Ruth 1

If you don't know what a weeaboo is, consider yourself lucky. And now consider yourself unlucky because I'm about to explain just what this fascinating little term means. A weeaboo is a pejorative term for someone so obsessed with Japanese culture (or what they perceive to be Japanese culture as seen through the oh-so accurate lens of anima and manga) that they not only want to become Japanese, but they also think that the Japanese are superior in every single way to every other culture. In their attempts to be Japanese, they often take the most stereotypical Japanese traits and misuse them (like, for example, adding "desu" to the end of every sentence or shouting "kawaii" in a high, squeaky voice whenever they see something that approaches the realm of cuteness. OK, real Japanese sometimes do the latter to an irritating degree, but you get my point). In short, they appreciate Japan on a superficial level without plumbing the depths of Japanese culture itself--after all, the culture, just like any other, has unsavory qualities lurking beneath its Hello Kitty/Super Mario/wacky game show/jdorama/Miyazaki veneer.

As an extremely Americanized, half-Japanese person myself who's recently been getting into Japanese culture, I sometimes wonder if I'm in danger of becoming a weeaboo myself. So I hope it doesn't sound like I'm one when I say that Naomi's interaction with Orpah reminds me a bit of Japanese customs. Basically, you're supposed to be polite and not refuse something until asked several times. When Naomi asks Ruth and Orpah to strike out on their own and not worry about her, both of her daughters-in-law say, "We will go back with you to your people" (verse 10). Only after Naomi asks them a second time, explaining why it will benefit them to return to Moab, does Orpah take her leave. But Ruth, selfless and loyal to Naomi, insists on accompanying her truly bereft mother-in-law to Bethlehem. (And bereft she is--not only has her husband died, but both of her sons as well. Sounds like fertile fodder for a Japanese or Korean drama, come to think of it….)

I'm guessing that most people focus on Ruth, and rightly so--after all, the book is named after her. But even though Orpah exits stage left, never to be heard of again, I sometimes wonder if I'm more like Orpah than Ruth. Orpah wasn't mean-spirited or malicious; she didn't return to Moab until Naomi told her the second time. And I do understand how she would be swayed by Naomi's logic--better return home to people with whom you're familiar. On the other hand, there was no foreseeable benefit for Ruth when she decided to go with Naomi. I admit that I can be selfish in many ways, buying things and doing stuff (and yes, I'm deliberately being vague here) that may be cool for others, but that mostly benefit or delight me. One could even be cynical and say that how one chooses one's friends has a selfish aspect. I know I prefer interacting or spending time with people I enjoy. I don't know if Ruth and Naomi got along beforehand, but they technically weren't related by blood--or even from the same culture.

But Ruth is not just supporting her mother-in-law--she also says, "Your people will be my people and your God my God" (verse 16). She acknowledges the one true God's sovereignty, and that genuine faith manifests itself in her compassionate attitude toward and devotion to her forlorn mother-in-law. I pray that I can develop similar selflessness.