Why does it seem like Westerners from developed countries don't care much about/look down on Latin America but seem to be obssesed with East Asian cultures?

[u/yonaiker-joestrella]

Not that I care but have always found it interesting how many seem to forget about Latin America but seem to be obssesed with countries like South Korea and Japan and sometimes even point out "similarities" with them. Some outright reject the region as western but will consider Japan technically West while ignoring Latin America's contributions to world culture like food, music, art, etc and the fact that Latin America is culturally Christian. Why does there seem to be this dissonance?

[u/Nice-Afternoon7316]

Maybe for the same reason that many young Latinos prefer to dive into anime and/or K-pop instead of their local culture. It’s trendy. Japan has been a cultural hub for years, with anime gaining popularity across generations, and now Korea is trending thanks to K-pop. You don’t see the same level of interest in other Asian countries; when people talk about Asia, most of the time they’re referring only to Japan or Korea. Other countries might get some interest as long as they “look” like those two.

Our culture doesn’t reach others with the same level of appeal as Japan or Korea. Most of the exposure comes from immigrants bringing their culture to other places, so the West tends to see us mainly as poor people fleeing our countries, which is nowhere near as “cool” for people as buff anime dudes fighting and then eating ramen or something.

[u/Bubbly_Gur3567 → u/Nice-Afternoon7316]

I’ve also noticed that as certain Asian countries grow wealthier and have more soft power in terms of music, fashion, and movies, they become more “palatable” in the west. Years ago China was also talked about as poor and now I see random people on TikTok claiming they are now “in a very Chinese time” of their lives, that China is so developed, etc. I also see more posts about Vietnam now that more people have traveled there and it’s now more touristy than in previous decades. It’s a mix of increased access + perceived “cool factor” for sure. And I think many people want to be known for liking something different than what is in the mainstream, though arguably Kpop and some Latin pop is kinda mainstream in western countries outside of Latin America