A Dutch carnival song poking fun at slanted eyes is irritating Dutch citizens of Chinese descent. The song and accompanying video clip are felt to be discriminatory. Others try to cast a positive light on the fact that the singers cannot find anything wrong with the Chinese, except the way they look.
"A Chinese" is the name of the controversial carnival song by Dutch duo Anita and Ed. Dutch-Chinese author Lulu Wang says the songs is discriminatory, but at the same time 'a compliment' to the Chinese in the Netherlands.
Provocative lyrics
"A Chinese sees only half our world, because his little eyes are almost completely shut.
We don’t mean anything by saying that, but it looks funny.
A Chinese cannot see what’s above or below, in fact, he sees everything through a slit.
But you’ve got to believe me: he takes a pretty ‘broad’ view of most things."
With these provocative lyrics, Anita and Ed, primarily popular in their home province of Zeeland, hope the song will become a hit in the period leading up to the carnival season. Ed says the song is “absolutely not racist or discriminatory”.
Dutch impotence
Dutch-Chinese author Lulu Wang disagrees, but argues that the song reflects Dutch feelings of impotence toward the Chinese in the Netherlands, who are doing increasingly well:
"If 'slant eyes' is the best they can come up with to tease or insult Chinese, well... in a sense this is actually a positive thing, because they cannot say that Chinese are not smart, do not work hard or are unsuccessful. All Anita and Ed can come up with is physical traits that Chinese people are born with. To me, that indicates a sense of impotence.”
Angry
However, at Chinese-Indonesian restaurant Kota Radja in Terneuzen, the staff are less than amused. The manager, Ms Hong, told Radio Netherlands Worldwide, "I have not heard it yet, but of course I’m angry."
But Ms Wang says Chinese people in the Netherlands should not get all worked up over the song: "It’s a carnival song after all. You know what the carnival season is like. And it’s really a compliment to the Chinese that some people should feel the need to mock them." Ms Wang adds that she does not expect the Chinese authorities to object to the song once they read the lyrics, "The Chinese are so self-confident these days that they would simply disregard it."
'Peanut Chinese'
In days gone by, the Church and other well-known leaders were mocked during the carnival season, according to Wang. It seems that the descendants of the 'peanut Chinese' (the Dutch slang term for the first generation of Chinese immigrants in the Netherlands who often peddled peanut bars and sugar-coated peanuts) have become so successful that they are now the objects of carnival mockery.
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I am of Dutch Indonesian descent and throw some Chinese in there too. Big deal, it's a song and a cute one at that. I know what I look like and I'm proud of it. I have been married to a Dutchman for 35 years, never a word about my eyes. Let it go people , we have alot more to worry about than this song........
That my dad was liberating a country that turns around and calls my wife and kids slant eyes. No more edam and gouda for me herring chewers.
So I was looking up a tattoo I was considering which would be in Chinese saying "Slant eye"
Now I came to this video, amazing, perfection 5 stars.
The Netherlands has tremendous problems with racism. Our government is backed by a racist party, which has become one of the largest in our country. That is worrying and that is tearing up the country.
This song is not racist or provocative at all. It is just silly and meaningless and funny and doesn't pretend to be more than that.
Saying Chinese people have slanted eyes is like saying that Africans have dark skins. Duh!
Your translation has the wrong connotations in one line - where you say 'it looks funny' the Dutch has 'het is een grappig gezicht'. Grappig can be translated as funny, but also fun, nice, amusing, etc... something positive. The English word funny generally has negative connotations and often means 'weird' or 'bizarre'. That is NOT intended in this song. (Abba made the same error when they said: Money, it must be funny... they also meant 'fun', not 'funny'.
Umm, wait a minute. Only Chinese-Dutch immigrants are allowed to be offended? I'm a pasty white boy and I'm offended by it.
What I have to say about this that people in the Netherlands should not
critisize people who look different than them . And should not make this song a hit
To Me IT IS A PUTDOWN FOR THESE PEOPLE!!!Start by excepting people for what they are... NOT WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE.We have all different nationalities
in America.AND WE ARE ALL.......ONE AND ALL AMERICANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
each word consists of 50% positivity, depends on early child education. naughty children are considered to be clever in my chinese context. your concept towards goodness actually negatively influence persons' minds. because more negative your dictionary is, more negative you are.
The eyes and the body are not a home, but an inn, and that only briefly.
Of course the Dutch are the "most liberal" country in the world and also the most accepting of "all foreign cultures". ;-)
Just don't mention their VOC colonial history! Rather just point the finger at German Nazis. About the time the Dutch take a look at themselves!
I say a leopard doesn't change it's spots... only a 60 years ago the Dutch were still opressing Indonesians.
Did the makers of this video ever looked in a mirror, to see how their eyes might look to Oriental people??? "Fun" at the expense of someone else's hurt.
It's not only tasteless, it's completely without merit. Repetitive vocals over a background that could have been from a €50 electronic keyboard. Are there still people out there who would listen to such garbage? I think my ears are bleeding.
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