Do you consider the term 'Oriental' to be offensive when it's used to refer to people? I do consider it offensive but I'm not sure why, I don't know the history. I remember our art teacher in grade 9 told us our furniture and rugs are oriental, but our friends are Asian.

When did the term 'Oriental' as a reference to people become widely seen as a derogatory term?

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巧言令色, 鲜矣仁!

Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue. ---Confucius

For starters, I'm not asian.

I'm not offended by the term "oriental" as applied to a person, though I understand some people are, so I don't use that term that way. If for some reason I need to describe the race of an asian person, I will say "asian" or specific nationality if I know it.

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83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
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Can anybody define the word, "oriental"? Anybody?

It didn't used to be, but I'm not going to tell anyone what they can or can't be offended by. I do get annoyed that Asian somehow never means Indian, considering there are a billion of them and they have a whole subcontinent named after them. No, they just get 'dot' added on to 'Indian'.

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1984 300TD

Not Occidental?

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I'm sick of .sig files

That would be a fortuitous occident.

Orient means "East". Occident means "west". An Oriental refers to anyone who lived east of Rome so, Turks, Persians, Indians, Chinese, most Russians, etc. are "Orientals". Asians are natives of the continent of Asia.

"The star of the Orient" springs to mind from the Christian bible.

The 'polar' bears would like to object to the characterization.

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-Marty

1986 300E 220,000 miles+ transmission impossible
(Now waiting under a bridge in order to become one)

Reading your M103 duty cycle:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831799-post13.html
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831807-post14.html

I'm of Asian descent, but by all means I am an American first.




I don't find either term offensive. I've also heard "Oriental Furniture and Rugs, but Asian people."

I guess its similar to people not using "hispanic" anymore and using "Latino".

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91 350SD
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All I can say, is it's time for us Euro-Americans to take a stance.

I mean, come on - we're the only group left for whom it's acceptable to refer to by color. And Caucasian? Sorry, but I'm putting my foot down there, too. Sounds way too much like something that gets erect on a...hmmm.

Sorry, what's the correct term?

It helps discern between a South Asian and East Asian and SE Asian. South Asians are not Orientals although the ones from North East India and Nepal are by all means.

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before i answer the question above...

as an asian, i almost have to grit my teeth at your post above, but at the same time, empathize with why you wrote what you did. seems to me, asians for whatever reason, have to qualify our loyalty like your post above because of historic anti-asian sentiments here in the US. like the japanese americans during WWII who fought in the 442nd even though their families were put into concentration camps and still had in their minds to prove their loyalty to god, country and family. or most recently, wen ho lee, who was exonerated and received a very serious apology from a US federal judge on behalf of the united states govt. so what i'm trying to say is, if you feel the need to qualify your loyalty to this country or to people, dont. you know you are an american first as do i, and thus, if you feel you need to justify it, dont. its their problem, not yours. those people dont have to qualify their loyalty to you, do they?

ok, back to the question. i dont find it offensive, but like redassag00 said, its archaic. like when you hear an old white lady say "colored" people. its not as bad as saying chink, jap, etc, but its bordering on it.

Asian is a stupid term that seems to exclude Middle East (Arabia, Iraq, Iran, India, Pakistan Afghanistan, etc).

Some people seem to think it only means Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai, etc.

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

folks don't use hispanic anymore?

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Errrrrrr.....where does that leave the 1 billion Indians which include a moderate number of people with Oriental features as well, certainly not Middle East.

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99 Gurkha with OM616 IDI turbo

2015 Gurkha with OM616 DI turbo

2014 Rexton W with OM612 VGT