

 

[mukade]

@Henny_ my feelings exactly. I know the tail has a deeper meaning and all, but I just feel like facepalming, rolling my eyes and laughing all at the same time when someone sees it. And I'm probably gonna get shot down for this, but sometimes Nachi looks like someone with a really weird fetish.

 

[Darklight99]

@Henny_ Don't take it at face value, the tail is just metaphorical for a physical difference which is harmless and isn't even visible normally yet people still discriminate heavily against it no matter the person.

 

[dementati]

@ThePaulBunyanTrophy
I see your point, and I really love the message the author is trying to convey, but I still can't see people acting to this extreme in real life because of some physical trait that isn't constantly on display.

I do understand why he was bullied throughout his childhood, because kids will be kids, but the adults really baffle me.

Ofc I can see them getting disgusted at a weird kid and even telling their kids to stay away from him, but saying all that crap to his face? Instantly forgetting they're dealing with a child?

Take Nachi's friends for instance. They're not adults yet, but they should have enough common sense as to wait for a better time to talk about such a sensitive topic. But no, they decided to let her know right away what they thought about him, even though he was probably listening to it.

Idk, it just feels too extreme. That oneshot Sahara Mizu wrote about the short, overweight girl and the troubled pretty girl (Watashi to Watashi) was a lot more realistic.

Yeah, it feels a bit forced. It's like literally everyone except Utsumi's family and Nachi go absolutely apeshit the moment they see that tail. Their entire personality breaks down and they turn into fear/hate-zombies. Of course someone like that would face discrimination, prejudice and social isolation, but not to this universal extent.

 

[dementati]

Also, why the fuck does she have to apologize for anything? He saved Uchida's life and they turn around and tell her to break up with him. That's insane. She should stick to her guns and wait for them to apologize. If they don't, they don't need them, seriously. Both Utsumi and his dad are so freaking meek, it's aggravating. I mean, I get that you can't fight the system, but you can certainly choose your friends.