Here's an artice from usenet about it:DeeJayH said:my information comes from a friend who is Victoria's Secret SE Asia buyer-agent.
ironically she is color blind, go figure. And she went to school for poli-sci
and i dont think Asians call their part of the world the Orient. i belive that was the 'evil whitemans' english term for that area
By Alan Hu
Usenet Posting, circa 1993
OK, so a long time ago, people in Europe used to refer to everything to the east of them as the Orient, including for example the Middle East, since orient means "east". So far, so good. This mysterious area was the source of all sorts of wonderful things like silk and spices, so the Europeans attached also sorts of exotic, mysterious connotations to the Orient. As Europeans gained a better concept of world geography, they eventually used "the Orient" and "Oriental" to refer to East and Southeast Asia, where people look "Oriental" in our current usage.
Anyway, that usage of "Oriental" has survived a long time, and it still frequently carries all of the exotic/foreign/inscrutable/mysterious connotations. These connotations happen to coincide with many of the stereotypes held of Asian Americans. Furthermore, by definition, the word "Oriental" is Eurocentric, referring to things east of Europe. For these reasons, some Asian American activist types decided that "Oriental" was a Bad Word, and that "Asian" was more accurate, less Eurocentric, and less loaded with strange connotations. No big deal, right?
Well, a lot of people didn't want to change their language usage. Some people grew up using "Oriental" and saw nothing wrong with the word. Others came from other parts of the world, where hip-activist-American-English-linguistic-evolution hadn't hit. Still others never encountered anyone aware of Asian American politics, so had never heard of this word usage change. Some people were exploiting the exotic mysticism connotations and resisted change. (Very early on, you would see articles about business and trade in Asia, whereas the travel articles would talk about visiting the Exotic Mysterious Orient.) Finally, some people were convinced that this was a typical case of left-wing-politically-correct-thought-police-mind-control (which it was) and decided in typical right-wing-politically-correct-knee-jerk-response that the word usage change was intrinsically evil and had to be resisted at all costs.
For a while, therefore, you could identify a person as being an American who was aware of and sympathetic to Asian American politics by his/her word choice. Now, however, many exploitation-types have realized that saying "Asian" instead of "Oriental" is the cool thing to do, without changing any of their stereotypes and misconceptions. (You can force a person to change his/her behavior, but you can't force a change in thought.)
The upshot is to use whatever word you feel most comfortable with, or that makes your listeners most comfortable, but don't be surprised if someone takes offense. And in the time you save by not worrying about word-usage, try to make the world a better place.
Mod NoteLucidthots said:You are a racist bigot.
Lucidthots said:You are a racist bigot.
Old and wise said:There is no such thing as an African American or Chinese American or Italian American. If you live in this country, you are an American.
I imigrated from Germany 56 years ago and I am not a German American, I AM AN AMERICAN. These people that need to call themselves anything else ought to go back to the countries they came from, period.
Old and wise said:There is no such thing as an African American or Chinese American or Italian American. If you live in this country, you are an American.
I imigrated from Germany 56 years ago and I am not a German American, I AM AN AMERICAN. These people that need to call themselves anything else ought to go back to the countries they came from, period.
AlbqOwl said:I am coming to this thread late, but I just wanted to give a qualified AMEN to this post. I don't have any problem with with African-American, et al, as a culturally interesting ethnic identification for those who immigrated from Africa. I do have problems with it as a definition of citizenship or status or qualifications for those who were never citizens of Africa.
Years ago I helped teach citizenship classes to people who had legally immigrated to this country. They were African, Mexican, South American, Chinese, Japanese, or lots of other kinds of '-ese', Europeans, and Australians. They had to master sufficient English to read common instructions/signs/warnings etc., to complete a final oral or written exam, be able to explain the citizenship oath that they also were required to give in English, and they had to have at least a rudimentary basic understanding of American law, American justice, and American history.
In the six years I taught these classes, I never had anybody quit. To a man or woman they each wanted to be American with all the good that implied. When they stood before the judge and received their instructions, were sworn in and pledged allegiance to the flag (in English), they were not African-American, Chinese-American, Italian-American, or anything other than Americans. And I can almost guarantee they have all been great Americans at that.=
I don't think it is too much to ask of those who want to move here to be Americans, learn English, pledge allegiance to the flag, and assimilate into the American culture. Those who don't wish to do this have a country of origin or someplace else to go. And I hope they take with them all who were blessed to be born Americans and don't appreciate it the way those wonderful immigrants appreciate it.
Oldandwise is the kind of American we want here. The rest should defnitely go, and they won't be missed.
AFRIMERICAN said:I LOVE TO SEE THE WHITE SUPREMIST, NAZI-ISTIC MACHINE AT WORK, HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT, BECAUSE THE MINDSETS OF IT ARE HUNDREDS OF YEARS OLD TO WHERE THEY RELY ON SUCH, WITHOUT DOUBT OR CONCERN OF THE FALSEHOOD BEING DENIED, OR EXPOSED AS LIES. THE LIES HAVE BECOME TRUTH.
