GUEST,J C-I love your story. I need to copy your friend's strategy sometimes-really.

I believe that you're right that children censor their rhymes for collectors. I've experienced instances of that myself. Both examples that immediately come to mind have to do with the risque' handclap rhyme "Tweeleelee" {or some such name} that is based on The Jackson Five's 1980s recording of the song "Rockin Robin".

See Cocojams: handclap rhymes-Tweeleelee for my comments about my experiences with children self-censorship during recitations of this rhyme in front of adults.

One example of this self-censorship was the children's substitution of the word "butt" for the word "ass".

As to collectors censoring out rhymes that don't meet their moral standards, I agree with that too. I've had a couple of people {kids?} send in some rhymes to my website that I considered profane, and I decided not to add them to the examples that I've put on my website. I'm not actively seeking those types of rhymes. If I hear them, I'll document them, but I chose not to showcase them.

And J C, I also agree that even if children don't mean any harm by saying rhymes that may tease other groups of people, adults should take the responsibility of explaining the hurt that these rhymes such as "Ching Ching Chinaman" [and "Catch a N----g by the toe"] can direcly cause to those children of Asian descent [and Black children]. Furthermore, this could be used as a teaching opportunity to impress upon children that if we belittle another person, in the process we lessen ourself.

Best wishes,

Azizi