Why did Oriental become offensive?

So the answer turns out to be pretty simple. Not all Asians are Oriental. It'd be like calling Canadians Americans...or maybe Spaniards Mexicans. It's just technically not correct.

Ummm, that logic is backwards. Calling Asian/Orientals Asian is less technically correct than calling them Oriental. Since as you accurately point out, not all Asians are Oriental.
:confused: All Orientals are Asians. And you really can't always tell by looking at them where in Asia they hail from. So it seems safer to just call them Asians. :eusa_angel:
 
So the answer turns out to be pretty simple. Not all Asians are Oriental. It'd be like calling Canadians Americans...or maybe Spaniards Mexicans. It's just technically not correct.

Ummm, that logic is backwards. Calling Asian/Orientals Asian is less technically correct than calling them Oriental. Since as you accurately point out, not all Asians are Oriental.
:confused: All Orientals are Asians. And you really can't always tell by looking at them where in Asia they hail from. So it seems safer to just call them Asians. :eusa_angel:

So you refer to Pakistanis as Asians then?
 
So the answer turns out to be pretty simple. Not all Asians are Oriental. It'd be like calling Canadians Americans...or maybe Spaniards Mexicans. It's just technically not correct.

Actually, Canadians are Americans.......North Americans. Go to a South American nation and refer to yourself as American and see how they respond. They will tell you that they are Americans too......South Americans. I saw this play out over and over during my time there when US citizens referred to themselves as Americans.
I can only say that my Canadian cousins don't like being referred to as Americans...
 
Ummm, that logic is backwards. Calling Asian/Orientals Asian is less technically correct than calling them Oriental. Since as you accurately point out, not all Asians are Oriental.
:confused: All Orientals are Asians. And you really can't always tell by looking at them where in Asia they hail from. So it seems safer to just call them Asians. :eusa_angel:

So you refer to Pakistanis as Asians then?
Yeah...unless I know they are Pakis. Don't you?
 
So the answer turns out to be pretty simple. Not all Asians are Oriental. It'd be like calling Canadians Americans...or maybe Spaniards Mexicans. It's just technically not correct.

Actually, Canadians are Americans.......North Americans. Go to a South American nation and refer to yourself as American and see how they respond. They will tell you that they are Americans too......South Americans. I saw this play out over and over during my time there when US citizens referred to themselves as Americans.

So when Islamic terrorists shout death to America, they are really talking about the two continents of North and South America and not the United States of America.

Good to know. :eusa_whistle:
 
Google is your friend:

Asian is now strongly preferred in place of Oriental for persons native to Asia or descended from an Asian people. The usual objection to Oriental-meaning "eastern"-is that it identifies Asian countries and peoples in terms of their location relative to Europe. However, this objection is not generally made of other Eurocentric terms such as Near and Middle Eastern. The real problem with Oriental is more likely its connotations stemming from an earlier era when Europeans viewed the regions east of the Mediterranean as exotic lands full of romance and intrigue, the home of despotic empires and inscrutable customs. At the least these associations can give Oriental a dated feel, and as a noun in contemporary contexts (as in the first Oriental to be elected from the district) it is now widely taken to be offensive. However, Oriental should not be thought of as an ethnic slur to be avoided in all situations. As with Asiatic, its use other than as an ethnonym, in phrases such as Oriental cuisine or Oriental medicine, is not usually considered objectionable.

oriental: Definition from Answers.com

oh...and ravi, I think Michelle Malkin whined a) because she can; and b) she probably doesn't consider the Phillipines asian.
 
I never found the word "gook" to be offensive when describing asians.

But I never liked to use the words "slope" or "chink" when refering to them.

Just like I don't like the words "towel head" "camel jockeys" or "goat fucker" for Muslims.
 
Just like I don't like the words "towel head" "camel jockeys" or "goat fucker" for Muslims.

Personally, I just laugh when people on different boards call me those names.

Because I have never worn any type of head gear associated with muslims.

Plus, I have only seen camels at the zoo. And definitely never rode one.

As for the goats, well I only have sex with women.

I will leave "goat fucking" to the homos :eusa_angel:
 
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So the answer turns out to be pretty simple. Not all Asians are Oriental. It'd be like calling Canadians Americans...or maybe Spaniards Mexicans. It's just technically not correct.

Actually, Canadians are Americans.......North Americans. Go to a South American nation and refer to yourself as American and see how they respond. They will tell you that they are Americans too......South Americans. I saw this play out over and over during my time there when US citizens referred to themselves as Americans.

So when Islamic terrorists shout death to America, they are really talking about the two continents of North and South America and not the United States of America.

Good to know. :eusa_whistle:

Geez Mani, Islamic terrorists are fucking nuts!!! Who the hell ever knows what they mean by anything they say? :lol:
 
I thought it was because "Oriental" is used to describe food and rug designs....things.

"Asian" is ethnicity...it describes people and place.
 
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I thought it was because "Oriental" is used to describe food and rug designs....things.

"Asian" is ethnicity...it describes people and place.

What about Irish, French, Italian, African, etc? They seem to work just fine for things AND people.
 
I thought it was because "Oriental" is used to describe food and rug designs....things.

"Asian" is ethnicity...it describes people and place.

What about Irish, French, Italian, African, etc? They seem to work just fine for things AND people.

Because they don't have martial arts. Call an Asian an Oriental and they can go all kung fu on your ass. I'm just sayin'. :eusa_whistle:
 
Does anyone have "Toyo Tires" on their car? Better take em off cause "Toyo" means "oriental" you stupid racist.
 
So the answer turns out to be pretty simple. Not all Asians are Oriental. It'd be like calling Canadians Americans...or maybe Spaniards Mexicans. It's just technically not correct.

Ummm, that logic is backwards. Calling Asian/Orientals Asian is less technically correct than calling them Oriental. Since as you accurately point out, not all Asians are Oriental.

I understand that the term used to refer to anyone to the East of Constantinople.
 
simple..oriental is an adjective that refers to inanimate things...oriental rugs etc...when referring to the ethnic group of culture..the proper term is asian....

educated people have long been aware of this....:eusa_snooty:

Was begining to think that no one would get the answer right. This is correct, you use the word oriental to describe objects from the orient, and you use the word asian to describe the people from there.
 
oriental used to also refer to Iranians, Indians, etc. It's no different than the term Asian as it simply means "easterner"

if someone asks me what ethnicity my asian friend is, I usually say "east asian" without thinking about it... and same with "east Indian." It just seems like Asian is short for "East Asian" and "South East Asian."

oriental probably became a term tainted by post WWII discrimination and verbal abuse, so when they started to build all our shit, we decided to change it and be nice.
 

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