Chinese Burn

[Besswess88]

Is this racist?

I don't know but it's bloody painful. Do kids still do this to each other?

Here in the US they're called Indian burns, and yes, I would say it's racist.

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/stage/2017/dec/15/comics-on-joking-about-race-and-immigration

Just "burns" then.

No, it's just a term and its bloody painful.

Perhaps mildly, but some sources say it is due to anything oriental being admirably mysterious or exotic. One source I have seen says it relates to a grip used in oriental martial arts when possible.

Of similar usage is the kids game "Chinese Whispers"...

... but then again I'm commenting as a goddam rooinek rosbif Inselaffe

Getting off Scot free?

@StoneofDestiny

"Getting off Scot free?"

Scot was a tax. It came from the word Skat, Scandinavian for tax and was changed in the 10th century to Scot.

It would be better if the Chinese part went out of usage. The Indian burn is definitely racist.

Nahhh....

Nope.

No it’s not. It doesn’t fit the definition of racism at all.

Is Mexican Wave racist too? And Scot Free as someone suggested??? And French Kiss, and Dutch braids, and American Tan tights, and a Brazilian bikini wax, etc etc etc??? Where do you draw the line?!!

French kissing in the USA. Was there ever a more racist song?

I think the question I would ask is whether terms like these in any real way impact people's views of the Chinese or any other group of people they might be named after.

I think they probably don't.

Chinese whispers sometimes caused a raised eyebrow in North America as it is called broken telephone there!

@Rodion

Chinese whispers sometimes caused a raised eyebrow in North America as it is called broken telephone there!

Yeah I was very surprised the first time I understood that you were calling the telephone game "Chinese whispers." Personally I think it's just a good idea not to call any activity that has a negative connotation by a specific race or ethnicity.

@Rodion

Chinese whispers sometimes caused a raised eyebrow in North America as it is called broken telephone there!

I called it Chinese whispers as a child but my kids call it telephone so I think that’s changing.

In relation to Chinese burns I would find it problematic because kids shouldn’t be doing it in the first place! I remember it being a horrible bullying trend at my primary school. Why is it so so painful? Who teaches kids to do it?

Google seems to suggest that the etymology is meant to refer to the perceived brutal methods of torture used by the Chinese (or Native Americans).

So yes, it seems to be a racist term.

Is Mexican Wave racist too? And Scot Free as someone suggested??? And French Kiss, and Dutch braids, and American Tan tights, and a Brazilian bikini wax, etc etc etc??? Where do you draw the line?!!

Mexican Wave - either first invented or popularized in Mexico, when the World Cup was held there.

Dutch Braids - first popularized (in Europe, at least) in the Netherlands.

Brazilian bikini wax - originated in Brazil.

Scot Free - see upthread. Does not refer to Scotland or Scottish people.

So far as I can tell, the name ‘Chinese burn’ or ‘Indian burn’ was born from negative attitudes towards those groups, rather than the origin of the practice. The etymology is a bit unclear though.

The only one from your list that is somewhat similar is ‘French Kiss’ - in that it was named by non-French people based on their perceptions of how French people behave, rather than just referring to the place where something was invented or popularized.

I am actually curious - do French people mind anglophones calling it French kissing? And what do you call that kind of kissing in France?

German measles?
Spanish flu?

It's not racist at all,, whatever next.

I believe Spanish Flu was so called because at the time of the outbreak, Spain was the only country that would report on it due to other countries fearing morale loss during the war.

Also, you'll notice we try quite hard now NOT to label viruses with their place of first identification because we realise it's unfair and can lead to racist attitudes, such as the violence against East Asians after certain leaders banging on about the 'China flu'.

I remember the efforts not to call 2009 Swine flu the Mexican flu and to label the recent Covid-19 strain as Delta rather than the Indian variant.

Yes, it is racist.

German measles? discovered by German physicians.
Spanish flu? wrongly thought to have originated in Spain, as it was the only country whose media was reporting on it.