This is why you shouldn't call me "oriental."
Latest on fanficrants was:
Hikaru Sulu is not "oriental."
MAN, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT STOPPING ME FROM STEPPING INTO THIS ONE.
My response to someone who asked for education on this matter (which, of course, was very good of them to do):
It's offensive for a number of different reasons, to different people, but I'll tell you why *I* think it's offensive.
It's a word full of prejudice. When western peoples were first learning about and discovering Asia, they called it the "Orient," used to describe a land from the east that were full of slanty-eyed, small-nosed people that they considered an "underdeveloped" and "lesser" people. The true, original meaning of "Occidental," the opposite of "Oriental," is a "higher, significant Western power." Therefore, defining people of the Orient a lower, less significant Eastern populous.
When I hear "Oriental," it conjures up these definitions of the Orient being a historically looked-down upon place that was viewed with several negative connotations. It carries an air of disregard, a word created out of negative origins. Most offensive slurs are based in this kind of hate or disdain, and I liken "Oriental" to a slur.
Also, it's just an antiquated, out-dated term. This is my opinion; several other people in the Asian community feel this way. It's a loaded term. That's my two cents.
So, childrens, please don't ever, ever refer to me as "oriental."
Just the word makes my spine crawl.
*cue 'The More You Knooooooow'*
Hikaru Sulu is not "oriental."
MAN, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT STOPPING ME FROM STEPPING INTO THIS ONE.
My response to someone who asked for education on this matter (which, of course, was very good of them to do):
It's offensive for a number of different reasons, to different people, but I'll tell you why *I* think it's offensive.
It's a word full of prejudice. When western peoples were first learning about and discovering Asia, they called it the "Orient," used to describe a land from the east that were full of slanty-eyed, small-nosed people that they considered an "underdeveloped" and "lesser" people. The true, original meaning of "Occidental," the opposite of "Oriental," is a "higher, significant Western power." Therefore, defining people of the Orient a lower, less significant Eastern populous.
When I hear "Oriental," it conjures up these definitions of the Orient being a historically looked-down upon place that was viewed with several negative connotations. It carries an air of disregard, a word created out of negative origins. Most offensive slurs are based in this kind of hate or disdain, and I liken "Oriental" to a slur.
Also, it's just an antiquated, out-dated term. This is my opinion; several other people in the Asian community feel this way. It's a loaded term. That's my two cents.
So, childrens, please don't ever, ever refer to me as "oriental."
Just the word makes my spine crawl.
*cue 'The More You Knooooooow'*