December 5th, 2005For the love of all things holy…
This is the first year I’ve ever heard of “white elephant” gift exchanges called “Chinese Gift Exchanges”. This year thus far I’ve heard it referred to as this at least three times.
World, listen. I would rather impugn the morality of a fucking white elephant than to hear the words “Chinese Gift Exchange” uttered in a tittering, giggling way. When my family exchanges gifts, we just give them to each other. “Merry Christmas!” “Happy holidays!” We don’t exchange numbers and plot to snatch a gift back from someone else. What the fuck?
While we’re at it, we also don’t do Chinese Fire Drills, either. The next time you see a bunch of people running their fool asses off around a car at a stop light, please email me with photographic evidence that they were Chinese.
Christ.
December 5th, 2005 at 9:57 am
The hell? I’ve never heard of a “Chinese gift exchange.” I’ve always heard it called a white elephant exchange, or a Yankee swap (that’s what it’s called at my workplace). That’s just messed up.
December 5th, 2005 at 10:19 am
Must be a Midwestern thing. I have never heard of a Chinese Gift Exchange, though I have occasionally heard of a Chinese Auction, which seems to be the same as a Dutch Auction, which is not really an auction at all, as I understand it. Gah.
December 5th, 2005 at 10:31 am
But…but…what about Chinese jump rope?
(Hee.)
But seriously, I thought “white elephant” was giving crappy gifts and “Indian giving” was the one where you stole the gifts back…like THAT makes any sense either. Last I heard, it should be “whitey giving,” because I don’t see either Indians (AI or II) coming up with that idea at the holiday party.
December 5th, 2005 at 12:36 pm
Yeah, I have heard Chinese gift exchanges before, and my reaction was, “What the FUCK? They are Pirate Pollyannas, y’all.” Thus there’s still the pillaging gifting bit, without the offensiveness.
December 5th, 2005 at 4:43 pm
It’s not a Midwestern thing. It’s a woefully uneducated and ignorant asshole thing.
December 5th, 2005 at 4:54 pm
You have to wonder if the people who come up with these things have two brain cells to rub together. They’re probably the same people who don’t see why we shouldn’t call people Oriental or Colored or some other antiquated term, and why should they be responsible for figuring out what “those people” want to be called “this week” or some such stupid claptrap like that.
December 5th, 2005 at 7:51 pm
Aye, definitely NOT a midwestern thing. All of these references came from East Coasters.
UGH.
December 20th, 2005 at 7:46 pm
today is the first time i have ever heard the phrase chinese gift exchange–on a printed letter from my daughter teacher!!
apparently they are going to have one in class Friday–what the hell?
you better believe Im calling the school tommorrow.
unbelievable.