Should YOU buy this Brit-bashing T-shirt?

[Andy9o8 0]

BUY THIS T-SHIRT!

[Andy9o8 0]

The enemies of freedom are out front. Can you let this happen? Vote!

[Skyrad 0]

Shite T shirt what weirdo would wear that?

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[CornishChris 5]

I'm not sure wht you would buy it. What point are you trying to make? There was a headline in the paper the other day: "Man found 8 days after earthquake hits China" - would that make a good T-Shirt?

I prefer "Fat kids are harder to kidnap"

CJP

Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

[Andy9o8 0]

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What point are you trying to make?

It's inside baseball. You're obviously not one of the cool kids.

(psst - note sent via your DZ.com e-mail)

[icevideot 0]

This poll needs a third option. I really don't understand it or get the joke or point to it.

That isn't condemning of the shirt but I wouldn't get an oriental word tattoo for the same reason.

"... this ain't a Nerf world."

[downwardspiral 0]

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This poll needs a third option. I really don't understand it or get the joke or point to it.

That isn't condemning of the shirt but I wouldn't get an oriental word tattoo for the same reason.

because it's ignorant?

btw it's not oriental. Orientals are rugs. WE prefer to be called asians if you must choose one word to describe us all.

www.FourWheelerHB.com

[Steel 0]

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This poll needs a third option. I really don't understand it or get the joke or point to it.

That isn't condemning of the shirt but I wouldn't get an oriental word tattoo for the same reason.

because it's ignorant?

btw it's not oriental. Orientals are rugs. WE prefer to be called asians if you must choose one word to describe us all.

This is one of my pet peeve. You see, I could say the same thing about "Spanish". I could claim that "Spanish" should be used to describe music, sausage, cheese, wine, etc. Then I could turn around and say I prefer European. But the fact is that European includes, French, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, etc... I could just as well demand that you use the term Spaniard. But, the bottom line is that because I am comfortable in who I am, I won't try to hide behind a more general group.

Calling people from the Orient "Asian" makes no sense to me at all. The majority of Asian countries are not in the Orient and the people in most Asian countries do not look like the people that come to mind when somebody describes an "Oriental". To name just a few examples, Russia, India, Armenia, Banladesh, Afganistan, Butan, Iran, etc...

If there is another term that specifically describes people from the Orient (without encompassing billions of other people), I will have no problem using that term.

For this reason, I get the feeling that this is more about people feeling inadequate about themselves, which is a pitty.

If I could make a wish, I think I'd pass.
Can't think of anything I need
No cigarettes, no sleep, no light, no sound.
Nothing to eat, no books to read.

[downwardspiral 0]

I demand nothing. You can call us what you want. I'm just letting people know what we prefer. It's your choice if you don't give a shit.

www.FourWheelerHB.com

[Steel 0]

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I demand nothing. You can call us what you want. I'm just letting people know what we prefer. It's your choice if you don't give a shit.

Well, I can't call you 'Asian" for reasons already described, unless we can all choose our names.

While we are choosing how we prefer to be addressed, I would like to choose a specific term just to be fair. In my group, I want to include Spanish, Samoans and Jewish people.

I know that those of you who know me might think I am Catholic and may wonder what the hell Spaniards, Sumoans and Jews have in common?

Aha, but by tagging all these people together we can all claim to be 'God's chosen people'. After all, people from Russia, Iran and Taiwan don't have a whole lot in common either, but you can call them all "Asian".

So just for political correctness, and only if you choose to adhere ofcourse, Please feel free to refer to us as "Gods chosen people", from now on.

Thanks,

If I could make a wish, I think I'd pass.
Can't think of anything I need
No cigarettes, no sleep, no light, no sound.
Nothing to eat, no books to read.

[SpeedRacer 1]

We could just call everyone "Hey, ASSHOLE!"

I mean, that would accurately cover everyone in Speakers Corner anyway.

Speed Racer
--------------------------------------------------

[nerdgirl 0]

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This is one of my pet peeve. You see, I could say the same thing about "Spanish". I could claim that "Spanish" should be used to describe music, sausage, cheese, wine, etc. Then I could turn around and say I prefer European.

By that analogy, wouldn’t Asian be the parallel to European?

And Occidental the parallel to Oriental?

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Calling people from the Orient "Asian" makes no sense to me at all. The majority of Asian countries are not in the Orient and the people in most Asian countries do not look like the people that come to mind when somebody describes an "Oriental". To name just a few examples, Russia, India, Armenia, Banladesh, Afganistan, Butan, Iran, etc...

What countries do you consider to be part of the Orient?

The Orient is/was historically any & all places east of Roman Christendom from the Middle East (including the Levant) through southern Russia along the Silk Road (including Persia & Afghanistan) north to Manchuria and south through the Phillipines. The British colonials referred to India as part of the Orient.

That ambiguity is part of why it’s not a particularly useful term other than as a historic artifact or mild invective.

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If there is another term that specifically describes people from the Orient (without encompassing billions of other people), I will have no problem using that term.

Depends on what Oriental means to you:
Eurasian? (One can argue that’s the most historically accurate.)
Asian?
East Asian?
South Asian?
Southeast Asian? (I was once chastised by a retired Indian General for inadvertently referring to India as part of Southeast Asia.)

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For this reason, I get the feeling that this is more about people feeling inadequate about themselves, which is a pitty.

To some extent, that is because of the historical usage of the word was to denigrate those east of the historical Roman Christendom.

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[downwardspiral 0]

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For this reason, I get the feeling that this is more about people feeling inadequate about themselves, which is a pitty.

To some extent, that is because of the historical usage of the word was to denigrate those east of the historical Roman Christendom.

