Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello,i am a 15 year old level 1 autistic girl and I am struggling. My special intrest is Japanese tokusatsu and with the nonstop research I am doing on it I discovered some big problems with the show power rangers, I never used to care about the show that much but I found out that they did a lot of bad things like Americanization,racism,cultural appropriation,homophobia and a lot more and it has been hurting Tokusatsu since it existed and it make me super mad, I don’t know how to explain it to peoples who don’t have any knowledge on tokusatsu but it has been around since the 60s and it almost created special effects, power rangers Americanized a show called super sentai which came out in the 70s I think, they took the fights scenes,suits and changed the race of the Japanese actors which I think take away Asian representation. I know power rangers is known for their racial diversity but I have learned that it was to hide the racist history of what they did to super sentai and they did a lot of racist Americanization of other Japanese shows, best exemples are glitter force,masked rider,beetleborg and more . It really make me mad since I think it’s so wrong that no one talk about it and decide to ignore it just because of nostalgia. I understand that it’s the childhood of some peoples and I’m not blaming the fans. But I’m getting not taken seriously and even being bullied in real life and it make me super mad, they don’t wanna learn and I have a ton of proofs but they don’t wanna hear it unless it’s someone else or a neurotipical. I alway was bullied for being weird before I even got my autism diagnosis and now it’s even worst. I don’t know what to do and their starting to purpofully make fun of me and I don’t understand because I know I am right but they won’t stop and it’s getting worst. I don’t want anyone to be rude but please help me. They don’t take me seriously and never will and it make me in trouble since when I’m mad at them I’m the one that end up being in trouble and not even my parents know what to do anymore. I hope that I explained it in a way that a clear. Please be nice I do not wanna hurt anyone and I wanna educate peoples and tell the truth
Hi Uniikyun and welcome
I'm an old autistic lady in my 60s, so I never watched Power Rangers, but I googled it and found that Wikipaedia says: " Power Rangers is an entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise Super Sentai. "
I can understand your frustration that an American franchise took over an idea from a Japanese series and Americanized it, and how nobody seems interested in what you have to say about it. Your facts are correct, but they cannot see how it relates to them. Neurotypical people can have difficulty absorbing and accepting any facts that do not fit their own cultural web - it's just the way they are, in the same way that you cannot change who you are.
I think that trying to educate people who don't have an interest in your special subject isn't helping you. Are there any online special interest groups for Tokusatsu where you could chat to others who share your interest? If so, please be careful what you share, as you are only 15 - Make sure you understand how to stay safe, and remember never arrange to meet anyone you've only chatted with online.
I'm sorry if this hasn't been very helpful - I hope you find a way to enjoy your special interest without conflict.
This was the most helpful, thank you