Talk:Oinari-sama

Mae:

(Disclaimer: Sorry if I have misspoken, fully aware this is a delicate discussion in which I will never be able to truly 'know' everything. Let alone whether be right in suggesting such a change on a talk page.)

Question-related to the decision to list important religious peoples throughout various belief systems as "fiction."

This does not come from a standpoint of offense, and by no means intend a loaded question, I know Japari Library has well-intentions, I have been with it for a few years. Just that, now noticing it feels .. off. To group, some groups' entities of worship and Hello Kitty in the same way. To both of and of not those cultures, (a concern, not an accusation or 100% without-a-doubt time travel prediction.) My solution is the suggestion Religious figures are given a category elsewhere with a more neutral connotation, while Crunchyroll-Hime, Godzilla, and Hello Mimmy remain in "Fiction." Wikipedia for example does just that while leaving it to the reader. I know this is such a small thing, and you're allowed to call me whatever you want, I get that and I understand. But I feel like it has the chance to mean a lot to people even if it was in such a small way.

(please no flame) I can be wrong, I'm one person. Maybe there's a reason maybe no one else has said anything. I also understand if this was an improper place, I even understand the possibility that this is some form of a non-issue outside me. Only, that this simple action could have the potential to create a more inclusive future and environment without the risk of unintentional side-effects. And again, I'm not saying "burn down the wiki!!!" or that you personally affected me. All the intent was the hope that it could affect someone else personally, in the right way.

TLDR; Should Religious Figures be given neutral wording and their own category instead of "Fiction"? Maybe it's just me, at the same time, I have concerns about what that's implying.

(Not coming from someone who is strongly experienced in the situations of those faiths' tributes these Friends pay.) (This is not to intend to talk on others' behalf, nor does it reflect anyone else's exact thoughts except my own.) (I am not here to say what is real, what is fake, what is in-between, only that the decision should be left to the reader, in ironically yes, my belief. This is not to accuse you of anything, to do would be an overall unproductive gross over-simplification. No foul is intended. At the same time, I must acknowledge that, to be honest. May the validity of what I say here, be up to you who reads.)


 * Hi there, thanks for bringing this to my attention, and I'm sorry it's so late, I must not have seen it beforehand. To explain a bit, the purpose of the category isn't to group all Friends who are fictional together, but to group all Friends who are 1) not based on a real-world species or variety of animal (Oinari would fall under this, as would Cerberus or Keroro - basically anything that a reasonable taxonomist would not classify) or 2) based on an animal that is not widely accepted to exist (i.e. the Tsuchinoko or the Skyfish). Fictional Friends does feel like a perfect descriptor at first glance, but you are correct that it touches on some sensitive subjects in an insensitive way. I am open to changing the description and name of the category itself, but since the utility function of the category is to group together Friends that leave the realm of taxonomy, I would prefer it if we could find a solution that doesn't involve a category split. Kemotalk 010029001 01.png Head Librarian Charlotte 03:50, 28 January 2023 (UTC)


 * Hello again, just an update! After a community discussion, we decided to settle on UMA as a replacement term for the following reasons:
 * It has no specific connotation of "realness" or "fakeness", merely the idea that the Friend in question has not been categorized taxonomically.
 * It does not exclude collaboration Friends, cryptid Friends, original Friends, or religion-based Friends in any particular way.
 * It is the terminology used by the franchise itself for all of the Friends in the category.
 * It is a short and easy to say phrase that does not feel long-winded.


 * Thank you for bringing up your concern and helping us to improve Japari Library! Kemotalk 010029001 01.png Head Librarian Charlotte 00:08, 30 January 2023 (UTC)