General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 'Political correctness' used to be known as 'good manners' [View all]MineralMan
(146,317 posts)"The orient" once meant everything from Asia eastward in common parlance. Oriental rugs from Persia, and so on. Asian means different thing to different people and different things to individuals, depending whether they're talking about an object or a person.
People still refer to oriental rugs as a generic term. Me? I refer to the region a rug came from, since I love handmade knotted rugs from wherever their origins are. Most people think "oriental art" is Chinese or Japanese, but historically it was more expansive than that.
I don't refer to people as Asian, generally. Instead I try to find out where they come from and refer to them based on that. If I can't, then I might use the word Asian to describe people who have an epicanthal fold, excepting Down Syndrome people. But, not when speaking to them. Instead, I'll ask about the term they prefer, based on their birthplace or family history. I've never found anyone unwilling to share that information. I have a lot of Hmong neighbors. That's what they prefer to be called. However, I also have neighbors of Vietnamese ancestry. So I ask. I have no wish to address someone in a way they don't prefer.