Guest guest Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009  We are different - but why is it that it is Great Britain that is in the wrong? Jo - fraggle Tuesday, January 20, 2009 7:58 PM Re: Re: New Member's Query *sigh* why is so hard to understand? we are different countries with different pasts, different cultures and different languages. american english is not the same as UK english, nor is either the same as Australian English. that all aside, Oriental has been shunted aside probably because it brings up old images and old ways of looking at the world, as was said earlier, a very eurocentric way of looking at the world. cultures are different, and cultures change over time. the only time i've ever seen the word "oriental" used as for a people, is either in foreign newspapers, or in my old history books.... granted, these are the same books that had just picked up on the "growing conflict in SE Asia"..ie: Vietnam. nothiung like going to skool with textbooks printed 30 yrs earlier..... "jo.heartwork" Jan 20, 2009 11:12 AM Re: Re: New Member's Query  as a p.s to the Oriental discussion - in the UK if you see a cafe with 'Asian' in the title you would be extremely surprised for it to turn out to be a Chinese restaurant (I don't think it would ever turn out to be a Chinese restaurant here) - you would be expecting an Indian (or similar area) restaurant. I find it intriguing that British people are being picked up on the use of the word Oriental as over the years some Americans have been less than kind about French people, and nearly always about Canadian people. I think that unless the intention of a word or phrase is nasty, there should be more understanding between people. Jo "Will we ever get to the point that we realize that we will be more secure when the rest of the world isn't living in poverty just so we can have nice running shoes?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 and I was under the impression that America welcomed immigrants ! Jo - cynthiaandtheothers Tuesday, January 20, 2009 8:31 PM Re: Re: New Member's Query HI- sometimes labels people throw on each other could be lethal. When my father's family fled the Armenian genocide in 1918, hundreds of thousands of Armenians were forbidden entry to the USA because Amurricains thought they were part of the "Yellow Plague" of people streaming in from China. Never mind that Armenians came from the Caucusus for god's sake. So the US CONGRESS solved the problem by passing a law making Armenians WHITE.Cyn Sent via BlackBerry by AT & T "jo.heartwork" Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:52:17 -0000Re: Re: New Member's Query It's not a slur here, so we shall continue to use it. It is no more a slur than calling someone English (shut up VV). To use the term Asian for everyone would cause confusion here. We still use the terms 'Far East' and 'Middle East' and can see no reason to change. I guess if people talk about other people in a nasty way then they will be hurt, but I cannot understand the American feeling on this. I hardly think we will be hearing of the Asian Express anytime soon. Jo - whitty__ Tuesday, January 20, 2009 3:13 PM Re: New Member's Query Just weighing in as another American (and we do weigh in pretty heavily on the bathroom scale, heh, heh), but calling someone an Oriental is indeed a bit of a slur. It's considered old-fashioned and ignorant, sort of like still using dated terms like Afro-American or Yid to describe racial groups--I use these only for illustrative purposes and mean no disrespect. I've only ever heard older Americans (read, 60+ age group) still use the term "Oriental" to refer to Asians and they only barely get a pass for it for being in the "old fogey" category. I'm guessing the sensitivity to this word has something to do with all of the wars we've fought in Asia (Korea, Vietnam, and WWII with the Japanese), so Americans are especially sensitive to correcting verbal irritants for our (now) Asian friends and neighbors. I suggest that the transition from "Oriental" to "Asian" was a transition from a politically charged term to a more geographic one (see below).As far as maps go, Asia is that enormous continent that includes both Russia and China in its boundary definition. In referring to specific geographic areas, the general consensus now is to use the term "Southwest Asia" or "Western Asia" to encompass the area that includes Saudi Arabia, Iraq, et cetera. The terms "Near East" or "Far East" are Eurocentric and are frowned upon to designate geographic or cultural areas. Interestingly, "Middle East" is also Eurocentric but journalists (and most of the world) still use this as a political term to define the region that is so high in political strife. Maybe one day if the political animosity cools down, this name will also fall out of use (like "Oriental") and be replaced by the more general and geographic "Western Asia" or something similar.Just my two cents.Whitty , "jo.heartwork" <jo.heartwork wrote:>> YOu can also have English muffins, French bread, Asian flu - none of them are insults. I thought people were Oriental because they come from the Orient, just like I am European because I come from Europe, or you are American etc. etc.> > Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 Hi Anouk It is definitely different to Great Britain. Jo - flower child Tuesday, January 20, 2009 9:04 PM Re: New Member's Query Hi Jo, Here in the US. Oriental is a thing. like an oriental rug or vase.Asian is a person, like Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese and Thailand.If someone were to call them oriental they would get offended. It hasn't been used since I was little in the 1970's and 80's and only the old folks used that term. Anouk , "jo.heartwork" <jo.heartwork wrote:>> Hi Peter /Fraggle> > I wondered that too?> > BB> Jo> > - > Peter > > Monday, January 19, 2009 9:28 AM> Re: Re: New Member's Query> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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