those "ORIENTALS"

[AntMan530]

Is PC to call someone an oriental?

 

[Mr Pickles]

I don't know. I dont call them orientals, but it seems like one generation above me does and I sort of double take when I hear it. Play it safe and call them asian, it seems to be most popular.

 

[rh71]

mixed opinions on this as far as what's "proper". I've read (and believe) that "oriental" applies to objects only.

If someone called me an "oriental"... I'd just want to correct them based on my belief (and maybe they're just ignorant of the uses).

 

[imported_LoKe]

I associate "oriental" with fragile egg, so yeah, I suppose it is alright.

 

[blue1friday2]

"Oriental" is for rugs, "Asian" is for people... as far as I know.

 

[TecHNooB]

Oriental = Fobby Chinese

 

[glenn1]

Not PC, but IMHO not offensive either. It's likely an older person saying it, and they probably use "colored" for blacks as well. Those terms were simply common ones in their day.

 

[thesurge]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental#Term

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: blue1friday2
"Oriental" is for rugs, "Asian" is for people... as far as I know.

"Asian" is a useless term, since it describes the largest continent on Earth.

Most Russians can call themselves "Asian" even if they're blond hair/blue eyes.

 

[RapidSnail]

Colloquially, when referring to Asian people in general, I will sometimes call them "Chinese."

 

[imported_LoKe]

Can I refer to someone as a "Jew"?

 

[Azndude2190]

Fvck No.

 

[Kevin1211]

ive never heard an asian being called an oriental. Only way i see that word is at markets.. (ie Oriental market.. heh)

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Most Russians can call themselves "Asian" even if they're blond hair/blue eyes.

Interesting... where'd you hear this / come to know of it ?

 

[91TTZ]

Hey, has anyone (not high school/college kids) noticed that certain words become popular in certain times/social scenes? When I was growing up, I'd rarely hear the word "perjorative" used. But on Wikipedia, it's a massively widespread term, used in seemingly every other article.

 

[yosuke188]

I prefer that they use neither of those terms, but decribe by the country of origin. I know... it's difficult sometimes, but I don't like being generalized as Asian.

But if you must, use Asian. Oriental is definitely for objects.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Most Russians can call themselves "Asian" even if they're blond hair/blue eyes.

Interesting... where'd you hear this / come to know of it ?

Just look at a map of Russia.

 

[ts3433]

It's no longer PC, AFAIK; "East Asian" is probably preferred when referring to someone ethnically Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, if the specific ethnicity is unknown.

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Most Russians can call themselves "Asian" even if they're blond hair/blue eyes.

Interesting... where'd you hear this / come to know of it ?

Technically anyone east of the Ural Mountains or east of a line continuing southwest from the Urals through the Bosphorus and the Suez Canal (another, "less Eurocentric" term for the Middle East is "Southwest Asia") can call himself Asian. In common parlance around here, however, "Asian" is usually understood to mean "East Asian."

 

[Ika]

Oriental was pretty popular when I was in elementary school. As I've gotten older, though, the usage has since changed to Asian. Personally, I don't mind being called oriental, and I doubt few asians I know would be offended.

 

[doze]

Oriental is for rugs and food. Asian is the most common, but in the South everybody is called Chinese. This is similar to how every soda is called Coke, and every light brown person is a Mexican.

 

[randay]

As a person of asian descent, I feel I should let you all know that we preferred to be called yiggers, gooks, chinks, or slant-eyes. Please feel free to use any of those.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: randay
As a person of asian descent, I feel I should let you all know that we preferred to be called yiggers, gooks, chinks, or slant-eyes. Please feel free to use any of those.

And please don't call me "white". That's offensive. I prefer the more PC terms "cracka ass cracka" or "beloved patriot mutha#%#@#&"

 

[Sluggo]

Originally posted by: yosuke188
I prefer that they use neither of those terms, but decribe by the country of origin. I know... it's difficult sometimes, but I don't like being generalized as Asian.

But if you must, use Asian. Oriental is definitely for objects.

I object to being generalized as white or even worse caucasian.

I prefer to properly described as of Scottish, Irish, English and German descent.

Or if you must generalize just call me Euro-American.

 

[krunchykrome]

:laugh: I just call em all chinese. :laugh:

 

[Howard]

Yes. I prefer "Oriental" to "Asian".