# Is Oriental now an official slur? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 4, 2002, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oriental-now-an-official-slur/117318 "2002-07-04T04:44:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sivalensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Sivalensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sivalensis)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oriental-now-an-official-slur/117318/41 "2002-08-30T13:53:04Z")
Well, I grew up in the northeast, and Asian was definitely the word of choice. My grandmother still refers to Asian people as Oriental, and every time she says it, it kinda just makes me crings. The same as when she says Colored. She’s not horribly or overtly racist, it’s just that that was what you called people back then, it wasn’t necessarily derogatory, there just wasn’t another word for that ethnicity. Now, however, it has turned derogatory (at least where I grew up it has, since there seems to be some debate over that). I don’t know how it has, maybe just in response to the 60s when there was a lot of tension between the races and people wanted to draw a clear line to separate from the mindset then and now (not that I’m saying there’s no racism now, just that it’s a lot better). I wouldn’t say that Oriental is on a par with Ni\*\*er, at least not in the states, because that word has a hell of a lot of baggage attached to it. And yes, I still refer to rugs as Oriental 🙂 Just for definition’s sake, I’ve always thought of China, Japan, Korea, SE Asia and such to be Asian and India and Russia separate (Russia is I believe part of Europe and India is just it’s own entity). ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oriental-now-an-official-slur/117318/42 "2002-08-30T14:29:23Z")
So how long before people start taking offense at “Asian”? ---
**Author:** ![Tiburon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e36b37/32.png) [@Tiburon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tiburon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oriental-now-an-official-slur/117318/43 "2002-08-30T15:06:50Z")
I am 1/2 Korean, 1/2 French-German and I cringe when I am referred to as Oriental. It makes me think of some yokal saying, “Duh, Jack came back from dah Viet-NAM war with an Oriental gurl!” I wish I didn’t think that but it just sounds…disrespectful to me for some reason. I can’t pinpoint why. If someone asked me, “Hey, are you part Oriental?” honestly, I’d cringe and say, “No, I’m half Asian.” I would probably even be more specific and say, “No, I am half Korean.” Then there is always that stupid-ass who says, “Which half?” It makes me cringe. Tibs. ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Vampire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Space\_Vampire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Vampire)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oriental-now-an-official-slur/117318/44 "2002-08-30T17:45:36Z")
Is it a problem to say “Asian?” Does anybody take offense to it? I would guess not. There are, despite individuals’ anecdotes to the contrary, plenty of people who don’t like to be called Oriental. So don’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oriental-now-an-official-slur/117318/45 "2002-08-30T19:19:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sailor \* > \*\*\>\> I don’t think Congress ever actually passed an act worded as the Chinese and/or Oriental Exclusion Acts > [Chinese Exclusion Act of May 6, 1882](http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/aboutins/statistics/legishist/450.htm) \*\* here is some info on Angel Island and some of the crap that went on after the Exclusion Acts [http://www.sandiego-online.com/forums/chinese/htmls/angel.htm](http://www.sandiego-online.com/forums/chinese/htmls/angel.htm) [http://www.abetterdesign.com/LK-AHSTY.HTM](http://www.abetterdesign.com/LK-AHSTY.HTM) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oriental-now-an-official-slur/117318.md?page=2)