# Which is more politically correct - "Asian" or "Oriental"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 2, 2005, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-politically-correct-asian-or-oriental/333827 "2005-12-02T22:49:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![dexter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dc4da7/32.png) [@dexter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dexter)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-politically-correct-asian-or-oriental/333827/121 "2013-02-20T23:46:42Z")
I think New York City dwellers perfected the solution to this quandary long ago. Just don’t speak. To anyone. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![RWonder777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@RWonder777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RWonder777)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-politically-correct-asian-or-oriental/333827/122 "2015-07-01T00:04:15Z")
I was asked by a co-worker what was I. I simply replied American. She asked me again and I again replied American. she then asked what ethnicity I was and I told her. I then asked what she was and she gave me a look and did not speak to me the rest of the day. Why would she be upset or offended when I am asking her the same question? She was white (German/Irish ethnicity). Did she consider herself more American than I was? ---
**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:** [July 1, 2015, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-politically-correct-asian-or-oriental/333827/123 "2015-07-01T00:06:07Z")
Where are _you_ _ **from** _? — [Where are you From? - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crAv5ttax2I) ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-politically-correct-asian-or-oriental/333827/124 "2015-07-01T13:17:53Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > The last time I heard anyone use the term “Asiatic,” it was by the Moorish Science Temple and the Nation of Islam in reference to African-Americans. 😕 That’s how I’m used to hearing the term. According the the 5% Nation of Gods and Earths (an even kookier offshoot of the NOI, but i ain’t mad at em); > [@](#): > > According to the 120 Lessons, the Original Man is “the Asiatic Blackman, the founder, the cream of the Planet Earth, the father of Civilization.” > > The term “Asiatic” comes from ancient Egypt, and was used to refer to Egypt’s neighbors to the east — what we now refer to as the Middle East or Western Asia and home to Arab, Turkish, Persian, Jewish, or other Near Eastern people. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-politically-correct-asian-or-oriental/333827/125 "2015-07-01T14:49:26Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Where are _you_ _ **from** _? — [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crAv5ttax2I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crAv5ttax2I) 😃 Sometimes when I finally answer Asian (if I don’t feel like saying I’m from Pakistan because I’m feeling snarky), I sometimes get a strange look. Every once in a while someone will say “That’s not Asian”, to which I’ll respond which continent is South Asia on? ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-politically-correct-asian-or-oriental/333827/126 "2015-07-01T15:05:00Z")
You can use the term ‘oriental’ to talk about rugs, or lamps, or pussy fetishes. I think it would be strange to be offended by its use in any of those contexts. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-politically-correct-asian-or-oriental/333827/127 "2015-07-01T23:46:12Z")
Are zombies persons or objects? Is OK if I describe Chinese undead to be Oriental zombies? ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-politically-correct-asian-or-oriental/333827/128 "2015-07-02T00:08:16Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > Is OK if I describe Chinese undead to be Oriental zombies? Of course not. Zombie is a totally occidentocentric term. You should use “jiangshi” if my 2 second google search is right. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-politically-correct-asian-or-oriental/333827/129 "2015-07-02T02:17:07Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > You can use the term ‘oriental’ to talk about … pussy fetishes. Like a [Burmese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese_cat#/media/File:Blissandlucky11.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-politically-correct-asian-or-oriental/333827/130 "2015-07-02T02:48:39Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Of course not. Zombie is a totally occidentocentric term. You should use “jiangshi” if my 2 second google search is right. I’ve more commonly seen this term (and the Japanese equivalent, _kyonshi_) translated as “vampire”, but to the best of my (limited) knowledge their appearance and behavior is closer to what modern English speakers think of as a zombie. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-politically-correct-asian-or-oriental/333827/131 "2015-07-02T08:07:25Z")
I found a cache of old computer game magazines in PDF format online a while ago which I’ve been browsing through occasionally. I’ve just read one published as a mainstream magazine in the United Kingdom in 1986, its review of Kung-Fu Master is eye-opening in its casual racism, referring to the main character as ‘our slanty-eyed hero’ etc It was a bit taken aback to be honest, they’d never get away with stuff like that these days…which is a good thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-politically-correct-asian-or-oriental/333827.md?page=6)