Quote Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime View Post
Uh... not really. Most animé-fans aren't even TF fans and are quite ignorant about Transformers overall - even in Japan animé fans have often asked me "Are Transformers Japanese or American?" My usual response is "both." But yeah, I find that most of these people are just unaware/ignorant rather.

As for people who should know better but fail to acknowledge one company's participation (and there are plenty of Western fans who are aware of Takara but regularly only refer to "Hasbro" as the sole creator of the Transformers franchise), they are either stubborn or lazy (i.e.: cannot be bothered crediting both companies - not even using the fan-abbreviation "hastak")... but hey... it's the same reason why some people can't be bothered discriminating between Bumblebee and BB even though they're two entirely different characters. Just laziness and unfortunately something we have to live with. :/
I agreed with most of the above until I read the last part about BB. If one day HasTak decides to have a new character called "G1" appear in say, an IDW comic, should the fandom as a whole stop using the abbreviation "G1" to refer to Generation One, when used in a correct context? Even in a casual conversation between hardcore Generation One fans?

I'll continue to use the abbreviation BB to refer to Bumblebee, when I know the audience I communicate with knows full well which character in particular I was referring to. For example, if a discussion started off, clearly, as a discussion about Movie or Animated, I don't believe a person who claims himself to be a true TF fan would think I was talking about the BWII BB. Otherwise, it would be that person's own ignorance, not mine. Another example, say a fan reports in an acquisitions thread that he has just acquired a "BB" from Kmart. Now, while I cannot rule out the possibility that he would actually find a BWII BB from Kmart my common sense would tell me it would be a toy more likely from Animated or Movie.