Are you offended when people refer to Asians as "oriental"

well, lets see, I would like to be call asian american, asian, chinese american, or chinese, but if the word Oriental came up, depending on the type tone, I would get a little angry; however, most of the time I just brush it off.

The word is hardly ever use in my area.

The word is just outdated in the US. As far as I know it's still in use without issues in the UK. I wouldn't rate this as one of the more pressing issues facing AAs. The people I've seen use it most in the US are:

1) fobs who just haven't updated their English
2) less educated non-Asians
3) people who just don't care - neither good or bad reasons.

'Oriental' should only be refer to food, not people. Only un-educated Caucasian would have the nerve to said that to me. And I don't brush it off, why should I? If I have the intelligent to understand their culture and know what not to call them, then they should also.

It's an outdated adjective of anything remotely East Asian. Just refer to them as "Occidental" and see their reaction. Oh, they don't react? Well, I personally am not too offended by it. I've been called much worse.

its pretty annoying when im referred to as an oriental, but i dont hear it that often. usually, they just call me [epithet]

It depends on who says it. The non asian people who have referred to asians as 'oriental' in my company have been well meaning and cool people. I don't think they even know all the issues surrounding the use of the term oriental. It doesn't bother me too much, like Major Tom says, I've been called lots worse!

It doesn't help, though, when you see so many products and whatnot labeled as "oriental," obviously many wouldn't think negatively of the term.

I've heard the term "Oriental" used on people, and for the people who use it, they think it synonymous with "Asian." One man once asked me about an Asian girl, saying: "What's the name of that Oriental girl?" He wasn't trying to be offensive and rude, he could have easily said "Asian."

I think most people who use it are not doing so out of being rude, just as there are some people who still say "Black" and some who say "Hispanic" (which I have heard is offensive). I prefer to say "Asian." The only time I use the word "Oriental" is when I play Monopoly, as in: "I'll buy Oriental Avenue," or "Oriental Avenue? Let's see, with hotel... $550." I'll use the root word "orient" when I am trying to "orient" myself around someplace or when I attend an "orient"ation. As for cuisine, I go by ethnicity: Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai...

By the way, the word "oriental" is meant to describe things coming from the East (in this case, anything east of Europe, as even Turkey was considered part of the Orient, hence the "Oriental Express" railroad), as the word comes from the Latin "oriens," meaning "East."

Well, let's say that somebody "telling me" Oriental is the same thing as calling me a name. Sorry, but just as I can remember poeple calling me that "name" were mostly from ignorants.


Let me say that ASIAN is the BEST qualification because it reminds me sucess, education and the sense of respect.

Gioo :

Get over it. Talk about being too sensitive.
I don't know when the term "Oriental" became offensive to some Asian Americans but I don't see anything wrong with it. I think maybe it was one of these do nothing ineffective b.s. AsianAmerican coalition groups in California that probably started it all following in the footsteps of NAACP's new term for negroes as "African Americans during the '60's." That really never stuck did it? Most "African Americans'" prefer the term black and don't take offense to it.
As someone else said "Oriental " refers to "from the East." More specifically all people or things from East Asia. Rest of Asia, was commonly referred to as "Asian" by Europeans. I actually think the term "Oriental" is more accuate in my case as a Corean American. I have much more in common with Japanese and Chinese Americans than lets say Pakistanis or Indians. I mean the term "Asian" encompresses too much of Asia even parts of Asia that never had much interaction with each other.
In Britain, East Asians are referred to as Orientals while Indians, Pakistanis or even southeast Asians are called "Asian."
In Latin America, East Asians are referred to as "Orientals."
This term is not used as an offense in either societies. So when did some of you become offended,especialy if you're East Asian?
Since this country love neatly catergorizing people these government eggheads should really take some time and learn the cultures and do it right.
Hey what if I was born in South America (there are Orientals in South America, you know) and my family immigrated to the US? Should i check off " Asian" or "Hispanic?" Since the term Hispanic or Latino describes a culture and not race. A persons of any race can be Hispanic or Latino. There are white (pure Euopean decendents), mestizos (Indian/European mixes) which make the majority, mulattoes (black/European mixes) and even Oriental Hispanics.

I have a hard time hearing someone call me "oriental". I do not like the word and how people (mostly non-asians) use the word. When people ask me if I'm "oriental", I say "No, I'm Filipina-Igorota" and then go from there...

I have a hard time hearing someone call me "oriental". I do not like the word and how people (mostly non-asians) use the word. When people ask me if I'm "oriental", I say "No, I'm Filipina-Igorota" and then go from there...

Well Harley, you're not Oriental in its strict term. It defines only East Asians. So you should correct them and say you're Filipina, Malay or SouthEast Asian. How do non Asians say the term that bothers you?

Greensoju: When I was younger, I would here the term "oriental" a lot. It bothered me, because people have said, "you don't look Filipina...you look more "oriental" - and to the people I've talked with in the past "oriental" meant being Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese or Korean. People (in general) have the perception, that I'm Chinese or Vietnamese because of how I physically look. My father and my brother have a nice brown skin tone and typically "look more" Filipino. I have a lighter skin tone and my facial features look more "Chinese" in which I am not ashamed. Some people didn't believe me when I said, "I'm Filipina" and that I was born in the Philippines. It wasn't just non-asians telling me this, I have had fellow Filipinos tell me I do not look Filipina. This bothers me and it usually ends in a lengthy conversation about my culture, my family and who I am.