I SAY THAT BECAUSE OF THIS POST TITLE, "AFRICAN-AMERICAN"..., THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THIS SITE/FORUM WERE OVERWHELMED WITH THE OVER 13,000 VIEWS, AND THE OVER 800 RESPONSES TO MY THREAD ABOUT "AFRIMERICAN", AND THUS THEY COMPLETELY CHANGED THE FIGURES,MAKING THE FIGURES MUCH, MUCH LESS(GOOD THING I PRINTED A COPY SHOWING THOSE NUMBERS BEFORE THEY DID), AND THEY REINITIATED AN OLD AND POINTLESS DEBATE THAT IS DEAD, BUT ONE THEY RELY ON TO DISRACT FROM THE REALITIES OF FALSEHOODS AS MENTIONED.
ONE MORE TIME...
AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN IS A PERSON BORN IN AFRICA, THAT IMMIGRATES TO THE UNITED STATES AND BECOMES AN AMERICAN CITIZEN THROUGH THE IMMIGRATION NATURALIZATION PROCESS, THAT IS FACT, THAT IS LAW.
FURTHERMORE, ALL THE TERMS GIVEN/FORCED ON AFRIMERICANS UNTIL THEY AND OTHERS ACCEPTED THEM, LIKE COLORED, OR NEGRO, OR AFRO-AMERICAN, AND EVEN BLACK, ARE ALL DEFINED BY LAW IN THE UNITED STATES AS A PERSON BORN IN, OR NATIVE (BORN) TO AFRICA, THUS THEY DO NOT ACCURATELY, OR LEGALLY DEFINE, OR DESCRIBE A NEGROID PERSON BORN IN AND NATIVE TO AMERICA. AFRIMERICAN DOES
THE AFRIMERICAN WORD AND DEFINITION IS THE ONLY TERM THAT DEFINES AND DESCRIBES NEGROID PEOPLE BORN IN AMERICA AS AMERICAN BORN.
WELL, THERE ARE THOSE THAT SAY, WE ARE ALL AMERICANS, OR WHY NOT BE CALLED AMERICAN, OR...., AND THE ANSWER TO THAT IS, THE UNWRIITEN DEFINITON OF "AMERICAN" HAS ALWAYS BEEN/MEANT WHITE. THIS WAS MOST FIRMLY ESTABLISHED WHEN BENJAMIN BANNEKER, AN AFRIMERICAN, DESIGNED AND SUPERVISED THE BUILDING OF THE WHITE HOUSE,(YES, THE ONE STILL STANDING TODAY), THE NUMBER ONE COMPLAINT WAS ABOUT HIM BEING AFRIMERICAN, AND HIM BEING SUPERVISORLY INVOLVED IN SUCH, THEY (WHITES) ARGUED IT WOULD DILUTE WHITE AUTHORITY, AND INCITE OTHER AFRIMERICANS TO WANT TO BE MORE INVOLVED IN GOVERNMENT ACTIONS AND CONCERNS, AND TO QUELL THE POLITICAL AND PUBLIC DISSENSION ON THE MATTER , CONGRESS MET IN CLOSED SESSION AND DECIDED TO NAME THE WHITE HOUSE THE WHITE HOUSE TO ELIMINATE ANY DOUBT WHO AND WHAT IT, AND THIS COUNTRY WAS FOR.
ADDITIONALLY, PER AFRIMERICAN CITIZENSHIP, THE NATURALIZATION ACT OF JULY 14, 1870, PROVISION B., "Extended the naturalization laws to aliens of African nativity and to persons of African descent. Last Modified 06/09/2003. , THAT LAW IS STILL IN EFFECT RIGHT NOW, AND IS VOTED ON EVERY YEAR BY CONGRESS TO KEEP IT SO, AND WHAT IT MEANS IS, ALL NEGROID PERSONS IN AMERICA OF AFRICAN DESCENT, ARE LEGALLY CLASSIFIED AS IMMIGRANTS, NOT FULL AMERICAN CITIZENS PER NATIVE BIRTH AS ARE WHITES, AND FOR ANYONE TO SAY WE SHOULD BE HAPPY WITH THAT, AND FOR AFRIMERICANS TO SULLENLY ACCEPT SUCH A STSTUS IS INSANE, BECAUSE THAT LAW AND THAT DESIGNATION MAKES US JUST A LITTLE MORE THAN SLAVES.
ON AN ACADEMIC, AND SOCIAL LEVEL, WE CAN CALL OR BE CALLED ANYTHING, BUT ON A LEGAL LEVEL, AFRIMERICANS HAVE NEVER HAD A LEGAL TERM THAT DEFINED THEM AS AMERICAN BORN UNTIL THE CREATION OF THE AFRIMERICAN WORD AND DEFINITION, AND WHITES ARE DEATHLY AFRAID OF IT, AND IT'S OVER ALL RAMIFICATIONS BECAUSE, ONE, IT EXPOSES THE OVER 130 YEAR OLD LAWS THAT HAVE BEEN USED TO LIMIT AFRIMERICANS IN ALL STRATA OF AMERICAN SOCIETY, WITH SUCH LAWS NO MORE THAN A CAREFULLY WORDED EXTENSION OF THE CENTURIES OLD "BLACK/SLAVE CODES", NOW FEDERALLY SANCTIONED AND PROTECTED, AND ENFORCED OR ENFORCABLE.
