The full text is:
Maybe we don’t need a motor. How many times have I heard someone say, “Nigger, you know me, my motto is …”? If I were smart, I’d put my Latin to use. Charge ten dollars a word. Fifteen if they aren’t from the neighborhood or want me to translate “don’t hate the player, hate the game.” If it’s true that one’s body is one’s temple, I could make good money. Open up a little shop on the boulevard and have a long line of tattooed customers who’ve transformed themselves into nondenominational places of worship: ankhs, sankofas, and crucifixes fighting for abdominal space with Aztec sun gods and one-star Star of David galaxies. Chinese characters running down shaved calves and spinal columns. Sinological shout-outs to dead loved ones that they think means “Rest in peace, Grandma Beverly,” but in reality reads “No tickee! No Bilateral Trade Agreement!”
I understand that Star of David is a kind of religious symbol. What the whole phrase make me puzzled. And what does "tickee" here refer to? ticket for what? I believe it has something to do with the politics. This paragraph is cited from p12, The Sellout, written by Paul Beatty.
Can anyone from English-speaking culture help me with it? Thanks!!!!
I just did some reading about this book online. It is going to have a lot of topical and pop culture related quotes - even a native speaker immersed in American culture is not expected to understand all of the references. It is also jammed full of slang and is aimed at particular political subcultures in the US.
I can't imagine a more difficult book to read for someone whose English is a second language. Do not become discouraged if you have trouble understanding some of it, and I congratulate you even on the brave attempt!
"No tickee, no shirtee", is basically a laundryman telling a customer he can not get his laundry (shirtee - shirt) if he doesn't have a receipt (tickee - ticket or receipt). It is way to make fun of the Chinese accent and has become an insulting stereotype.
So to bring that back to the tattoo artist he could use whatever Chinese characters he wanted to write "Rest in peace Grandma Beverely" as few in the US could read the characters anyway. He could write something that he got from slang (No tickee), or from a book or Newspaper (bilateral trade agreement) and no one would be the wiser.
As an aside the quote goes a little deeper as the person saying it is trying to be funny. The 'trade agreement' reference would make sense as current topical humor, and the Chinese government is being made fun of like it was an immigrant laundryman.
Have fun!
The Star of David is the six pointed 'Jewish Star' and is often used as a religious symbol for Judaism. You can see the star on the Israeli flag. The phrase just talks about how he could make money tattooing religious symbols - ankhs, sankofas, and crucifixes fighting for abdominal space with Aztec sun gods - are other religious symbols. It seems the people he is talking about aren't seriously religious, as they don't mind to have all sorts of competing religious symbols fighting for space on their bodies.
The other example is how people like to look cool or smart by tattooing their personal "motto" in a foreign language on themselves, especially something only educated people would know like Latin. Or perhaps Chinese, presumably because the letters look cool and not many people (in the US) would be able to read them.
Since he knows Latin he could charge for translating and tattooing English phrases into Latin -$10/word. Annoying phrases like the player quote for $15/word.
On Chinese he is counting on the fact that not many in the US know the characters and he could put whatever he wanted as a translation. The customer could want the Rest in Peace quote, and he could just tattoo the no tickee quote.
"No tickee, no shirtee" is an insulting way to refer to Chinese people, especially in old Hollywood movies. Recent immigrants often take the lowest status or dirtiest jobs and the Chinese Laundryman was once a common stereotype or stock character.
