WaniKani Content Overhaul

We use “joke” for じょく so that one is out.

Koichi was really invested in telling his Jourm/Jo-Anne stories so it would have to be a near perfect suggestion to get him to change them now, I think.

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Ah okay. Joke definitely works better for じょく anyway. I generally feel like the “made up character” mnemonics don’t work as well as others.

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My mind likes to decide on pronunciations at first glance, and in my mind, “Jourm” is now pronounced “Jaw-rm”. Which does not do wonders for remembering じょう…

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@Belthazar In my mind it rhymes with “warm”, which also doesn’t work for じょう.

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I actually mostly like the original characters. It’s just not ideal when they’re introduced on earlier levels but I don’t get that introduction, since they were added when I was already level 32. Still, I imagine Jourm will eventually become memorable and an effective mnemonic once I read some more of his stories on Wanikani, so I don’t think it’s a huge issue.

I see the “Art” but gyrating with your groin in front of a child’s face, is a step too far for me!

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Wait, I thought they removed the, coincidentally offensive ones, because they were too “American-centric”? Now I hear Joseph Stalin and shooter got the cut, yet Hard Gay, who people are literally telling them is offensive in this thread, is still around?

Are the offensive mnemonics being cut because they’re offensive? Because if so, there’s no reason to keep Hard Gay. If they’re not cutting them because they’re potentially offensive to a large swathe of people, they should literally come out and say it and stop dancing around trying to appease both sides.

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Muahahaha — history revised (and mistaken addition to the list removed)! Thanks for the catch on that one. :smiley:

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I found Hard Gay to be way more offensive than Joseph Stalin.

Stalin has been long dead before I was even born, and I’m already 43, he’s a historical figure. Hard Gay is cheap comedy making fun of homosexuals.

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Considering how many people died under Stalin’s rule, I find this comparison appalling.

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She is pretty creepy and evil, there is one where her body washes up on a beach :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

You know what they say, millions of deaths is a statistic.

Especially historical millions.

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Have we all gone mad?

69fecc61-a484-4f64-a124-ea7f9283da63_text_hi

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Not justifying, just saying there tends to be a bit of an emotional separation involved when you’re just reading about the guy in your class textbooks.

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I’m not willing to defend the act of a man I’ve watched for 5 minutes on youtube to find out who he is lol. But I am willing to defend his use as a mnemonic. He is so absurd and over the top that comparing him to actual lgbt people would make me question the one doing the comparison and not the one mocking a stereotype by turning it up to 11. Maybe he is making fun of gay people, I don’t know. Either way he is memorable, and therefore useful as a tool of mnemonics. Also, I’ll say this again, things like hard gay aren’t turning anyone who wasn’t already a bigot into a bigot; same with Rupaul’s drag race etc.

Same with Stalin. Thinking of Joseph in all those ridiculous situations not only robs him of posthumous power but it is memorable for that same reason; the same reason the death of Stalin was such a funny movie for me. I dunno maybe I just like laughing at stuff that is in bad taste. But mnemonics are supposed to be memorable and trigger emotional respond to aid that process, and offensive mnemonics or garish or ridiculous ones are the most memorable. Who Is remembering “I participated in eating a sandwich. さん” or boring stuff like that?

It doesn’t matter much to me, I make all mine up anyway and they are a lot more derogatory, ridiculous, offensive or stupid than the ones written up here. Whatever keeps the kanji in my brain.

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Yeah I get you. Was worried that things were escalating, hence the Starship Troopers joke :rofl:

Anyway, I mean, Nazi’s are still in wanikani, I haven’t heard anyone mention that yet?

Yeah like the Nazi reference, I thought it was funny, almost like something off south park

The era of the shogunate wasn’t exactly civil either. May we foresee further WK overhauls that will eventually dissolve all mnemonics into a neutral teletubbie dribble that shares no offense to anyone but implodes the nature of the system? Reminds me of the ending to A Clockwork Orange (film, not novel) where Alex is cured of all naughty mnemonics…I mean psychopathic thoughts, only to return to his eventual true nature.

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Hope not, unfortunately you cannot please everyone. I know someone who is Indian and is offended by Gandi!
Got to draw the line where the product doesn’t suffer.
I’ve gone over all the changes and I’m am very happy with how Wanikani is now. Percolating changes like these would have been a huge effort for the team.
:+1:

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What about Joe the RnB singer? His name is Joseph too lol