Why did Oriental become offensive?

[Sunni Man]

My uncle who fought in the Pacific during WWII called them "nips"

It's short for the Japanese word Nipon which means Japan.

 

[dilloduck]

My uncle who fought in the Pacific during WWII called them "nips"

It's short for the Japanese word Nipon which means Japan.

hey--I call EZ that too !

come to think if it, there's soemone I know as "nops" too !

 

[Godboy]

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.

What world do you live in? No one has EVER called Iranians or Indians, orientals.

 

[The_Halfmoon]

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

it's worse for Iranians, because we have never had any of those things in our culture... people can call me sand ******, and the most offensive part is that they assume I should be offended. They can me wetback or chink if they want, but it doesn't change the fact that none of those slurs have anything to do with iranians.

rug-merchant though, that's fine... that's totally us

 

[The_Halfmoon]

oh and goat fucker, but that's too general... that could be used for anyone in new zealand too

 

[The_Halfmoon]

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.

What world do you live in? No one has EVER called Iranians or Indians, orientals.

I'm Iranian and raised in Spain for the most part... There we're refered to as "orientales" edit: (of course the spanish word for the eastern horizon is oriente, and anyone beyond the "eastern horizon" of Christianity. And back then spaniards didn't share the concept of the middle east, which meant they just lumped everyone in one word)

the "three wise men" were iranians, and they are referred to as oriental in many sources I have seen.

In many history books written before WWII, you will read that muslims are often referred to as orientals.

it's just not something that's been done since the east asians became numerous and new words had to be invented

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Does anyone remember?

All I know is that for most of my life, oriental was the de facto term used to describe any of the various mongoloid ethnicities of Asia. And then somewhere along the way, I don't remember exactly when, it was brought to my attention that the term oriental is offensive and that I should instead use the term Asian. Clearly that's less accurate, since it's not intended to include many other Asian ethnicities like Indian, Pakistani, Iranian etc., but whatever, I'll call anyone whatever they want to be called. But from a purely intellectual curiosity standpoint, I'd like to understand why the term was deemed to be offensive.

Can anyone explain to me why the term oriental is considered offensive?

Your premise(s) are inherently flawed. It is understandable though. Your understanding of the term "Oriental" was formed before before you had the chance to meet the acquaintance of us all in cyber heaven.

a curious explaination:

o·ri·en·tal (ôr-ntl, r-)
adj.
1. often Oriental Of or relating to the countries of the Orient or their peoples or cultures; eastern.
2. Oriental Of or designating the biogeographic region that includes Asia south of the Himalaya Mountains and the islands of the Malay Archipelago.
3. Lustrous and valuable: oriental pearls.
4.
a. Of or relating to a genuine or superior gem: an oriental ruby.
b. Relating to or designating corundum that resembles another stone in color.
n.
often Oriental Often Offensive An Asian.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- oriental - definition of oriental by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

ori·ental·ly adv.

Usage Note: Asian is now strongly preferred in place of Oriental for persons native to Asia or descended from an Asian people. The usual objection to Orientalmeaning "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.

but better:::: Joseph Cambell's usage: The Masks of God... (that understood by most infomed and intelligent people)

 

[bishikawa]

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.

Canadians are Americans. Brazilians are Americans. Mexicans are Americans. Cubans are Americans. There is no country called "America". The name is "The United States of America". It's typically arrogant of us to refer to ourselves as two whole continents when we (United Statesers are a minority in America, (two continents, named for an Italian who never set foot in the United States - Crazy Horse is rolling in his grave).

Anyway, when someone (inevitably a WASP, guilty, do-gooder liberal) complains when I say Oriental, then I'll pull out "gook", "slope", "slant-eye", "Jap", "Chink" and offer those as words they can use to describe my family ("Chink" being added only for dramatic effect as it is technically incorrect - all chinks are gooks, but only some gooks are chinks. We are Japs).

 

[maineman]

I think it has to do with using a European word from the days of colonialism to describe people from Asia. Calling the area to the east , the "orient" has nothing to do with how the people who live there refer to their geographic area or their ethnic group. Like calling indigenous Americans "Indians" because Columbus thought he had found the shortcut to India.

 

[Charles Stucker]

"The Orient begins in Calais"
During the heyday of the British Empire anyone not WASP was oriental. No one objected because they wanted to avoid British assistance (conquest) and being a good oriental host was one way to deflect British notice.

That is only half joking, but indiscriminate use is part of the distaste some people have for the term. Orientals are after all extremely racist and they hate being lumped in with a different ethnic group. If anyone cares to test my hypothesis, go to Korean and refer to people there as Japanese. I guarantee ti won't improve your reception.

 

[sitarro]

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.

How about Sneak?

 

[The_Halfmoon]

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.

Canadians are Americans. Brazilians are Americans. Mexicans are Americans. Cubans are Americans. There is no country called "America". The name is "The United States of America". It's typically arrogant of us to refer to ourselves as two whole continents when we (United Statesers are a minority in America, (two continents, named for an Italian who never set foot in the United States - Crazy Horse is rolling in his grave).

Anyway, when someone (inevitably a WASP, guilty, do-gooder liberal) complains when I say Oriental, then I'll pull out "gook", "slope", "slant-eye", "Jap", "Chink" and offer those as words they can use to describe my family ("Chink" being added only for dramatic effect as it is technically incorrect - all chinks are gooks, but only some gooks are chinks. We are Japs).

they're arrogant because they're the USA... they can call their president the leader of the Free World and they'd be right.

Mexico and Canada are extensions of the US, and South America is with a few exceptions is a giant plantation for the US