Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees

Last updated

"Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees" is a playground chant that in some cases has been used to mock children of Asian origin.

One rendering of the chant gives it as "Chinese/Japanese/Dirty Knees/Look at these Chinese Japanese/Dirty Knees". [1] Other renderings give the chant as "Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, look at these," with a breast-related gesture accompanying the "look at these" phrase (such as pinching the front of one's shirt into mock breasts). [2] [3] The reference to breasts has been proposed to allude to promiscuity. [4]

Many Asian Americans recalled hearing the chant, [2] and in some cases being taunted or bullied with the chant, in their youth in the 20th century. [5] Children who sang it would sometimes pull their eyes into slits. [6] Gregory B. Lee, writing that "many a Chinese immigrant child over the past 100 years has had to endure" the chant, notes that "[t]he allusion to dirt in this ditty is not aleatory", linking it to the stereotype of unclean "Orientals". [7]

In 2020, the film Monster Hunter caused controversy on Chinese social media because of a pun that some critics said was a reference to the chant: In a scene, MC Jin's character jokingly says: "Look at my knees!", and to the question "What kind of knees are these?" replies "Chi-knees!". Although the filmmakers and actors denied that the line had anything to do with the chant, the film was removed from circulation, and Chinese authorities censored references to it online. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hentai</span> Anime and manga pornography

Hentai is a style of Japanese pornographic anime and manga. In addition to anime and manga, hentai works exist in a variety of media, including artwork and video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guanyin</span> Chinese interpretation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara

Guanyin is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with compassion known as Avalokiteśvara. Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means "[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World". Due to sociogeographical factors, Guanyin can be historically depicted as genderless or adorning an androgynous apprentice. On the 19th day of the sixth lunar month, Guanyin's attainment of Buddhahood is celebrated. Guanyin has been appropriated by other religions, including Taoism and Chinese folk religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martial arts</span> Codified systems and traditions of combat

Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preservation of a nation's intangible cultural heritage.

<i>Bento</i> Japanese iteration of a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal

A bento is a Japanese-style single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch, typically including rice and packaged in a box with a lid. Outside Japan, similar meals are common in other East and Southeast Asian culinary styles, especially within Chinese, Korean, Singaporean, Taiwanese cuisines and more, as rice is a common staple food in the region. The term bento is derived from the Chinese term biandang, which means "convenient" or "convenience".

<i>Kappa</i> (folklore) Japanese mythical creature

In traditional Japanese folklore a kappa—also known as kawatarō, komahiki, with a boss called kawatora or suiko—is a reptiloid kami with similarities to yōkai. Kappa can become harmful when not respected as gods. Accounts typically depict them as green, human-like beings with webbed hands and feet and turtle-like carapaces on their backs. A depression on the head, called a "dish", retains water, and if this is damaged or its liquid is lost, a kappa becomes severely weakened.

<i>The Straits Times</i> Singaporean daily broadsheet newspaper

The Straits Times is a Singaporean daily English-language newspaper owned by the SPH Media Trust. Established on 15 July 1845, it is the most-widely circulated newspaper in the country and has a significant regional audience. The newspaper is published in the broadsheet format and online, the latter of which was launched in 1994. It is regarded as the newspaper of record for Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bondage positions and methods</span> Techniques for consensually restraining people for sexual pleasure

Bondage in BDSM is the activity of tying or restraining people using equipment such as chains, cuffs, or collars for mutual erotic pleasure. According to the Kinsey Institute, 12% of females and 22% of males respond erotically to BDSM.

<i>Tokusatsu</i> Japanese film genre

Tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, tokusatsu mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is also occasionally dubbed a genre itself. Its contemporary use originated in the Japanese mass media around 1958 to explain special effects in an easy-to-understand manner and was popularized during the "first monster boom" (1966-1968). Prior to the monster boom, it was known in Japan as tokushu gijutsu or shortened tokugi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese Peruvians</span> Ethnic group

Chinese Peruvians, also known as tusán, are Peruvian citizens whose ancestors came from China.

Game of Death is an incomplete Hong Kong martial arts film, of which portions were filmed between September and October 1972, and was planned and scheduled to be released by 1973, directed, written, produced by and starring Bruce Lee. The project was paused to film and produce Enter the Dragon. For Game of Death, over 120 minutes of footage was shot. The remaining footage has since been released with Lee's original Cantonese and English dialogue, with John Little dubbing Lee's Hai Tien character as part of the documentary titled Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey. Much of the footage that was shot is from what was to be the climax of the film.

The Chinese in Hawaii constitute about 4.7% of the state's population, most of whom (75%) are Cantonese people with ancestors from Zhongshan in Guangdong. This number does not include people of mixed Chinese and Hawaiian descent. If all people with Chinese ancestry in Hawaii are included, they form about 1/3 of Hawaii's entire population. As United States citizens, they are a group of Chinese Americans. A minority of this group have Hakka ancestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seungsahn</span> Korean Buddhist monk (1927–2004)

Seungsahn Haengwon, born Duk-In Lee, was a Korean Seon master of the Jogye Order and founder of the international Kwan Um School of Zen. He was the seventy-eighth Patriarch in his lineage. As one of the early Korean Zen masters to settle in the United States, he opened many temples and practice groups across the globe. He was known for his charismatic style and direct presentation of Zen, which was well tailored for the Western audience.

