those "ORIENTALS"

Page 4 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Ricemarine

Lifer
Sep 10, 2004
10,507
0
0
Originally posted by: Compton
Originally posted by: Ricemarine

and yes, I find the word Oriental offensive.

why?

Because over here, asians don't call each other orientals. If a caucasian or an african-american walked to us and said "Hey oriental, where's this place?" No one here has ever used the word "oriental" unless it was for an inanimate object or unless it was meant to be derogatory. I'd leave it parallel as being insulted with any other derogatory racist term. Using the word "Charlie" would bring up the Vietnam War, which my father had to escape from, which in my opinion would disrespect me. Asians take racism more seriously than what people expect.

Hence why african americans don't want to be called "negro," for the word relates to slavery which in terms would be considered offensive in todays standards.
 
Feb 19, 2001
20,155
23
81
Originally posted by: Ricemarine
Originally posted by: Compton
Originally posted by: Ricemarine

and yes, I find the word Oriental offensive.

why?

Because over here, asians don't call each other orientals. If a caucasian or an african-american walked to us and said "Hey oriental, where's this place?" No one here has ever used the word "oriental" unless it was for an inanimate object or unless it was meant to be derogatory. I'd leave it parallel as being insulted with any other derogatory racist term. Using the word "Charlie" would bring up the Vietnam War, which my father had to escape from, which in my opinion would disrespect me. Asians take racism more seriously than what people expect.

Hence why african americans don't want to be called "negro," for the word relates to slavery which in terms would be considered offensive in todays standards.

Because we call each other ASIANS, and we don't ever use oriental as a term. Goodness. That's too bad Asian refers to the entire Asian continent, and while technically you can say that, I don't think all of Asia desires to be labeled Asian, and some of Asia would like to fall under that category (i.e. China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, etc etc)
 

Dobbs

Senior member
Nov 19, 2001
311
0
0
A friend of mine who is Asian said that oriental is a f'ing noodle.
My wife prefers Asian and she is half Flip, half Chinese, she calls that mixture a "Flink".
white is white, black is black, brown is brown, yellow is yellow,,,,,,

How many white people feel uncomfortable when a black person calls you caucasian?
Same when reversed, white person says "black person".
Its all about the person themself and how they feel with a term.

To me, Oriental will always be a noodle, lol
 

sisq0kidd

Lifer
Apr 27, 2004
17,043
1
81
It's not so much racist as it is outdated.

Why is it outdated? I have no idea.

But to use the term Oriental in this day and age, regardless of intent, displays either ignorance of popular culture or just plain callousness for emotions.

Do I think it's racist? For the most part no, as I believe the people using this word do not do so with malicious intent.

That doesn't mean people should stop trying to better themselves and rid their vocabulary of a word that has historical meaning that people don't like very much.

I use to think people were always too sensitive with labels; like how I can't even say "black people" without having to look around (but I blame this on my own insecurities of how I might be reverberating a bad historical aura). But now I see it's not just the fact that people are too sensitive, but it's also because a$$holes think it's more important for them to keep "Oriental" in their vocabulary than to replace the word with something a little more... correct?
 

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,879
6,418
126
I wasn't even aware "Oriental" was considered offenive by anyone. To claim it's for inaminate objects and not people doesn't make much sense either, if it is offensive it's offensive in either case.

At anyrate, it's a term that has fallen from common useage, so I won't get all worked up about it.
 

Chaotic42

Lifer
Jun 15, 2001
35,380
2,501
126
-
Many Asian Americans are unaware that the term ?Oriental? is offensive because the term is often used in their home countries to refer to its citizens, the Philippines included, especially because the Philippines is also known as the ?Pearl of the Orient.?
-

That's such a great line. They didn't know it was offensive to them until someone told them. What a freaking joke. I can't imagine what someone who gets upset over things like this would do if they ever had real problems.
 

xospec1alk

Diamond Member
Mar 4, 2002
4,329
0
0
Originally posted by: altonb1
I don't want to be white, euro-american or anything of the sort.

