Is "oriental" truly offensive?

[anon1]

This dilemma arises occasionally and it breaks down into two camps.
Firstly, the people to whom language has to be precise and written in stone, for technical and legal purposes.
The other are people who recognise that language is fluid and evolves, often regionally.
We do not speak the same English the world over.
Is the US, "brown" refers to those of latin American extraction, while in Canada it means South Asians.
In England, "asian" means South Asians and "oriental" means East Asians.

 

[Carling]

so if i call someone a Kraut...am i talking about Germans or Austrians? jus wondering from the other side of things

 

[rld]

so if i call someone a Kraut...am i talking about Germans or Austrians? jus wondering from the other side of things

Definately German. My people don't dig the cabbage the way they do...

 

[Carling]

Definately German. My people don't dig the cabbage the way they do...

lol....i shoulda included Polish then..

 

[james t kirk]

Well, if you want to be technically correct, there are only 4 races in the world:

1. Australoid
2 Caucasoid
3. Mongololid
4. Negroid

 

[FOOTSNIFFER]

BTW 'l'occident' is used by the french to denote the West and l'orient the east. Maybe the english speaking world adopted the french appelation for 'east'.

 

[Viggo Rasmussen]

Orienteering first began in Sweden with the first championship held in Norway.

They are very challenging races, you have to work like a dog to win.

 

[Viggo Rasmussen]

BTW 'l'occident' is used by the french to denote the West and l'orient the east. Maybe the english speaking world adopted the french appelation for 'east'.

When something goes wrong, it's usually best to blame the French. :eyebrows:

 

[Carling]

Kind of like how they refer to Blacks as 'ebony'

yeah me too...sounds cool

 

[Don Draper]

This is why (according to a Cultural Geography class and from an actual Asian student

"Oriental" refers to THINGS from the Orient - such as food, rugs, souvenirs, etc...material THINGS. Therefore, when you call a human being "oriental" you are referring to them as an object with no soul or substance. This is why "Oriental" is offensive and LEGALLY a racist term (at least in the U.S.A. In Canada it's still a dubious term.)

"Asian" can be used for people or things, it is not an offensive word at all. Asian refers to anyone or anything that comes from or is related to any country in Asia - from China to India to Vietnam, including the Philippines and Japan, and in some cases that large rural part of Russia.

I am unsure why "Oriental" is widely used in the UK. UK English is actually considered a different dialect of English from North American English and Australian English, so words have different meanings there.

In North America it's probably safer to not play with the word "Oriental" unless you are talking about food or rugs...but keep in mind you can call it "Asian" as well with no debate. If the term "oriental" is used in the wrong way at a workplace, it could get the person who said it in trouble for discrimination nowadays so be super careful.

 

[Viggo Rasmussen]

Don Draper, are you saying that agencies who use "Oriental" in their names are offensive?

 

[great bear]

Don Draper, are you saying that agencies who use "Oriental" in their names are offensive?

No, its just a different orientation

 

[Don Draper]

Don Draper, are you saying that agencies who use "Oriental" in their names are offensive?

Of course not.

But it sounds just as strange and ill placed to call a Westerner "Occidental". You just wouldn't use the term.

 

[Viggo Rasmussen]

Of course not.

But it sounds just as strange and ill placed to call a Westerner "Occidental". You just wouldn't use the term.

Are you saying it's strange and ill placed for Asian agencies to use "Oriental" in their names?

 

[great bear]

Of course not.

But it sounds just as strange and ill placed to call a Westerner "Occidental". You just wouldn't use the term.

If you met an Occidental accidentally would that be termed an Occidental Accident?

 

[lamgos]

i wonder what caused the parliament of one of the most tolerant nations on earth to pass this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Immigration_Act,_1923

 

[djk]

Of course not.

But it sounds just as strange and ill placed to call a Westerner "Occidental". You just wouldn't use the term.

At first, it sounds strange but I looked up the definition and its just another name for western culture. Hell, call me an Occidental, I like standing out from the crowd.

 

[Clear History]

I think I recall that he said something about "them taking over" or something along those lines.

Does anyone else remember that?

I believe ford had to apologize because he said the orientals work likke dogs. And I seem to recall it was the worst apology ever. He brought out a flier and noodle wrapper that used term oriental in his apology.

Oriental is not the most acceptable term but it is not truly offensive. It will date you.

WG

 

[LKD]

WTF! people take things too seriously... how else are we supposed to distinguish Orientals from South Asians then? Don't want us to use the words chink, gooks, japs etc, now orientals too?

 

[Working Girl]

I think I recall that he said something about "them taking over" or something along those lines.

Does anyone else remember that?

From wikipedia: Again sparking controversy during a March 2008 debate at City Hall, Ford said, "Those Oriental people work like dogs. They work their hearts out ... that's why they're successful in life. ... I'm telling you, Oriental people, they're slowly taking over, because there's no excuses for them. They're hard, hard workers."