In case it wasn't obvious I don't really consider myself either since I'm not into anime but what I mean is I wonder if I can talk to a friend and say "oh you should try this Japanese ____" Without automatically being ignored if they think I'm a weeaboo or something. If it was extreme they'd tell me of course but..Well, you see I'm trying to get my friends hooked on Touhou >=P. And so far I've failed with each and every attempt. I don't harass the same person either. It makes me wonder if trying to show them a doujin song I think they might like or game is being sullied by the possible image that I'm an otaku to them or whatever.
Otaku and weeaboo are not interchangeable words, but that's beside the point. I don't really think there's a trick to getting people to like Touhou, nor do I think you should be overly concerned with whether or not they'll think you're a weeaboo or an otaku. I really wouldn't sweat it.
Case in point: a friend of mine recently found my YouTube channel. I was chatting with her at the time. At first I panicked, but as she clicked around, she thought some stuff was funny, other stuff interesting, and other stuff whatever. We had a laugh about it. This is mostly because I didn't have a panic attack nor did I launch into Full Geek Mode.
Just be yourself and don't be too bothered by what your friends might think about you. I hate to break out this tired clich?, but if they're really your friends, they won't run screaming for the hills just because you play a shmup.
