asian or oriental?

[AlHayatZween 2]

If speaking Arabic makes you an Arab, then speaking Aramaic must make you an Arama.

in the movie, he only spoke Aramaic.[/font][/color]

Was this a documentary with actual film footage, or was he being played by an actor?

Which do you think?

i was trying to be facetious.

wait... what was the original topic again?

Edited July 1, 2009 by AlHayatZween

[caybee 21]

People from my mom's generation tend to use "oriental" (she's had to relearn differently lately) and nothing derogatory is meant by it as the original meaning is simply "eastern." But I agree that it has taken on a derogatory meaning over time. She had a Korean roommate in college that she just reconnected with after 50 years (a Korean friend here was visiting home and managed to track her down for my mom, which I think is amazing). But my mom will sometimes guess that someone is Korean when they are not. She recently greeted a restaurant server in Korean, and the woman responded, "I'm not Korean! I'm Japanese!" But they still went on to have a nice conversation. I told my mom that someone from my generation wouldn't have gotten away with that, as these days many people don't like to be seen first as an ethnicity, especially by someone who is not of that ethnicity, but I'm sure the server realized her intentions were good.

When my husband uses the term "oriental," he means eastern, specifically Middle Eastern, and he usually uses it in connection with music, as opposed to an occidental or Western style of music. In its true sense, it's just a relative term, but because it's taken on a derogatory connotation, I don't use it at all except in the context that my husband does, and then only when I'm talking with someone who's likely to know what I mean.

ETA: And my husband's first language is Arabic, but he is not an Arab.

Edited July 1, 2009 by caybee

[Niels Bohr 72]

Just be forewarned. The Cambodians hate the Thais. And, the Thais hate the Cambodians. Same with Vietnamese. You call a Cambodian or Thai or Vietnamese wrong....oh man will you get it....

This is one thing that I'd like to change in Cambodia. The new generation will forget the wars that happened. I'd like to see these poor countries get along.

[Kevin and 10]

Don't call Vietnamese a Hmong either. You're better off asking before you insult them.

[Immigrant2009 0]

Well there was a time long long ago in Brasil where pretty much we said there was black, white and yellow, as the 3 races in the world. And then of course the Portuguese mixed themselves with the slaves and the native indians and then the germans went to the south and the japanese and chinese went to Sao Paulo and the central plains and they also mixed themselves in, and then the mixed ones mixed themselves some more.

And then people started saying we had white, off-white, coffee and milk, milk chocolate, bonbon chocolate, toffee, cream, and all other colors of the food spectrum.

[BishopMnA 0]

A white kid I went to college with told me Jews ain't white. Neither are Italians.

And Jesus was. hmm curious.

Jesus must have been Irish..... cause he lived in his parents house til he was 30

Ya...but Jesus had a really cool Mom who was cool to hang with...and besides...he was always working with his Pops in the family carpentry business...not just sleeping til noon and playing nintendo in the basement 24x7 like today's losers...

Peace,

MarkNAAm

[mawilson 2,133]

Don't call Vietnamese a Hmong either. You're better off asking before you insult them.

I can't call anyone a Hmong, because I can't pronounce it.

[Ban Hammer 13,344]

Don't call Vietnamese a Hmong either. You're better off asking before you insult them.

I can't call anyone a Hmong, because I can't pronounce it.

we'll mark you down as not well hmong.

[Amby 490]

Don't call Vietnamese a Hmong either. You're better off asking before you insult them.

I can't call anyone a Hmong, because I can't pronounce it.

we'll mark you down as not well hmong.

charles are you sure you were in virginia last week?

[Ban Hammer 13,344]

Don't call Vietnamese a Hmong either. You're better off asking before you insult them.

I can't call anyone a Hmong, because I can't pronounce it.

we'll mark you down as not well hmong.

charles are you sure you were in virginia last week?

and the week before that and the week before that.......

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

He works for the gubmint, Virginia is just his cover story.

[Ban Hammer 13,344]

He works for the gubmint, Virginia is just his cover story.

really, i was bootlegging timbits into the country.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

He works for the gubmint, Virginia is just his cover story.

really, i was bootlegging timbits into the country.

[mawilson 2,133]

What are these bits of tim you are all talking about?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

What are these bits of tim you are all talking about?

You don't know Tim? Charles takes clay moldings of his bits and smuggles them into the US. Apparently, there's a huge underground gay community in Kansas, demand is high.