P.C question

[Samcanuck]

When I was a youngin', the term used for those that come from countries like China, Japan, Korea, Cambodia, etc - was Oriental. It seems that our culture (western culture) uses the term Asian and neglects to use the term oriental at present. Why is this, and what changed? They are both still politically correct, right?

Don't really understand why, though I have heard the question asked before. What do you think?

 

[direkiller]

we are lazy and oriental takes too long to say

its the same reason Caucasian has fallen out of style for the term White

 

[Nickolai77]

I don't think Oriental or Asian are any more or less PC than eachother, i can only think it might be that Asian is less of a mouthful than Oriental, and hence people use the simpiler word "asian". This is dispite the fact that Asian is quite an vague term- does it refer to Middle Easterner's, Russians, Indians, Chinese or Japanese?

 

[Samcanuck]

we are lazy and oriental takes too long to say

its the same reason Caucasian has fallen out of style for the term White

I disagree, the term caucasion is used in the media, politics and education systems. I even use caucasian, as do some of my friends. I get what you are saying, but this is more a deflection of my question than an answer.

 

[Icecoldcynic]

I don't think Oriental or Asian are any more or less PC than eachother, i can only think it might be that Asian is less of a mouthful than Oriental, and hence people use the simpiler word "asian". This is dispite the fact that Asian is quite an vague term- does it refer to Middle Easterner's, Russians, Indians, Chinese or Japanese?

Russians are russian.

And the problem I have with saying asian is I always feel I have to specify whether I mean oriental asian, or... The other kind of asian? Not meaning to sound offensive there but I don't know how to phrase it.

 

[Last Bullet]

I thought I had heard that "Oriental" was offensive/not PC, so they just went to Asian. Maybe I just lived in a sensitive area, who knows. That was a few years ago, so I guess it's possible.

 

[Samcanuck]

I don't think Oriental or Asian are any more or less PC than eachother, i can only think it might be that Asian is less of a mouthful than Oriental, and hence people use the simpiler word "asian". This is dispite the fact that Asian is quite an vague term- does it refer to Middle Easterner's, Russians, Indians, Chinese or Japanese?

Russians are russian.

And the problem I have with saying asian is I always feel I have to specify whether I mean oriental asian, or... The other kind of asian? Not meaning to sound offensive there but I don't know how to phrase it.

No no, I understand. That is another reason for my question, since it is rather vague, being that other parts of the world that incorporate Asia are termed by there distinct region. So wtf? Oriental is semi-vague, more specific and use to be the P.C term used.

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

I use whatever term is shortest that doesn't cause significant amount of offense. Black, white, Asian instead of African-American, Caucasian and Oriental. I don't use a shorter word if it is offensive though (example- I would not substitute Asian for "*****", even though that is shorter to say, because it is horribly offensive).