5 votes

The term ‘oriental’ is outdated, but is it racist?

10 comments

  1. [8]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [5]
      mrbig
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Thank you for the input. The reason I posted this 2016 article was that I found it odd that "oriental" was being considered racist (not saying it actually is or not, nor if it should be. But a...

      Thank you for the input. The reason I posted this 2016 article was that I found it odd that "oriental" was being considered racist (not saying it actually is or not, nor if it should be. But a character in the TV show The Boys was criticized for using the term, and this stroke me as odd).

      I'm not sure if the fact the author is a practitioner of acupuncture has any relevance here.

      Furthermore, the law is not something that I'm particularly concerned about, but the use. Since I'm not in America, I'd really like to know if the term "oriental" was ever a cause for concern over there.

      6 votes
      1. [2]
        burkaman
        Link Parent
        I would be very surprised to hear someone under the age of 70 use the word oriental in conversation or writing in the US. I would agree that it exoticizes an entire class of people, and implies...

        I would be very surprised to hear someone under the age of 70 use the word oriental in conversation or writing in the US. I would agree that it exoticizes an entire class of people, and implies their "race" is the most important thing about them, so I don't use it. If somebody wants to use it to describe themselves, that's probably fine, use whatever label you want.

        I don't think it is or ever was a malicious slur, but it's an unnecessary word with connotations of a time when, frankly, most people were racist. It is not really a cause for concern, though, it's simply never used. This article is the first time I've seen it discussed.

        7 votes
        1. mrbig
          Link Parent
          I understand. Your take on the issue is both reasonable and persuasive. Thank you.

          I understand. Your take on the issue is both reasonable and persuasive. Thank you.

          1 vote
      2. [2]
        calm_bomb
        Link Parent
        So what? Now it would be racist to be called a westerner?

        So what? Now it would be racist to be called a westerner?

        1. mrbig
          Link Parent
          I don't think that's a particularly strong argument. Descriptors can and have been used as tools for racist agendas.

          I don't think that's a particularly strong argument. Descriptors can and have been used as tools for racist agendas.

          2 votes
    2. [2]
      wundumguy
      Link Parent
      Just wanted to note: you criticize acupuncture as pseudoscience, yet dry needling is the same thing and is confirmed to have health benefits

      Just wanted to note: you criticize acupuncture as pseudoscience, yet dry needling is the same thing and is confirmed to have health benefits

      2 votes
      1. multubunu
        Link Parent
        Confirmed? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_needling

        dry needling is the same thing and is confirmed to have health benefits

        Confirmed?

        Dry needling, also known as myofascial trigger point dry needling,[1][2] is an alternative medicine technique similar to acupuncture. [...]

        The efficacy of dry needling as a treatment for muscle pain is still not ascertained and there remains no scientific consensus whether it is effective.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_needling

        7 votes
  2. [3]
    JXM
    Link
    As for whether or not it's racist, I don't know. I'm not qualified to answer that since I'm not Asian. It's one of those things where I think people outside of a group need to listen to what the...

    As for whether or not it's racist, I don't know. I'm not qualified to answer that since I'm not Asian. It's one of those things where I think people outside of a group need to listen to what the people inside say. The author is saying it is, but I don't think a sample size of one is good enough to represent a whole class of people.

    What I do know is that it's one of those words you hear someone say and it causes you to cringe a little bit inside. Like when an older person says "the Jews" or "the Blacks" with that certain tone.

    9 votes
    1. [2]
      Adys
      Link Parent
      It's always been super weird to me because in French the word "Oriental" is used as a very formal synonym to "Asian" or rather "Asiatic", the latter being rather impolite.

      It's always been super weird to me because in French the word "Oriental" is used as a very formal synonym to "Asian" or rather "Asiatic", the latter being rather impolite.

      3 votes
      1. vorotato
        Link Parent
        I don't know if that's weird, there's plenty of words whose meaning change quite a bit as they move across languages. One of my favorites being British quite, vs American quite having literally...

        I don't know if that's weird, there's plenty of words whose meaning change quite a bit as they move across languages. One of my favorites being British quite, vs American quite having literally opposite meanings and that's arguably the same language with different dialects.

        2 votes