VR/Marg

No no no Marg. Steel is right. We prefer one word over the other because we feel inadequate as a people. I will now go forth and spread word among my people that we must allow the use of the word oriental. Now excuse me I have 1.5 billion people to reach. Thank buddha for the internet.

www.FourWheelerHB.com

[Andy9o8 0]

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What countries do you consider to be part of the Orient?

It's the ones where all the Orientals live.
Duh.

American racial semantics have always driven me nuts. "African-American" is preferred by most black people in the US nowadays - as a racial categorization. But of course, an American whose recent ancestry is Egyptian, Libyan or Moroccan, and culture is Arab, wouldn't be called African-American. Neither would a 4th-generation Caucasian native of South Africa who immigrated to the US (much less his children).

Then again, I do agree that as a matter of courtesy, you should call a group of people by the label they prefer. I'm an American. That's what I call myself, and that's what I want to be called. All citizens of the US are commonly called (and call themselves) Americans. Now I know that, technically, citizens of Canada, Panama and Peru are also "Americans". But if someone from Canada or Venezuela tells me I shouldn't claim the label "American" for my nationality because they're Americans, too (this has happened to me more than once), I tell them to talk to the hand.

I guess people can call themselves whatever they want. It's like the scene from "The Right Stuff" where the Time Magazine exec tells Gus Grissom, "OK, fine; you can be Gus."

[DangerRoo 0]

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We could just call everyone "Hey, ASSHOLE!"

I mean, that would accurately cover everyone in Speakers Corner anyway.

LOL ... I'll take a shirt please, can I have mine printed on the back

(I.C.D#2 VP)
""I'm good with my purple penis straw" ~sky mama

[Para_Frog 1]

Dude, your profile pic looks a little like Carlos Santana, so I shall call you Carlosian.

- Harvey, BASE 1232
TAN-I, IAD-I, S&TA

BLiNC Magazine Team Member

[downwardspiral 0]

lol I am often mistaken to be Mexican.

www.FourWheelerHB.com

[happythoughts 0]

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What countries do you consider to be part of the Orient?

It's the ones where all the Orientals live.
Duh.

American racial semantics have always driven me nuts. "African-American" is preferred by most black people in the US nowadays - as a racial categorization. But of course, an American whose recent ancestry is Egyptian, Libyan or Moroccan, and culture is Arab, wouldn't be called African-American. Neither would a 4th-generation Caucasian native of South Africa who immigrated to the US (much less his children).

Interestingly enough, the people who I know in Kenya do not refer to "African-Americans" as African because they grew up in the European (American) culture.

And, white South Africans are criticized for listing themselves as African-American on the racial division forms, even though they just came from Africa.

I have always wanted to travel in Latin America, but, alas, I know very little Latin.


To thread-drift back, my buddy used to have an excellent t-shirt with a pic of Princess Di on it.
The title said, "Skydive with a Brit. 120mph without the impact."

I know... "Awww.... don't make jokes about Di..."

[Andy9o8 0]

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my buddy used to have an excellent t-shirt with a pic of Princess Di on it.
The title said, "Skydive with a Brit. 120mph without the impact."

Absolutely tasteless.
Here's another one:

What did Princess Grace have that Natalie Wood could have used?

> A good stroke.

[Steel 0]

I had been meaning to respond, but everytime I got going my manager came around with a new task. Anyway a short response is this. I don't have time to google it but this is my interpretation of what the the Orient really covers. Southeast Asia. There is no denying that the people who live in this area have a different shape to their eyes, which is easily spotted.

If anybody ever told me that India was in Southeast Asia, I would asssume they never looked at a map of Asia or that they didn't know their North, South, East or West. That is typical but not exclusive to Americans. Anyhow, if somebody wants to say they are from Southeast Asia instead of Oriental, that is fine with me. But saying Asian just sound stupid to me. For that matter you may as well just say I am a person and don't want to be identified with and group or region, which to me would suggest feeling inadequate about yourself. But you can all make of that what you wish.

If I could make a wish, I think I'd pass.
Can't think of anything I need
No cigarettes, no sleep, no light, no sound.
Nothing to eat, no books to read.

[Lindsey 0]

It's kind of a stupid shirt to spend your money on. But I guess you should be free to spend your money any ol' way you choose.

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[Andy9o8 0]

See how silly and arbitrary these definitions are? Racial labels are confused with geographic ones, and vice versa.

Of course an Arab from Cairo and a white 4th-generation from Pretoria are Africans. Ah, but they and their children can't be "African-Americans"; only black Africans' descendants can be called that.

To me, the Orient is not simply a geographic label, it's also a racial/cultural one. I'd say it encompasses all of East Asia in which people who are racially "Oriental" predominate. Japan and Korea and all of China are part of the Orient, even though largely outside "Southeast" Asia. Eastern (Asian) Russia is not part of the Orient, even though parts of it are farther East than China, at at the same latitudes as northern Japan and China.

The real irony: I submit that when the words "black people" and "Oriental people" are spoken, everyone really does know, unequivocally, what the hell that means.

[Andy9o8 0]

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It's kind of a stupid shirt to spend your money on. But I guess you should be free to spend your money any ol' way you choose.

Then you missed the tongue-in-cheek joke that was the whole basis for the OP.

[downwardspiral 0]

Seriously...if anyone gets confused who you are referring to when you say asian then they truly are dense.

It really cracks me up that it's normally those with fairer skin that try to debate this. Especially when it's not debatable because asian is a PREFERENCE over oriental which just happens to be historically insulting thanks to.... who? Yep that's right. Fairer skinned people.

www.FourWheelerHB.com

[Andy9o8 0]

That "Zooom!" over your head is not your DZ's jump plane.