Very interesting and quite exhaustive - thanks for sharing, Alex!
As divisive as it might be, racism is actually a common, global phenomenon - simply, since the Westerners have had the upper hand for most of the XIX and XX centuries, their own prejudices have been more evident.
Anyway, I have to say I'm surprised by such a derogatory emphasis on white people's paleness - if I recall correctly, many people in China and other Asian Countries are often obsessed with having a fair skind and avoiding tanning, aren't they? :)
Ciao Andrea, I think this obsession with having fair skin and avoiding tanning is more a product of modern fashion and vanity - I was in Indonesia some years back and it was like 34 degrees. Our Indonesian-Chinese guide wore long trousers and long sleeves whilst we were all in short & T-shirt and she said that it was considered ugly for a woman to have dark skin in her culture, so she needed to protect her skin from the sun. So whilst you're totally right when talking about this obsession with fairness, I think these racist terms originated from several hundred years ago - long before people got obsessed with looking a certain way, when fairness was celebrated.
we don't have an equivalent for "Gringo", actually - sometimes, the word "Yankee" is used, but mostly in a derogatory, politically-charged context (protests against NATO bases in Italy etc.)
While modern fads may consider a tanned-skin attractive, traditional views of beauty still prefer a light-skin complexion. That is, it's ok to look tanned but not dark as in brown or heaven forbid, black! Sad but true. In past generations, a dark complexion suggests working in the fields. Hence, that dark person is a farmer or laborer rather than a person of leisure or landed gentry. In that sense, skin complexion was an indicator of social class.
Yes, that's a prevalent idea in Italy too - in my area, women used to work in large rice fields.
Personally speaking, I don't mind about anyone's complexion: but that orange-ish, fake-tan shade many young people in the U.S. and the U.K. are obsessed with is... ehm, perplexing!
Oh, yucks!The orangey look is very tasteless. An overdone fake tan is also tasteless. At most, get a spray tan that is gives you an even light glow all over. For people like me who are pale and pallid and blotchy, that may be good to do if there is an important event coming up (such as a wedding). I have never done it, but I would try a light spray tan for a healthy glow if I really wanted one.
From the context of Mandarin, the "ghost" term was probably originated from the tensions when the European countries were seeking to colonize parts of China and the Opium war. It has less reference to the complexion but more towards insulting the "invaders" in their opinion at that time.
Even a lot of people inside Europe were seen as such, unfortunately - the last victim of the Spanish Inquisition, a schoolmaster, was executed in 1826.
Very interesting and quite exhaustive - thanks for sharing, Alex!
ReplyDeleteAs divisive as it might be, racism is actually a common, global phenomenon - simply, since the Westerners have had the upper hand for most of the XIX and XX centuries, their own prejudices have been more evident.
Anyway, I have to say I'm surprised by such a derogatory emphasis on white people's paleness - if I recall correctly, many people in China and other Asian Countries are often obsessed with having a fair skind and avoiding tanning, aren't they? :)
Ciao Andrea, I think this obsession with having fair skin and avoiding tanning is more a product of modern fashion and vanity - I was in Indonesia some years back and it was like 34 degrees. Our Indonesian-Chinese guide wore long trousers and long sleeves whilst we were all in short & T-shirt and she said that it was considered ugly for a woman to have dark skin in her culture, so she needed to protect her skin from the sun. So whilst you're totally right when talking about this obsession with fairness, I think these racist terms originated from several hundred years ago - long before people got obsessed with looking a certain way, when fairness was celebrated.
DeleteWhat's Gringo in Italian? :)
Ciao Alex,
Deletewe don't have an equivalent for "Gringo", actually - sometimes, the word "Yankee" is used, but mostly in a derogatory, politically-charged context (protests against NATO bases in Italy etc.)
While modern fads may consider a tanned-skin attractive, traditional views of beauty still prefer a light-skin complexion. That is, it's ok to look tanned but not dark as in brown or heaven forbid, black! Sad but true. In past generations, a dark complexion suggests working in the fields. Hence, that dark person is a farmer or laborer rather than a person of leisure or landed gentry. In that sense, skin complexion was an indicator of social class.
DeleteYes, that's a prevalent idea in Italy too - in my area, women used to work in large rice fields.
DeletePersonally speaking, I don't mind about anyone's complexion: but that orange-ish, fake-tan shade many young people in the U.S. and the U.K. are obsessed with is... ehm, perplexing!
Oh, yucks!The orangey look is very tasteless. An overdone fake tan is also tasteless. At most, get a spray tan that is gives you an even light glow all over. For people like me who are pale and pallid and blotchy, that may be good to do if there is an important event coming up (such as a wedding). I have never done it, but I would try a light spray tan for a healthy glow if I really wanted one.
DeleteI have this theory how angmoh came from - I was thinking that it could be from angmohtan (rambutan).
ReplyDeleteAs Europeans turn red easily under the hot sun in Singapore. (Plus the blond hair :))
From the context of Mandarin, the "ghost" term was probably originated from the tensions when the European countries were seeking to colonize parts of China and the Opium war. It has less reference to the complexion but more towards insulting the "invaders" in their opinion at that time.
ReplyDeleteWesterners were also referred to as "devils", if my memory serves me well...
ReplyDeleteI guess the Boxer rebellion and related events were not the best way to make East and West meet.
In the ages of mass ignorance, I believe that the European perception of anyone outside of Europe were "devils", "demons" and "witches".
DeleteEven a lot of people inside Europe were seen as such, unfortunately - the last victim of the Spanish Inquisition, a schoolmaster, was executed in 1826.
Delete