Anti-racism organisation, Asian Raisins, has started a petition to stop the use of this shocking Dutch song in schools and society — and we’re all for it.

“Hanky panky Shanghai” — yes, you read that right — is a song that is still sung during birthday celebrations in the Netherlands. Asian Raisins finds the song racist and hurtful to people with an Asian appearance, reports AD. 

If you haven’t heard of it, you are in for a shock. 😳 

What is “Hanky panky Shanghai”?

When first hearing about it, many American and British people might think it sounds sexual. While hearing the song might make you think it’s simply a Chinese translation of the usual birthday song ‘Happy birthday to you’. 

But nee, the lyrics are — to put it lightly — rather silly, and definitely not Chinese. What makes the song worse? Its performance also involves the quite-obviously racist gesture of drawing the eyes into slits.

And yep, it’s taught in Dutch schools

It’s bad enough that the song is sung at all. However, ‘Hanky Panky Shanghai’ is also taught to children in Dutch nursery schools and through primary school. 

The anti-racism organisation, Asian Raisins, says enough is enough. Understandably, they want to stop this song from being taught in schools and bring awareness to how offensive it is.

READ MORE | Netherlands, we need to talk about racism (and not just about Zwarte Piet)

The argument is that children in schools that sing this song are instilled with racism towards people with an East and Southeast Asian appearance, as was experienced by Amy Cheung, a member of the Asian Raisins. 

“I didn’t feel like celebrating my birthday at school because of that song. People imitate your face by pulling their eyes back and making gestures with their hands. Children would say: You don’t have to make ‘slit eyes’,” Cheung tells AD.

No more hanky panky

Amy Cheung experienced other racist comments and was stereotyped while growing up in the Dutch city of Nijmegen due to her Asian appearance. 

Cheung now wants to end racism against Asian people, starting with collecting signatures for a petition against “Hanky panky Shanghai.” This movement will take place not only in the Randstad — but also Nijmegen and Maastricht.

READ MORE | How to support anti-racism in the Netherlands beyond social media

Support to stop this disturbing song from appearing in schools comes from Gjalt Jellesma of the umbrella organisation BOink for childcare. “I hope we put that behind us. Especially the gestures. I would be very disappointed if they were still used. There are plenty of alternatives,” Jellesma tells AD.

What do you think of this song being taught in Dutch schools? Tell us in the comments.

In a fragment of an episode of the Dutch programme “In Your Face”, countess Eloise van Oranje was filmed intervening in a racist conversation. The internet, as usual, has a lot to say.

While out for a meal with a friend, Eloise overhears an allegedly racist conversation between two brothers about one man’s girlfriend, a black woman. 

We say “allegedly” because it was part of the “In Your Face” programme, which uses set-up scenarios to test how bystanders react to situations like this. 

As RTL Nieuws writes, the goal of the show is to find out how “social” people are in the Netherlands.

This means Eloise didn’t know that the two men having the racist conversation were actors. 🤫

“Doe normaal!”

Here’s how it all went down. 

After overhearing the men say things such as, “You don’t go with a black one,” Eloise tells her friend that she has to do something about it. And so she does. 💅

READ MORE | Royal Dutch police must not discriminate against travellers based on appearance, Dutch court rules 

She gets up from the table, walks up to them and hits them with the good ol’ “Doe normaal!” (act normal).

She puts one of the actors in his place and says, “Sorry, I’m sorry, but this is so racist (…) A black with a non-black, do you hear what you’re saying?”

The full “In Your Face” episode is now available on NPO 3’s YouTube channel (in Dutch).

Of course, in true internet nature, someone is always unhappy, and not everyone supported the countesses’ intervention.

Mixed opinions online

Some users on social media met the episode with great appreciation, while others did not so much. 

On a teaser posted on TikTok, users support her stance, calling her a “topvrouw” (top woman) and a “QUEEN” (probably with no pun intended 👑). 

On YouTube, the comments are slightly mixed. Most users point out how the video seems staged and insincere. Meanwhile, others appreciate the video and point out her reaction was genuine.

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Either way, we are here for Eloise taking a stand against this conversation. Hopefully, this motivates others to do the same as her when we overhear questionable conversations.

What do you think of Eloise’s reaction? Tell us in the comments below!