You mean it was never used in a derogatory manner?
Well, neither has "Oriental". One day it was just like some white people in California were a little too sensitive PC wise and said "ooh... I think 'Oriental' is an un-pc term because it is Euro-centric!" and they told their Chinese friends at UC Berkeley, and the Chinese friends said, "yeah, you're right!" and a trend was started... just sayin'...
Yes, I do mean in a derogatory manner. Good thing that pejorative and derogatory are synonymous :P
Look, I don't have a problem with the term oriental, but some people do, precisely because it is Eurocentric. I was just pointing that out. I'm not into getting into arguments are anything over it :P
Blame it on Columbus - the idiot thought he found India, so he named Native Americans 'Indians'. Do you wonder why they don't like being called 'Indians'?
"Oriental" is a name given by white men to describe Chinese and other people. What is so hard to understand that people would like to be referred to by names of their own choosing, and not by the names given them by European colonizers?
It has nothing to do with 'political correctness', it has to do with respect. Understand, honky?
What a load of BS. So I have to be offended when I travel in China and the locals refer to me as a 'long nose' and not a name of my own choosing, i.e.English? If that's how the Chinese choose to refer to me then that's just fine.
'Asia' is more geographically correct. It is the name of a continent. 'The Orient' is like saying 'Never Never Land' -- you can't say where the boundaries are. It is also, as others have pointed out, a term relative to Europe.
And I like to call Caucasians 'caca-san'.
Call me cracker for all I care. I'm "caucasian" and while I know it's supposed to be derogatory, it really doesn't bother me.
Asia really isn't a continent either. Last I remember, Asia was generally considered to be the part of the continent that is east of the Ural mountain range, the European part to the west of same. It's been a long time since I've taken geography, but at least I don't think the magnetic poles have switched yet.
Wow, people are still using the word oriental to describe Asians? This must be the time warp addition of Appleinsider or the writers need to get out and meet more people. What next? Using the word "colored"?
Man, you know it. When I was over in Iraq, some British bastard called me a "Continental"! Man, I almost put a bullet through his head for that! What an insult!
*NOTE FOR THE DIM WITTED* Yes, I'm being facetious.
Chill out guys. Though I don't use use Oriental in that fashion, I don't see any reason that anyone should take offense to it. It's like calling Americans 'Continentals'. Who cares?
I am glad for the original correction though, as I hadn't been aware of that particular grammatical rule before. Very interesting to think about.
If you look for hate you'll find it. If you look for discrimination, you'll find it. If you look for intollerance, you'll find it. Have you checked the mirror yet?
Some Asian people don't like to be called oriental. Just like black people don't like to be called colored.
Both nouns have a historically derogative context.
Some don't care that much. Some African Americans don't like being called Black either. Colored is correct but too general. Asians are colored too...or more PC "people of color". Hence Asians-Americans can join the NAACP...a mostly African-American organization.
Call people what they want to be called. Oriental and Colored are both archaic terms from a bygone era. Some folks might use them in a derogatory manner but for the most part I choose to believe that folks use them innocently.
Vinea
PS I hadn't been to the NAACP site in a while but they seem to have stripped out the more generic people of color pictures (I vaguely remember those on the membership pages) and its just black folks now. I guess they are concentrating more on their core constituency. Shame that but hey, whatever. Its never been a secret which community they serve and after the debacle of the 90s getting back to the core roots was a good idea.
Oriental originally means "to rise" as in "where the sun rises" (aka East). This means the same as the Chinese word for Japan, and I'm sure the Japanese refer to themselves as the land of the rising sun?
Oh yes, according to the Wikipedia article, the idea that the term is derogatory seems to be an issue for North America, not an issue in many other parts of the world.
So sucks to you prejudiced gits with an American-centric view putting forward your imperialist views onto us!
Actually, the word Japan comes from the Chinese Jya-pen, which means land of the dwarfs, if I recall correctly. The Japanese word, Nihon means source of the sun.
This picture only represents the view of the upper half of Ballmer squirting kids.
BTW, funny someone with the name BALLmer coining the phrase "squirt"
too funny.
Supposedly, he didn't coin it, the last discussion we had on it, someone said that it was something like a HAM radio phrase. It was probably not a good choice to use it in that context though.
Supposedly, he didn't coin it, the last discussion we had on it, someone said that it was something like a HAM radio phrase. It was probably not a good choice to use it in that context though.
Well he certainly coined it to represent a feature of a Zune....
Well he certainly coined it to represent a feature of a Zune....
It pretty much meant the same thing in both contexts, transmitting data over wireless links, so I don't think it is coining a phrase. It's more like borrowing at best, it's not inventing one.
I think it is fascinating how this thread/forum changed from MS/Zune to Political Correctness.
White people are not white, black people are not black. Almost any term you choose is illogical and will be perceived as insulting by someone.
I don't think we need to hurt one another but I also don't think we need to be so bloody sensitive about every darn thing. If you are not upsetting anyone with anything you say you are perhaps not saying very much.
Comments
Historically, "Westerner" has never been used pejoratively.
Does that mean it was never lied about in a court of law?
You mean it was never used in a derogatory manner?
Well, neither has "Oriental". One day it was just like some white people in California were a little too sensitive PC wise and said "ooh... I think 'Oriental' is an un-pc term because it is Euro-centric!" and they told their Chinese friends at UC Berkeley, and the Chinese friends said, "yeah, you're right!" and a trend was started... just sayin'...