I don't like the word 'oriental'--period!

I have an Asian rug in an Asian-inspired domicile. I drink Asian tea, eat Asian food, and talk Asian talk. I watch Asian movies and I listen to Asian music. At work, I handle Asian clients and at home, I hang out with my Asian friends. And most especially, I like Asian men.

And if certain offended occidentals don't like my attitude, then I'll just return the compliment and call the affronted individuals 'occen'!

MLK,

QUOTE

And if certain offended occidentals don't like my attitude, then I'll just return the compliment and call the affronted individuals 'occen'!

Or how 'bout calling that occidental an "occimaroon" or, even, "Westeeth"?

OutofEast

HAHAHAHA! You (and possibly only one or two other folks here on Goldsea) would be the only ones who understood that reference to occimaroon!!! Great play on words!

The word 'oriental' is so badly outdated. It's like calling the Native Hawaiians or Indians 'aborigines'.

Too bad nobody said what needs to be said about this yet. It's no further than a freakin dictionary. "Oriental" means "east of." East of what? EUROPE!!

Hell, nobody wants to be labeled, but that's the way it is. Since we're stuck with it, does any non-European out there really want to be labeled from a Eurocentric perspective? How ignorant can we be?

If you don't know, now you know.

Bottom line: If you're an intelligent, self-aware Asian - American or otherwise - "oriental" is not an acceptable term for anything, period. Not food, rugs, culture, and definitely not ever people. It's sad ignorance at best, blatant racism at worst.

Not the most pressing of AA issues, but significantly still a sign of how far AA consciousness needs to go.

I think "oriental" is more like an archaic term that is slowly going away - kind of like the older generation referred to blacks as "Negroes" and it was acceptable back then. It is not to my mind really offensive, just kind of archaic and what the older generation grew up with as the accepted term for someone whose origin was Eastern Asia.

Here's the tighter version of what I already said:

"Oriental" doesn't equal "Asian."
"Oriental" equals "what Europeans call Asian."

Truth hurts. Now get educated you ignorant AAs.
Name yourself, or let [epithet] do it for you. Your choice.

Here's the tighter version of what I already said:

"Oriental" doesn't equal "Asian."
"Oriental" equals "what Europeans call Asian."

Truth hurts. Now get educated you ignorant AAs.
Name yourself, or let haoles do it for you. Your choice.

Etymology of the words "Oriental" and "Asian"
oriens- L.- East
orientis, orientalis- of or relating to the east
Asia- our continent (western term)
Asian- of or relating to Asia

To all the "Asian Purists":
You're using a western language (English). Duh! Of course a western language would describe our folk in a western way. Whether you use "Asian" or "Oriental", you're still referring to yourself with a "western" word.
It's pointless. It's like "Hispanic" vs. "Latino". Neither side's ever going to win.
I prefer the term Yellow (or Golden) when referring to the "East Asian" cohort.
It's more accurate, unlike the ambiguous "Asian" which can refer to Arabs, Russians, whatever.

I personally never realized that there was anything un-PC about the term Oriental, but I think like everything, its use has to be taken with context. I cant count the number of times my roommate and I have had an exchange sounding something like that. "Grrr, why do you have to be so black all the time?" or "You're such an Asian!" which, as many random visitors have told us, doesnt really look to good. But for the two of us, who have known each other for nearly four years, and were both had VERY sheltered middle class upbringings, its become a part of our quirky friendship, and doesnt really hit a nerve about the racism which, for the most part, we managed to largely ignore all our lives. Do either of us get offended, or mean any offense? No. Is it horribly politically incorrect? Hell yeah. Okay, long digression, but my point is, for many people like the two of us, racism wasnt much more than an intellectual idea, punctuated with the occassional heckling idiots we learned to quickly write off. For reason of isolation from other races or just plain ignorance, we were never aware of or confronted with any real prejudice in our lives, and we never developed the insight to notice it in its more subtle forms, so some words just dont hold the same importance to us. That said, of course there is a line at which ignorance cannot and does not justify insensitivity, but just keep in mind that, especially in a lot of "borderline" terms, we shouldnt rush to be angry if there's no malice behind the words.
Just my 2 1/2 cents.

WORDS HAVE POWER

The term oriental in and of itself has absolutely nothing wrong with it. The only problem is the racists who use it to demeen people. I like the term oriental because it porports to any Asian who fits the model of Chinese/Japanese/Korean without allowing implication to Arabs and other people living in the boundaries of the Asian continent.

"ASIAN" and "ORIENTAL" automatically imply people of FAR EAST ASIA in the minds of many but, "ORIENTAL" is very specific.

I don't think there is anything at all wrong with it but, even if it was, it isn't like that word is going away. That word is here to stay and only by fighting it will people continue to use it for insult.

when you have a name you don't like to be called by a race. both terms are offensive and both were thought up by the white man. so there is no difference