FOR ALL THE AFRIMERICANS READING THIS, TAKE HEED, I AM YOU, AND HAVE NO REASON TO LIE, AND HAVE NO AGENDA, EXCEPT TO ENLIGHTEN AFRIMERICANS TO THE TRUTH ABOUT MATTERS THAT EFFECT OUR VERY EXISTENCE.
I'VE WRITTEN ON THIS SUBJECT NUMEROUSLY, AND IN ALL I'VE WRITTEN, NOT ONE PERSON HAS SAID I WAS LYING, WHY? BECAUSE I'M NOT, ALL WRIITEN HEREIN, AND HERETOBEFORE IS TRUE.
AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN IS A PERSON BORN IN AFRICA....,
AN AFRIMERICAN IS A PERSON BORN IN AMERICA.
AFRIMERICANLY YOURS
AFRIMERICAN said:AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN IS A PERSON BORN IN AFRICA....,
AN AFRIMERICAN IS A PERSON BORN IN AMERICA.
AFRIMERICANLY YOURS
What the devil are you talking about? Let's see, there's this thread which has a total of 29 responses. Including one response I personally made to you that you didn't respond to. Hmm.AFRIMERICAN said:I LOVE TO SEE THE WHITE SUPREMIST, NAZI-ISTIC MACHINE AT WORK, HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT, BECAUSE THE MINDSETS OF IT ARE HUNDREDS OF YEARS OLD TO WHERE THEY RELY ON SUCH, WITHOUT DOUBT OR CONCERN OF THE FALSEHOOD BEING DENIED, OR EXPOSED AS LIES. THE LIES HAVE BECOME TRUTH.
I SAY THAT BECAUSE OF THIS POST TITLE, "AFRICAN-AMERICAN"..., THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THIS SITE/FORUM WERE OVERWHELMED WITH THE OVER 13,000 VIEWS, AND THE OVER 800 RESPONSES TO MY THREAD ABOUT "AFRIMERICAN", AND THUS THEY COMPLETELY CHANGED THE FIGURES,MAKING THE FIGURES MUCH, MUCH LESS(GOOD THING I PRINTED A COPY SHOWING THOSE NUMBERS BEFORE THEY DID), AND THEY REINITIATED AN OLD AND POINTLESS DEBATE THAT IS DEAD, BUT ONE THEY RELY ON TO DISRACT FROM THE REALITIES OF FALSEHOODS AS MENTIONED.
AFRIMERICAN said:Who are you to dictate to me who or what I am? By what authority do you claim such, in fact if it was so simple, and of such little significance why is the C.I.A., F.B.I., and other legalentities bugging my computer and my phone to where I actually have to ask them to open a line so I can make a call.
You do not have any idea of the magnitude of this matter, and if you are not going to be part of the solution, if you do not have all the facts to support any statement you might want to make, you're the enemy, and if you're Afrimerican, you prove the point, an historical point that whites rely on, which is many afrifrimericans have beenconditioned, like Pavlovs dogs to fight for a rule or a system that's not even to their best interest. Which are you?
Like Micheal Jackson, no amount of money, no amount of make-up, no amount of surgery, keeps whites from calling and treating him like a nigga.
wake up.
Old and wise said:There is no such thing as an African American or Chinese American or Italian American. If you live in this country, you are an American.
I imigrated from Germany 56 years ago and I am not a German American, I AM AN AMERICAN. These people that need to call themselves anything else ought to go back to the countries they came from, period.
AFRIMERICAN said:Who are you to dictate to me who or what I am? By what authority do you claim such, in fact if it was so simple, and of such little significance why is the C.I.A., F.B.I., and other legalentities bugging my computer and my phone to where I actually have to ask them to open a line so I can make a call.
You do not have any idea of the magnitude of this matter, and if you are not going to be part of the solution, if you do not have all the facts to support any statement you might want to make, you're the enemy, and if you're Afrimerican, you prove the point, an historical point that whites rely on, which is many afrifrimericans have beenconditioned, like Pavlovs dogs to fight for a rule or a system that's not even to their best interest. Which are you?
Like Micheal Jackson, no amount of money, no amount of make-up, no amount of surgery, keeps whites from calling and treating him like a nigga.
wake up.
AFRIMERICAN said:Yes I am SPECIAL.
t125eagle said:i think everyone is special...lol.
thanks for mikeey.
afrimerican, how do u know they are tapping your phone, etc? i'm not trying to be a smart alick, i'm curious.
Inuyasha said:Me too because if there is truth to this it is better to be forewarned.
Ha, the NSA has already defeated the tin-foil hat fool. To keep safe today you have to buy one of my platinum protecto-hats. They're functional AND stylish. Only $30000. Order today!They can't monitor us if we wear our tinfoil hats
OdgenTugbyGlub said:Ha, the NSA has already defeated the tin-foil hat fool. To keep safe today you have to buy one of my platinum protecto-hats. They're functional AND stylish. Only $30000. Order today!
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