Yes, I do mean in a derogatory manner. Good thing that pejorative and derogatory are synonymous :P
Look, I don't have a problem with the term oriental, but some people do, precisely because it is Eurocentric. I was just pointing that out. I'm not into getting into arguments are anything over it :P
Does that mean it was never lied about in a court of law?
You're thinking of "perjury." Pejorative is an entirely different term.
Blame it on Columbus - the idiot thought he found India, so he named Native Americans 'Indians'. Do you wonder why they don't like being called 'Indians'?
"Oriental" is a name given by white men to describe Chinese and other people. What is so hard to understand that people would like to be referred to by names of their own choosing, and not by the names given them by European colonizers?
It has nothing to do with 'political correctness', it has to do with respect. Understand, honky?
What a load of BS. So I have to be offended when I travel in China and the locals refer to me as a 'long nose' and not a name of my own choosing, i.e.English? If that's how the Chinese choose to refer to me then that's just fine.
'Asia' is more geographically correct. It is the name of a continent. 'The Orient' is like saying 'Never Never Land' -- you can't say where the boundaries are. It is also, as others have pointed out, a term relative to Europe.
And I like to call Caucasians 'caca-san'.
Call me cracker for all I care. I'm "caucasian" and while I know it's supposed to be derogatory, it really doesn't bother me.
Asia really isn't a continent either. Last I remember, Asia was generally considered to be the part of the continent that is east of the Ural mountain range, the European part to the west of same. It's been a long time since I've taken geography, but at least I don't think the magnetic poles have switched yet.
Because a country like, say the United States, has a finite area. There's clearly an East Coast and a West Coast.
The globe, as you may have heard, is round. China isn't on the "Eastern" part of the world, it's to the east of Europe.
And yes, I'm well aware that China calls itself the Middle Country.
It's also to the west of Europe. Just depends on which way you travel to get there.
Wow, people are still using the word oriental to describe Asians? This must be the time warp addition of Appleinsider or the writers need to get out and meet more people. What next? Using the word "colored"?
Man, you know it. When I was over in Iraq, some British bastard called me a "Continental"! Man, I almost put a bullet through his head for that! What an insult!
*NOTE FOR THE DIM WITTED* Yes, I'm being facetious.
Chill out guys. Though I don't use use Oriental in that fashion, I don't see any reason that anyone should take offense to it. It's like calling Americans 'Continentals'. Who cares?
I am glad for the original correction though, as I hadn't been aware of that particular grammatical rule before. Very interesting to think about.
If you look for hate you'll find it. If you look for discrimination, you'll find it. If you look for intollerance, you'll find it. Have you checked the mirror yet?
Some Asian people don't like to be called oriental. Just like black people don't like to be called colored.
Both nouns have a historically derogative context.
Some don't care that much. Some African Americans don't like being called Black either. Colored is correct but too general. Asians are colored too...or more PC "people of color". Hence Asians-Americans can join the NAACP...a mostly African-American organization.
Call people what they want to be called. Oriental and Colored are both archaic terms from a bygone era. Some folks might use them in a derogatory manner but for the most part I choose to believe that folks use them innocently.
Vinea
PS I hadn't been to the NAACP site in a while but they seem to have stripped out the more generic people of color pictures (I vaguely remember those on the membership pages) and its just black folks now. I guess they are concentrating more on their core constituency. Shame that but hey, whatever. Its never been a secret which community they serve and after the debacle of the 90s getting back to the core roots was a good idea.
Oriental originally means "to rise" as in "where the sun rises" (aka East). This means the same as the Chinese word for Japan, and I'm sure the Japanese refer to themselves as the land of the rising sun?
Oh yes, according to the Wikipedia article, the idea that the term is derogatory seems to be an issue for North America, not an issue in many other parts of the world.
So sucks to you prejudiced gits with an American-centric view putting forward your imperialist views onto us!
Actually, the word Japan comes from the Chinese Jya-pen, which means land of the dwarfs, if I recall correctly. The Japanese word, Nihon means source of the sun.
Can you believe he said "squirt" ???? When I think of squirt, i think of diarrhea.
This site says it best: http://www.microsoftshitbrick.com
No, that site is just low.
This picture only represents the view of the upper half of Ballmer squirting kids.
BTW, funny someone with the name BALLmer coining the phrase "squirt"
too funny.
This picture only represents the view of the upper half of Ballmer squirting kids.
BTW, funny someone with the name BALLmer coining the phrase "squirt"
too funny.
Supposedly, he didn't coin it, the last discussion we had on it, someone said that it was something like a HAM radio phrase. It was probably not a good choice to use it in that context though.
Supposedly, he didn't coin it, the last discussion we had on it, someone said that it was something like a HAM radio phrase. It was probably not a good choice to use it in that context though.
Well he certainly coined it to represent a feature of a Zune....
Well he certainly coined it to represent a feature of a Zune....
It pretty much meant the same thing in both contexts, transmitting data over wireless links, so I don't think it is coining a phrase. It's more like borrowing at best, it's not inventing one.
Okay... POST THE BEST CAPTION FOR THIS REDICULOUS PICTURE!!!
-------------------------------
" I am Steve Ballmer, and I approve this message."
OR
Hamina, HamINA, HAMINA! POW! Right in the kiiser!
White people are not white, black people are not black. Almost any term you choose is illogical and will be perceived as insulting by someone.
I don't think we need to hurt one another but I also don't think we need to be so bloody sensitive about every darn thing. If you are not upsetting anyone with anything you say you are perhaps not saying very much.
Is it me or does Ballmer look like the former Tyco executive who now is spending his days in the pokey? Separated at birth maybe?
I think he looks more like uncle Fester.