# Is their a word to describe Indian-Pakistani apperance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 15, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-their-a-word-to-describe-indian-pakistani-apperance/384344 "2006-12-15T22:29:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-their-a-word-to-describe-indian-pakistani-apperance/384344/21 "2006-12-17T04:52:33Z")
I have quite a few South Asian friends. This is the term I would use. All of these friends call themselves “brown”. When they hold parties, they sometimes refer to these as “brown jams”. When the South Asian and Afro-Carribean Student Societies back at university used to hold combined parties, they referred to these as “Black and Brown Jams”. ---
**Author:** ![Phrontist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Phrontist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phrontist)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-their-a-word-to-describe-indian-pakistani-apperance/384344/22 "2006-12-17T18:35:27Z")
[QUOTE=USCDiver] All of my friends of sub-continental origins call themselves ‘brown’. [/QUOTE] I went to school with a lot of kids from Trinidad, Guyana, Pakistan and India. Since there was no reliable way to tell who was from where, and sometimes (esp. Trinidad/Guyana) mix-ups where taken as rather offensive, they all referred to themselves simply as “brown” and we white folk went along with it. ---
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-their-a-word-to-describe-indian-pakistani-apperance/384344/23 "2006-12-17T18:58:04Z")
[QUOTE=Agnostic Pagan] And I’ve known people who used ABCD to describe themselves also, so its not always insulting, its sometimes accurate. [/QUOTE] Using ABCD to describe oneself can be ok. I think I’d bristle if someone _else_ called me that, though… ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-their-a-word-to-describe-indian-pakistani-apperance/384344/24 "2006-12-17T19:11:35Z")
[QUOTE=Dervorin] As someone who is from India, I find “desi” slightly uncomfortable, because of the slightly perjorative associations it has. It’s not entirely rational or easy to explain, but to me that word implies more than just origin - it has connotations of a fairly low social position, inclusiveness tending to xenophobia, a certain grasping attitude towards all things material, and a narrow-minded outlook on the world. Not a word I use to describe myself or anyone else. [/QUOTE] I don’t have a problem with desi and have often referred to myself as desi. I would HATE ABCD though, mostly because I’m not American-born. And certainly not confused. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-their-a-word-to-describe-indian-pakistani-apperance/384344/25 "2006-12-18T06:49:23Z")
> [@](#): > > **Sunspace** : For the native peoples of North America, I use “native”, “First Nations” (if speaking of their official political structure), or their tribal affiliation (Cree, Ojibwe, Anishnabek, etc). I do NOT use “Indian”. I have heard a Cherokee leader say that he prefers the description “American Indian.” When I first read your comment, I was unsure what you meant by “the native peoples of North America.” Then it became clear. I will be more than happy to accomodate First Nations tribes with whatever descriptive name that they prefer, but I am also a native American since I was born here. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-their-a-word-to-describe-indian-pakistani-apperance/384344/26 "2006-12-18T14:25:23Z")
[QUOTE=panamajack] Of note - there is an insulting term associated with it - ‘ABCD’ (American Born Confused Desi). I don’t know if this was invented or just popularized by the movie _American Desi_ [/QUOTE] Neither. The term has been common among ABCDs, FOBs, and honest-to-god desi desis at least since the mid-1980s. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingDragonFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@FlyingDragonFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingDragonFan)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-their-a-word-to-describe-indian-pakistani-apperance/384344/27 "2006-12-18T20:28:16Z")
[QUOTE=e-logic] For east asians it’s either “east asian” or “oriental”, although I think “oriental” is frowned upon in the USA? [/QUOTE] As a friend recently corrected me, “_Rugs_ are Oriental, _people_ are Asian.” ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-their-a-word-to-describe-indian-pakistani-apperance/384344/28 "2006-12-18T20:55:56Z")
[QUOTE=FlyingDragonFan] As a friend recently corrected me, “_Rugs_ are Oriental, _people_ are Asian.” [/QUOTE] Exactly, Oriental is used to describe _things_. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-their-a-word-to-describe-indian-pakistani-apperance/384344/29 "2006-12-18T21:29:33Z")
[QUOTE=Dervorin] As someone who is from India, I find “desi” slightly uncomfortable, because of the slightly perjorative associations it has. It’s not entirely rational or easy to explain, but to me that word implies more than just origin - it has connotations of a fairly low social position, inclusiveness tending to xenophobia, a certain grasping attitude towards all things material, and a narrow-minded outlook on the world. Not a word I use to describe myself or anyone else. [/QUOTE] So, kind of like calling somebody a WASP. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-their-a-word-to-describe-indian-pakistani-apperance/384344/30 "2006-12-18T22:12:59Z")
I don’t know anyone who refers to all (east) Asians as “Chinese”. I live in the western US, so folks from other parts of the country may have other habits. And my Japanese daughter in law would definitely not want to be called anything other than Japanese or American. There are many Asian - both East and South - in the west, so we may be a bit more tuned in than folks with very few Asians. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-their-a-word-to-describe-indian-pakistani-apperance/384344.md?page=1)