Navajo music is music made by the Navajos, mostly hailing from the Four Corners region of the Southwestern United States and the territory of the Navajo Nation. While it traditionally takes the shape of ceremonial chants and echoes themes found in Diné Bahaneʼ, contemporary Navajo music includes a wide range of genres, ranging from country music to rock and rap, performed in both English and Navajo.

<i>Small Change</i> (film) 1976 French film

Small Change is a 1976 French film directed by François Truffaut about childhood innocence and child abuse. In English-speaking countries outside North America, the film is known as Pocket Money. The film had a total of 1,810,280 admissions in France, making it one of Truffaut's most successful films. Only his films The 400 Blows and The Last Metro were more popular in France.

Shō Hashi was the last King of Chūzan and the first king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, uniting the three polities of Chūzan, Hokuzan, and Nanzan by conquest and ending the Sanzan period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Malay sentiment</span> Hatred or opposition towards the Malay people

Anti-Malay sentiment or Malayophobia refers to feelings of hostility, prejudice, discrimination or disdain towards Malay people, Malay culture, the Malay language or anything perceived as Malay.

Devotion, a central practice in Buddhism, refers to commitment to religious observances or to an object or person, and may be translated with Sanskrit or Pāli terms like saddhā, gārava or pūjā. Central to Buddhist devotion is the practice of Buddhānussati, the recollection of the inspiring qualities of the Buddha. Although buddhānussati was an important aspect of practice since Buddhism's early period, its importance was amplified with the arising of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Specifically, with Pure Land Buddhism, many forms of devotion were developed to recollect and connect with the celestial Buddhas, especially Amitābha.

<i>Monster Hunter</i> (film) 2020 film by Paul W. S. Anderson

Monster Hunter is a 2020 monster film written, directed, and produced by Paul W. S. Anderson, based on the video game series of the same name by Capcom. The film stars Milla Jovovich in her sixth outing together with Anderson, her husband. The other cast members include Tony Jaa, Clifford "T.I." Harris Jr., Meagan Good, Diego Boneta, Josh Helman, Jin Au-Yeung, and Ron Perlman. The film follows Artemis (Jovovich) and her loyal soldiers when they are transported to a new world, where they engage in a battle for survival against enormous monsters with incredible powers.

Tolkien's monsters are the evil beings, such as Orcs, Trolls, and giant spiders, who oppose and sometimes fight the protagonists in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. Tolkien was an expert on Old English, especially Beowulf, and several of his monsters share aspects of the Beowulf monsters; his Trolls have been likened to Grendel, the Orcs' name harks back to the poem's orcneas, and the dragon Smaug has multiple attributes of the Beowulf dragon. The European medieval tradition of monsters makes them either humanoid but distorted, or like wild beasts, but very large and malevolent; Tolkien follows both traditions, with monsters like Orcs of the first kind and Wargs of the second. Some scholars add Tolkien's immensely powerful Dark Lords Morgoth and Sauron to the list, as monstrous enemies in spirit as well as in body. Scholars have noted that the monsters' evil nature reflects Tolkien's Roman Catholicism, a religion which has a clear conception of good and evil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demon hunter</span> Character in fiction who hunts and destroys demons

Demon hunter or demon slayer is a demonology-related historic occupation or folkloric character which specializes in killing demons, monsters, or undead creatures. A demon hunter typically is involved with a deity and angels, and they typically wield religious text, holy water, and relics. It has diverse roots in myths, Abrahamic religions, African magic, Christian media, Classic Chinese Novels, and Japanese urban legend. Variants include other monster hunters, such as the dragonslayer and vampire hunter.

References

  1. Xing, Jun (1998). Asian America Through the Lens: History, Representations, and Identities. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press. p. 162. ISBN   0-7619-9175-1. OCLC   39051806.
  2. 1 2 Zaloom, Shafia (2003). "Dirty Knees". In Kane, Pearl Rock; Orsini, Alfonso J. (eds.). The Colors of Excellence: Hiring and Keeping Teachers of Color in Independent Schools. New York: Teachers College Press. p. 26. ISBN   0-8077-4282-1. OCLC   53093570.
  3. Mansour, David (2005). From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 262. ISBN   978-0-7407-9307-3. OCLC   776997651.
  4. Ulen, Eisa. "8 Children's Nursery Rhymes That Are Actually Racist". Reader's Digest. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  5. Pusey, Shirley Budd (2005). "Emily". Adoption Reunion Stories. Phoenix, AZ: Acacia Publishing. p. 143. ISBN   0-9762224-5-0. OCLC   61362752.
  6. Rhee, Michelle (2013). "Chapter 1". Radical: Fighting to Put Students First. New York: Harper. ISBN   978-0-06-220400-4. OCLC   825116527.
  7. Lee, Gregory B. (2003). Chinas Unlimited: Making the Imaginaries of China and Chineseness. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. p. 45. ISBN   0-8248-2680-9. OCLC   51722034.
  8. Davis, Rebecca (December 5, 2020). "'Monster Hunter' Pulled From Chinese Cinemas Over Scene Said to Be Racial Slur". Variety. Retrieved December 5, 2020.