# Origin of "Me Chinese, me play joke.." saying **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2002, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855 "2002-08-14T15:49:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/1 "2002-08-14T15:49:41Z")
Me ham-ster Me play joke me go bye-bye with your post ---
**Author:** ![d12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71c47a/32.png) [@d12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d12)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/2 "2002-08-14T16:55:37Z")
Never heard of it but I would most certainly guess that it has older origins and might come from the west coast (where the majority of immigrants are(?)) and got carried on. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/3 "2002-08-14T18:16:55Z")
Prepare for something stupid: “Me Chinese, me play joke, me go pee-pee in your Coke.” Strangely, I seem to remember this one from the early days of elementary school. Don’t know it’s origin, though. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/4 "2002-08-15T06:57:12Z")
Me no see, Me no tell, Me push button, _RUN LIKE HELL!_ ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/5 "2002-08-15T07:37:54Z")
Its the punch line of a joke … I cant remeber the rest of it but it was something in elementray school ---
**Author:** ![Church\_Key\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Church\_Key\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Church_Key_Kid)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/6 "2002-08-15T18:58:30Z")
Here’s the version I heard… it’s an interactive joke & pretty racist. Two people face each other. Person A puts their hands together as if in prayer. Person A says “Open the refrigerator”. Person B opens Person A’s hands. Person A: “Open the Coke.” B: Opens an imaginary Coke. A: “Drink the Coke!” B: Drinks the imaginary Coke. A: “Close the refigerator!” B: Closes Person A’s hands so they look like they are in prayer. A: Bows up and down and says “Me Chinese! Me play joke! Me put pee pee in your Coke!” So that’s the version I know anyways. However, I’m sure that asking for the origin is like asking for the origin of “Why did the chicken cross the road” and hoping that the answer is something like Bill Smith, Michigan, 1942… ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/7 "2002-08-15T22:53:16Z")
The version I heard was a mirror image of fatdave’s – except that instead of bowing at the end, person A pulls back the corners of his eyes with both hands while saying “Me Chinese, me play joke.” Pretty goddamn racist – and I’m black. I wouldn’t DREAM of doing something like this now, and I’d smack my kids upside the head if I caught them doing something like this. (If I had kids.) Incidentally I heard this in Flint, Michigan in the mid 70s. ---
**Author:** ![gipnfdl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/858c86/32.png) [@gipnfdl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gipnfdl)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/8 "2013-04-15T18:38:51Z")
Oh fuck off. Its not racist. Jesus H fucking fuck. All of you politically mind controlled correct people think something like this stupid kids joke is “racist”. Its not fucking racist, its a stupid joke. End of story. If it was about a white guy, I’d laugh my ass off. Get a fucking sense of humour and stop being such a fucking whiner. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/9 "2013-04-15T18:45:23Z")
You waited almost 8 years to make your first post and this is it? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/10 "2013-04-15T18:51:57Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > You waited almost 8 years to make your first post and this is it? Not only that, but it was an 11 year old thread. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/11 "2013-04-15T19:00:10Z")
I’d come down on the side of “not racist”, but the decision isn’t so obvious that questioning it is an example of PC oversensitivity. If you don’t care about whom you offend, sure, you don’t have to monitor your language. Then don’t be surprised if someone takes offense at a questionable joke. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/12 "2013-04-15T19:15:38Z")
I suspect there’s a connection with the name gipnfdl: Possibly “Gyp infidel?” Or. . . “Gee, I pee in [FDL]?” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/13 "2013-04-15T19:25:23Z")
When it was told in my elementary school days, it was sung to the tune of “This old man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my thumb.” Just wanted to offer my two-cents to the discussion on this worthless piece of pop culture. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-me-chinese-me-play-joke-saying/123855/14 "2013-04-15T20:43:47Z")
> [@gipnfdl](#): > > Oh fuck off. Its not racist. Jesus H fucking fuck. All of you politically mind controlled correct people think something like this stupid kids joke is “racist”. Its not fucking racist, its a stupid joke. End of story. If it was about a white guy, I’d laugh my ass off. Get a fucking sense of humour and stop being such a fucking whiner. **Moderator Warning** **gipnfdl** , attacking other posters is not permitted in GQ. This is an official warning. In any case, this was a ridiculous reason to raise an 11 year old thread. This is closed. Colibri General Questions Moderator