Oriental Vs. Asian

[Okamoto]

Does anybody have any preferences? I know the "Oriental" is things and "Asian" is people thing, but I have never had any issues with being called either and would never correct anybody.

The other day I was standing around the lunchroom and I heard the receptionist say, "Oh, yeah, he's the oriental guy who I think is in the lunchroom there." One of my coworkers yelled, "Don't call him 'Oriental', call him 'Asian'" ... Personally I prefer to be called by name or just "that guy" but if you HAVE to call me by a group name, I don't really care if it is "Oriental" or "Asian."

[JustAGal]

Oriental is a more disrespectful term that's loaded with negative connotation from colonialism. Oriental is also used to describe rugs, not people. I find that people who use the term "oriental" are usually less respectful towards asians and know less asian americans in general.

I've never been called oriental to my face but if I did, i would correct them.

[Okamoto]

Hmm. That probably does describe most of the people I work with. I find though that the people I know tend to respect me for who I am... not what I am. If the people who call American of Asian descent "Oriental" know less Americans of Asian descent, then it is possible they may now know of the negative connotation from colonialism. Heck, I don't even know the origin...

What is the origin of the negative connotation from colonialism?

[humpy]

apparently in the UK "oriental" means east asians and "asian" means south asians, so there's no true consensus on this without all the historical issues of how "asian" was appropriated by activists to encompass all asian ethnicities.


for my money, how's about like somebody said folks just start calling each other by their individual names?

[William Lee]

When white people use the term "oriental" in conversations with my, I simply sprinkle in the term "occidental" just to highlight how awkward and unnecessary it is to use the term "oriental."

[Jim]

Well, this is how I rationalize it: Oriental is analogous to the term Negro. As an Asian American you may or may not be offended by the word Oriental, but it is an outdated term and it reminds us of a time when things were not so good for Asians and other people of color.