Oriental an "offensive" term?

[2strokebloke]

I know that there's probably alot of asians who frequent this board who might be able to remark on this with at least some relevance...
Is the term "Oriental" actually offensive to people?
In describing my heritage it's more effective to say "Oriental" than to say Asian, or Middle Eastern, because when you say "Asian" people think chinese and when you say "middle east" people think arab.
But so far as I know there's no better word to describe people from eastern europe/asia minor/central asia.
But I'm told that "asians" (in North America this generally refers to east asians, and excludes the rest of the continent) find the term offensive.
So is it actually offensive, or is it just blowhards that like to find fault with everything that say it's offensive?

Because I'm thinking that if it's actually offensive I should use it alot more.

[xokayxo]

i read/heard somewhere that the term "oriental" refers to rugs and food. not people. people from eastern europe should be europeans, and people from asia should be asians. it just makes sense that way to me

[CivRacer95]

Oriuentlal sounds likke some kind of state of rataredation. Like you are bineg stupd of somrting. Like If i waere to say Josh was in an oreinteal state. It would be 15 Love Civracer!

[-Josh-]

Originally Posted by CivRacer95

Oriuentlal sounds likke some kind of state of rataredation. Like you are bineg stupd of somrting. Like If i waere to say Josh was in an oreinteal state. It would be 15 Love Civracer!

Hah, thinking of me even in the druken stupor...so sad... I win!

[fredjacksonsan]

The term "Oriental" came from several centuries ago, when people that are now Caucasian were referred to as "Occidental". The word Occidental has roots in early French and Latin and basically meant "to fall", and was a reference to the setting sun, or west. It only made sense that Orientals were from the Orient, or to the east. Remember that in these times, the Americas had not yet been discovered, and travel westward from Europe was considered impossible.

There should be no negative connotation to the word Oriental, but I've been told by some Asian friends that it is, in fact, somewhat insulting to be called Oriental.

[Gohan Ryu]

Originally Posted by xokayxo

i read/heard somewhere that the term "oriental" refers to rugs and food. not people.

When you use "oriental" as an adjective it describes an object such as a rug or food.

When "Oriental" is used as a noun (with a capital "O") to describe a person it is considered offensive by some.

Personally if someone were trying to insult me by calling me "Oriental" I'd laugh. Slope, gook, chink, jap...those are fighting words to me.

[2.2 Straight six]

in england i've never known anyone be offended by the trem "Oriental". i mean when i talk to people from places like China/Japan/Taiwan/Korea etc... none have been offended when i ask which Oriental country they are from. no one has said anything to indicate that i have offended them anyway.

[-Josh-]

They use the word Nip as an offensive term to, i really never thought of Oriental as an offensive word, but i'll keep that in mind so i dont get kicked in the face or somethin...


I think i just stereotyped^

[2.2 Straight six]

nip ? never heard that in england, people say "chink" here as a pretty offensive term, shortened from "chinese" (kinda) an people say it to anyone Oriental, but there are Orientals that would literally beat you up for being so racist, my mate who's chinese would jump up an spark (punch in face) someone for saying something like that, because it is pretty racist.

[eversio11]

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's offensive, but it definetly has a slight negative connotation to it moreso than just describing.

ie, being called 'white' as opposed to 'caucassion' (sp) has a slightly negative spin to it.

When I hear 'white' I think of nerdy white guys with pants up to their stomachs and big glasses.

When I hear 'oriental' I think of some old Asian person who's squinting really hard while they drive 30 in a 45.

[2.2 Straight six]

i say white to refer to people as myself (nope, no glasses an i have baggy pants/trousers) so that doesn't offend me, or anyone else i know thats "white" but i wouldn't say "chink" to any Oriental person.


i think of "Oriental" as any person from that area that comes to mind china/japan/korea etc..

[Marc-OS]

I know a few asian people that take offense to being called Oriental. Yet they can never tell me why they're offended by it.

[YogsVR4]

My wife is Chinese (born in Korea) and says "Oriental is a rug. I am not a rug."

She uses the term Asian but knows that only half of Asia looks Asian (yeah - make sense of that).

[2.2 Straight six]

well, i just asked my friend, who's japanese, if he takes offense to being called "Oriental" he said he didn't


i said: "do take offense to being called oriental" and he replied

him:"nope cos itz true"

those are his exact words.

[AlmostStock]

Is it offensive to say rice-a-roni is a San Francisco treat?