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Mimi Launder
Jun 13, 2018
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Getty Images / ERNESTO BENAVIDES / Contributor
Ivanka Trump just tried to put all us in our place but, in typical Twitter fashion, ended up getting laughed at.
Ahead of her father arriving in Singapore for an historic meeting with Kim Jong-un, Ivanka tweeted this sage-sounding and timely 'Chinese proverb':
“Those who say it can not be done, should not interrupt those doing it.” -Chinese Proverb— Ivanka Trump (@Ivanka Trump) 1528722408
Aw, how nice. Apart from one minor niggle: that is almost definitely not a Chinese proverb and was probably made up by Westerners, with a pseudo-Confucian version fabricated in 1962.
Social media was abuzz with people trying to work out where Ivanka's 'proverb' came from. Seemingly, some white guy's imagination.
For the record, this is not a Chinese proverb but a piece of ‘mysterious East’ wisdom made up by Westerners (see ne… https://t.co/WNzYFlDESj— Michael Li 李之樸 (@Michael Li 李之樸) 1528764724
There’s plenty of wisdom and insight in Asian philosophy, culture, religious systems, etc. It would be nice if mo… https://t.co/PBdVi5ruYV— Michael Li 李之樸 (@Michael Li 李之樸) 1528764963
An easy mistake to make we're sure, even if it takes three minutes to verify on Google and you're a White House employee with an account reaching millions.
Twitter proceeded to rip Ivanka apart. It wasn't hard.
"Anything sounds more important with quotation marks and a generic Chinese person saying it." -Chinese Proverb https://t.co/R5oJVyJ63w— Jenny Yang (@Jenny Yang) 1528773041
"Keep our words out of your mouth." -Chinese Proverb https://t.co/R5oJVyJ63w— Jenny Yang (@Jenny Yang) 1528776296
Everything I say is a Chinese Proverb. https://t.co/R5oJVyJ63w— Jenny Yang (@Jenny Yang) 1528772897
@IvankaTrump "Those who Tweet Chinese Proverbs should check their sources." -George Washington— John Junkins (@John Junkins) 1528763888
Three minutes of googling suggests this is a fake Chinese Proverb. It seems in fact to be American from the turn of… https://t.co/LtL6Mqs9BH— Bill Kristol (@Bill Kristol) 1528744554
“Go fuck yourself.” - Italian Proverb https://t.co/pO3gwsZ3DJ— albertina rizzo (@albertina rizzo) 1528775180
Others referenced the Trump administration's alarming policy of separating families who seek asylum in the US by crossing the border illegally.
The president is reportedly considering erecting 'tent cities' at a military base in Texas to house unaccompanied migrant children.
@IvankaTrump Your dad tears babies from the arms of parents.— Gabe Ortíz (@Gabe Ortíz) 1528722631
@IvankaTrump @trumps_feed "Don't tear kids from their parents." --Human Saying— Zackary Berger (@Zackary Berger) 1528722714
Next time, perhaps Ivanka should remember this alternative ancient Chinese proverb: 'Those who tweet Chinese proverbs that doesn't exist, should delete their account'.
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