Lost in Translation Alright!
September 16, 2009
8 comments
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V is for Victory right?
Okay I have to admit I have always wondered why Asians always hold up the peace sign in photos. All of my students have done it when taking photos with me this week. Never really thought to ask, I just thought they felt it was cool or something.
As usual today my Chinese Lesson with Wendy turned into a culture lesson, I never mind this, to be honest some days I prefer it! I still can’t remember how we got on the subject of the sign but she kept saying Victory. I was confused and stopped her to ask for an explanation. She said, “You know the Victory symbol. (She held up two fingers) V for Victory. We have always seen the American ’posture’ for Victory!”
I sat dumb founded. I explained it didn’t mean victory but peace. She was confused I was confused so I called Dantzelle. I had to ask if we ever used that symbol for victory, she laughed and said no but they do here. So I confirmed with Wendy that the sign meant peace. She laughed and said she would have to correct her students.
So who ever started that rumor sure did a heck of a job because Asians all over are flashing the “Victory” sign. At least the pictures here will make more sense.
OK.. that is just too awesome! I just assumed they liked the “peace” sign. Hahahaha
That same sign, with the hand turned the other way, is the British “middle finger”, isn’t it? Funny how such similar signs can mean such different things to different cultures.
Ha! That’s too funny!
Thats funny. All my Asian passengers flash the “victory sign!”
I was talking to my husband and he said the soldiers in WWII did it to represent “V-Day” for when they got “Victory.” There’s actually pictures of Gen. Eisenhower flashing it in a parade in Kansas City. Here’s a link to a website all about some of Gen. Eisenhower’s stuff…I didn’t read it all…but about a quarter of the way down the page, you’ll see the picture. One can only conjecture when and why it became “peace” rather than “victory.” Apparently that’s something the Asians held on to though!
http://www.kshs.org/publicat/khq/1945/45_7_eisenhower.htm
Actually guys you are all in a generation gap here…. in the 60s and 70s it became the symbol for peace as a way to peacefully protest the Vietnam War. But where did it originally come from?? It became a popular sign, V for Victory! during WWII (maybe even before…) If you look back at VE-Day photos you can spot the V for Victory salute. The Hippie movement took a popular salute that was already well known and changed into one of peace instead of war which is what their whole movement was about in the first place. Now you have been enlightened. It doesn’t surprise me that in China they would use the V for Victory salute having learned it from the Japanese after all the years of American occupation in Japan following WWII.
@Aunt D
You can actually google “v for victory” and you will get WWII photos of Winston Churchill flashing it……..
@Aunt D
That’s interesting! I have only ever known it as a hippie symbol but I guess it is much like the swastika, we remember it as a Nazi symbol but it originally was an Indian peace symbol. The last group to use a symbol is usually what we associate the symbol with. Learn something everyday.