Expression through Symbolism

Semantics · 03-12-2013, 07:41 AM

I'm sure that anyone here would research kanji and any form of symbolism taken from other cultures before using them, but not everyone does. When we even consider taking something from another culture we have a responsibility to make sure it's used in a respectful and appropriate manner.

I've seen some very offensive and ignorant kanji symbols tattooed on Westerners. A friend of mine, who is Chinese and also an anthropology professor, sometimes has her students visit local tattoo parlors and take cell phone pictures of the hanzi and kanji symbols displayed in their idea books. I can't remember the exact percentage of them that were wrong but I think it was like 40%. Those aren't great odds when it comes to getting something permanent put on your body.

There's a funny blog called Hanzi Smatter that is dedicated to the misuse of Chinese and Japanese characters, mostly portrayed in tattoos.

It's a busy site, but someone was nice enough to pick out some real gems:
That Tattoo Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means

A good NYT article on this issue:

Cool Tat, Too Bad It's Gibberish

What an great thread. I'm always interested in anything to do with how people express themselves. I have a patch on my messenger bag that depicts the Hegelian Dialectic's Thesis/ Antithesis/ Synthesis. From far away it looks like a cross made out of two arrows, and I've had people approach me and want to discuss religion because of it. Symbols can be tricky.

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03-12-2013, 07:41 AM	#12
Semantics Senior Member How Do You Identify?: malapropist Preferred Pronoun?: she Relationship Status: single Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: New England Posts: 2,169 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 6,367 Thanked 3,968 Times in 1,201 Posts Rep Power: 21474854	I'm sure that anyone here would research kanji and any form of symbolism taken from other cultures before using them, but not everyone does. When we even consider taking something from another culture we have a responsibility to make sure it's used in a respectful and appropriate manner. I've seen some very offensive and ignorant kanji symbols tattooed on Westerners. A friend of mine, who is Chinese and also an anthropology professor, sometimes has her students visit local tattoo parlors and take cell phone pictures of the hanzi and kanji symbols displayed in their idea books. I can't remember the exact percentage of them that were wrong but I think it was like 40%. Those aren't great odds when it comes to getting something permanent put on your body. There's a funny blog called Hanzi Smatter that is dedicated to the misuse of Chinese and Japanese characters, mostly portrayed in tattoos. It's a busy site, but someone was nice enough to pick out some real gems: That Tattoo Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means A good NYT article on this issue: Cool Tat, Too Bad It's Gibberish What an great thread. I'm always interested in anything to do with how people express themselves. I have a patch on my messenger bag that depicts the Hegelian Dialectic's Thesis/ Antithesis/ Synthesis. From far away it looks like a cross made out of two arrows, and I've had people approach me and want to discuss religion because of it. Symbols can be tricky.