Since I am part Cherokee, Scottish, Irish, German, and several others that I can't remember at the moment, I prefer to be called...

American.

...and I'm proud to say it...

...and yes, I order in English!

(Shout out to Geno's steaks....)

:laugh:

I agree.

im chinese, but i wanna be looked at as an american. not an effing chinese-american.

 

slatr

Senior member
May 28, 2001
957
2
81
I have used the word and use it.

To me it has positive connotations, not negative at all.
 

Turin39789

Lifer
Nov 21, 2000
12,218
8
81
Debate is so ridiculous.

Asian = people from Asia

Americans = people from America(North and South)

Europeans = People from Europe

Africans = People from Africa

Antarcticans = Penguins.

 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: Turin39789
Debate is so ridiculous.

Asian = people from Asia

Americans = people from America(North and South)

Europeans = People from Europe

Africans = People from Africa

Antarcticans = Penguins.
That's offensive. Australians are very upset to not be included.

Of course you can't call them Australians. They prefer to be called "people from that other continent in the southern hemisphere-ians" Wallabees works as well.

 

DefDC

Golden Member
Aug 28, 2003
1,858
1
81
Originally posted by: Turin39789
Debate is so ridiculous.

Asian = people from Asia

Americans = people from America(North and South)

Europeans = People from Europe

Africans = People from Africa

Antarcticans = Penguins.



LOL
 

feralkid

Lifer
Jan 28, 2002
17,041
5,101
136
Originally posted by: slatr
I have used the word and use it.

To me it has positive connotations, not negative at all.





This post approved by the Department of Redundancy Department.

X2

:thumbsup:
 

Exterous

Super Moderator
Jun 20, 2006
20,616
3,840
126
I personally have never understood why people get upset by labels. So someone uses it and doesn't mean it in a derogatory nature. So what? Get over it. If they didn't mean it as derogatory the label can only hurt your feelings if you let it. People can be ignorant and stupid - if this is news to you....well, you are ignorant. :)

This PC crap really gets to me. I am African-American but I am not black damnit. Everyone looks at me wierd when I say that but I am more African-American than pretty much any of the blacks I know (1/2). Using a regional tag like Africa-American or Asian in this day and age is silly unless you agree that its because of a set of physical features and appearances. But we can't admit that because everyone is equal.

The PC tags are steryotypical, implying recent decendance from a particular region and are often have associated assumptions - like African American = black. But wait....they were created to get rid of sterotypes....:confused:

/rant

*climbs off soapbox*
 

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
64,795
84
91
its a reminder of bad ol colonial times. it didnt come with good things. it refered to the exotic instrutible folks from that far off land, never mind the whole colonial patronising attitude that came with it. and don't pretend its all cool, it wasn't that long ago that american gi's would boil japanese soldiers skulls and send them back home as trophys.

pic

The text on this image reads as "Arizona war worker writes her Navy boyfriend a thank you note for the skull he sent her"

This photo is from Life Magazine May 22, 1944. The accompanying caption reads:

?When he said goodbye two years ago to Natalie Nickerson, 20, a war worker of Phoenix, Ariz., a big, handsome Navy lieutenant promised her a Jap. Last week Natalie received a human skull, autographed by her lieutenant and 13 friends, and inscribed: '?This is a good Jap, ?a dead one picked up on the New Guinea beach,'? Natalie, surprised at the gift, named it Tojo. The armed forces disapprove strongly of this sort of thing.?
 

DaShen

Lifer
Dec 1, 2000
10,710
1
0
No, it is not. But I don't care.

You can call me "beloved patriot" for all I care, as long as you are doing it as an insult. ;)
 

daveymark

Lifer
Sep 15, 2003
10,573
1
0
Originally posted by: DaShen
No, it is not. But I don't care.

You can call me "beloved patriot" for all I care, as long as you are doing it as an insult. ;)

what is beloved patriot?
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,408
8,596
126
oriental means eastern, as opposed to occidental which means western.

i'm occidental :D