[Textide]

I was taught in a gradeschool History class that "Orientals" were the people from China, Japan, etc. and "Occidentals" were people not from these areas. Never understood how it was offensive to call Asians "Orientals".

Anyone know the origin of the offense?

[eno_]

Anyone know the origin of the offense?

Illiterate class war mongers in the U.S. get offended at anything they are too stupid to understand. Example: You may find this explanation niggardly, but a moron in an inner-city public school administration would make a federal case out of it.

[Tax Government]

Orientals vs. Asians...

I don't think you were actually ticketed by the language police, but that's because FR is not their home turf.

Language police arbitrarily proclaim some words to be insulting, and then stick a label on you ('insensitive', 'racist', etc.) when you continue to use them.

[doberville]

Thank you for raising this issue. No one has ever been able to explain to me why "oriental" is a pejorative term.

I've always assumed that this is just another in the series of PC New Think terms.

My Lord, Ford. . .

[boris]

"I was taught in a gradeschool History class that 'Orientals' were the people from China, Japan, etc. and 'Occidentals' were people not from these areas. Never understood how it was offensive to call Asians 'Orientals'."

I dunno. A few years ago I walked into a Bank of America branch. While waiting for a teller, I noticed that the entire staff was 'oriental'. I commented on this to the teller, who became insulted. "We have an asian staff, sir," she said, very angrily. That was the first time I noticed that "oriental" had become a pejorative.

--Boris

[ewing]

'Oriental' refers more to a style or descriptive thing, while 'Asian' is for people. (at least that is how my girlfriend says it is used now)