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Can of Worms: Is the phrase 'Chinese whispers' racist/offensive/insulting?
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Post by
Squishalot
Ok, so I haven't posted one of these for a while, but something at work triggered this question for me. A bit of Google-work left me a bit gobsmacked. So here we go:
Is the phrase 'Chinese whispers' racist/offensive/insulting? Why / why not?
I appreciate that it may be considered differently in different cultures, so bear that in mind if you reply.
Post by
Interest
I didn't even know that particular game was called that. I wouldn't necessarily say it is unless it is deliberately meant to be by some person, but then again the game could just be renamed.
Post by
FatalHeaven
With as many non-offensive, non-racial names as there are for the game I personally do think it is insulting. Whether or not that was what the person saying it meant, anytime you throw in a place or group of people, it is definitely opening a can of worms.
Edit: As Interest said, I didn't even know 'Chinese Whispers' to be a name for that game. Once I googled to find out what 'Chinese Whispers' was, I was amazed it was a name for the game. I played the game as a kid and it was always 'Telephone', 'Grapevine', 'Gossip' or something of the sort.
Post by
Squishalot
That's why I think it's a cultural thing, because I've always grown up referring to it as 'Chinese whispers', and it's commonly used in general terms as 'a series of conversations where the message may be garbled as it passes from one person to the next'. Not a dictionary definition, but just how it's used colloquially.
How about the term 'Chinese walls', which has a specific legal / economic meaning?
Edit: For what it's worth, I found it amazing that there were so many other different names for the game.(##RESPBREAK##)8##DELIM##Squishalot##DELIM##
Post by
Sas148
I know nothing about this phrase/term.
Post by
164232
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Squishalot
Quite possibly. According to Wiki though, it predates Australia's existence :P Could just be our general nonchalance in the face of most PC'ness.
This question stemmed from an article I was writing which contained the term, and the US editor replied that he liked the usage of it, but didn't want to offend any Chinese readers. Hence my surprise - because hell, I'm Chinese, and I wrote the damn thing :)
Post by
Interest
I know nothing about this phrase/term.
This. I think I used to call the game Telephone or something ;o.
Post by
Thror
We call it "Broken Telephone" or... it sounds weird when it's translated word by word, but "Silent Mail" is the more popular name. I am not sure why someone would want to associate a game based on cumulative error to China specifically. The name "Chinese Whispers" sounds pretty dumb to me.
Post by
gamerunknown
It was "Chinese whispers" when I played it in class. I think it refers to the errors in translation when using an unfamiliar foreign language, which makes plenty of sense to me. I don't think "It's all Greek to me" is racist either.
Post by
134377
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
MyTie
I called it "telephone" as a kid and I've never heard of "Chinese Whispers". I don't see why this would be offensive. People get offended too easily.
Post by
572211
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Rystrave
Around where I'm from, there's a lot of phrases said that would probably be considered racist but no one pays any mind to it.
"Indian giver" is probably the most common here.
All come from somewhere and usually making fun of ones ethnicity is the butt of it. But those sayings are old, and the only people taking offense to them nowadays are the do-gooders.
Post by
ElhonnaDS
From the Wiki page, it seems the derivation of the name of the game is because it refers to things getting lost in translation. The name doesn't come from any specific idea about the Chinese, other than it's a totally foreign language and things might get lost in translation. I don't see that as any kind of insult.
Post by
hatman555
I voted Yes. Honestly, I didn't know that was another name for the game. When I was younger we always use to call it "telephone tag" or "Operator". The game and its progression from one clear message to a changed one was natural because we all understood that whispering the message, and having other people change it and stuff would lead to a funny result at the end.
I think that "Chinese whispers" is insulting because it insinuates more that the message will be garbled because of the language and not because of the transition from person to person.
Cheers,
Hat
Post by
ElhonnaDS
In all fairness, have you ever taken a language class in Chinese as a non-native speaker? That language is hard.
There are four different pronunciations for every syllable, 3 of which sound the same to me and none of which I can replicate, and then you have a 1 word = 1 picture writing system.
Post by
hatman555
In all fairness, have you ever taken a language class in Chinese as a non-native speaker? That language is hard.
4 Yyears in highschool, 2 years in college. 3 trips to Beijing.
There are four different pronunciations for every syllable, 3 of which sound the same to me and none of which I can replicate, and then you have a 1 word = 1 picture writing system.
4 tones is Mandarin too. Cantonese uses 9 >_<
I think that associating Chinese with the saying gives an illusion that the people misinterpret their own language. It's a dated saying, of historical miss understanding. Thus, I think that in our current times it is "racist/offensive/insulting"
Cheers,
Hat(##RESPBREAK##)136##DELIM##hatman555##DELIM##
Post by
ElhonnaDS
Ok- I thought of it along the lines of the "It's Greek to me," saying, using it as an example of a language you were totally unfamiliar with, and one where they didn't understand each other. I guess I read it in a different connotation.
Post by
hatman555
I guess I read it in a different connotation.
And that's really all it is. Whether something is insulting or not is all dependent on the recipient. I think that maybe my time in China, and time learning the language has made me more sympathetic to the culture.
Hat
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