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Originally Posted by debaser
And just to clarify, I am also annoyed by people who think oriental is a derogatory term, it is not.
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Originally Posted by willravel
["Oriental"] wasn't derogatory back in the 60s and 70s, but it can be now. Asian is the politically correct term when using it as a noun. When used as a noun (i.e. There's an oriental in my class), it is disrespectful. When it's used as an adjective, I believe it's okay.
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"Oriental" is dated and normally reserved for Eurocentric references. Academic circles associate "Orientalism" with the European colonial attitude toward specific Asian nations. This is why it can be offensive in certain areas of the world.
This may be related to why "Eskimo" has been replaced with "Inuit" for many of the peoples who were labelled with the former term. "Eskimo" assumed a pejorative value over time. "Indian" vs. "Native" vs. "First Nation" is another example. So is "East Indian" vs. "Southeast Asian," "Negro" vs. "Black." There are many more examples, and they have varying degrees of offensiveness.
All of these changes in our language are examples of how we deal with racism. Language shifts to ensure that we apply appropriate references to groups that we address. This is not sugar-coating; language is powerful. They are not just words; they are meanings rich with signifiers more complex than many may realize.
[Note: I would argue that "Oriental" is nearly as dated and pejorative as "Negro." I wouldn't any sooner say "there is an Oriental in my class" than I would "there's a Negro in my class."]