With all the sports on tv at the moment, I find myself disappearing daily down internet worm holes. The destinations are multivarious amusements to help me ignore the sporting. Amongst the animal rescue videos, the dogs do the funniest things films and pictures of cats sitting in cardboard boxes ignoring the plush cat beds beside them, I’ve come across the Chinese/Japanese symbol tattoo issue.
I understand that some Far Eastern tattooists are amusing themselves by working inappropriate Chinese character tattoos on unsuspecting Westerners. There are websites that specialise in translating these tattoos if you got one on holiday in Thailand or elsewhere in the Orient, and have become nervous about what it might really say. There’s a girl with a tattoo that says, chicken soup. Not as exotic as being the girl with the dragon tattoo, but being tattooless, who am I to judge?
I imagine there are several that say, twat, but attractively.
The symbol in today’s illustration can be taken to mean, fucking awesome. However, much like if I described something as being, the dogs bollocks, meaning it’s the best, the literal translation of this text is, cows vagina. Not so cool in the cold light of day as it might have seemed during a night of rice wine and drunken karaoke.
I wonder if this is more complex than boredom in the tattoo parlour, could it be intentional payback?
I for one may deserve some of this retaliation for the years of amusement given me by apparently comedy Chinese and Japanese names.
I confess that the name, Wong, will probably always raise an internal snort.
I would not laugh in the face of a Fukuda, or deny them their human rights based on their name. It is even quite likely that employment wise being Mr Wan Ke could be an advantage, and he may get a job for the daily joy of addressing him by name.
I place some of the blame for my markedly poor behaviour in this regard on my love of pantomime, Aladdin in particular, specifically at a time when it was considered ok for the audience to greet the most obviously Chinese character with, herro Wishee Washee, instead of, hello. Conflicted, I laugh, gasp, and shudder at the memory.
My favourite childhood movie was Thoroughly Modern Milly, those comedy Chinese baddies, they can’t have helped.
It’s certainly true that Chinese caricatures were not widely considered offensive long after other racial stereotypes were frowned upon.
I imagine that any Chinese folk reading this will be thinking, lao hundan, (Old arsehole) or words to that effect.
So in the interests of fairness, go on, have a laugh on us.
fat tart 