>>46996372In predominantly black/asian/hispanic private schools, liking Pokemon for kids born 1996 or earlier was strictly taboo. The exception was if you were a girl, particularly asian. Boys, especially little black boys, were more interested in sports. Likely because their fathers and cousins didn't understand the appeal of Pokemon and bullied them out of liking it, instilling in them the idea that it wasn't for men.
Also, pressure to focus on sports and studies to get scholarships and make something of themselves for the overall betterment of their race. Always thought it was funny when 9 and 10 year old boys talked about being too old for Pokemon since they seemed smack dab in the middle of its primary demographic to me, but in hindsight, these are probably the contributing factors. Nobody is going to pick on an asian girl for owning and playing Pokemon because, well, for one, she's a girl, and for two, her parents have success grilled into her so hard that everyone knows she's smart and performing well. So if she plays Pokemon who cares? There's nothing you can say that the very picture of success could be doing better.
tl;dr Pokemon was only safe for white kids to openly like during Gen 3-4(5?). And even then, older white kids would bully you for liking it since it wasn't RBY/GSC.
