Some tidbits from Yao's book....

You're 100% correct there, though I still here some american use "oriental" sometimes.

 

But why is it that the chineese people do not want to be called Yellow, or oriental?I'm really interested. Because black people do not mind being called black(mostly), and white people do not mind being called white(mostly). And it is not like it is better to be black, so it is degrading to be called yellow or White.
if somebody doesn't want to be called Something (like you said, that you are not fond of being called Yellow) you do not say that to that person. that is logical.
but in my opinion something is racist if, the person uses a word because he feels it is a degrading word for a group of people.(do you understand what i'm saying?).
i do not think Mobley's remark was racistical.
p.s. What is a political correct term for people who look like asian people?

 

most people do not know what the political correct term is for people who look like they are from asia.
Neither do i

 

the term "oriental" is used for things like "oriental" rugs and is a term coined by anglos that conveys a sense of "mysticism" and "unknown".

"yellow" while not an offensive color is a degrading term. unlike, white and black, the color "yellow" is associated with something else. That something else is "yellow = coward." The colors white and black are not associated with some negative character trait. Besides....some asians have "whiter" skin tone then caucasians. haha.

So...call us "Asians" b/c we are from the continent of Asia. Not from the "oriental continent" or the "yellow continent"

 

Basically, you call people like that "Asian". I'll give you a more detailed response to your post, but I have to duck out for a bit.

 

i always call people from asia asian. So i did it politically correct.
I understand that part about yellow being associated with a coward.

i do feel that alot of people are offended way to quick.(i do not mean you, just alot of people in general). And the term racist is used to much.

 

Gatorfan, how much is the book? I'm thinking about buying it too.

 

sigh...

thank you people, before this, i didn't even know there are so many bad ways to decribe my people. now, i'm going to be very sensitive.

 

Exactly, I didn't know "Oriental" was derogatory until someone told me so...

 

Why Oriental is derogatory? What is the histroy behind it?

Usage Note: Asian is now strongly preferred in place of Oriental for persons native to Asia or descended from an Asian people. The usual objection to Orientalmeaning ¡°eastern¡±is that it identifies Asian countries and peoples in terms of their location relative to Europe. However, this objection is not generally made of other Eurocentric terms such as Near and Middle Eastern. The real problem with Oriental is more likely its connotations stemming from an earlier era when Europeans viewed the regions east of the Mediterranean as exotic lands full of romance and intrigue, the home of despotic empires and inscrutable customs. At the least these associations can give Oriental a dated feel, and as a noun in contemporary contexts (as in the first Oriental to be elected from the district) it is now widely taken to be offensive. However, Oriental should not be thought of as an ethnic slur to be avoided in all situations. As with Asiatic, its use other than as an ethnonym, in phrases such as Oriental cuisine or Oriental medicine, is not usually considered objectionable

 

Didn't even know that there was an autobio out on Yao. Sounds like a great read. Thanks for the highlights guys. Definitely will order one.

 

I agree with you brasss.

I am black and I don't feel bad or offended when some other person of another race decribe me as black (or should be offended?). Anyway, I have never used the "y" or "o" to describe people of south east asian (and the surrounding areas) descent. I have subconciously felt that it is inappropriate to use those terms.

Now back to center, thanks Gatorfan76 for sharing these tidbits with us. Based on what you have read so far, has this book made you feel differently about Yao the man? If so how?

 

arno_ed

Is there a triple standard between calling Caucasions, "White" African Americans, "Black" and Asians, "Yellow"? Definitely. Very few Caucasions would be offended if you call them "White" but there are some African Americans that don't like being called "Black" especially by "White" people. I don't make the rules. I just know that in my experience, very few Asian Americans would accept being called a "Yellow" person. I'm sure things are different in Asia where the racial makeup is completely different, but in America we use political correctness as a response to the racial problems we had in the past.

Can being PC go overboard and end up holding people back from fully interacting with people of other races? No doubt. And is dancing around the situation with PC terminology, make for awkward conversations and is ultimately counter-productive in the fact that it emphasizes the differences between people instead of promoting the idea of equality? You bet. But this is the way the world works these days. And while I think it's impossible to cater to the feelings of every person in the world. I think it should be imperative to at least cater to the feelings of large groups of people. At least if you have any concern for social harmony.

And don't worry about offending me arno_ed. We're cool. Us guys with underscores in our screen names need to stick together.

 

Are you trying to stir up a rivalry between the guys with an underscore in their screen names and those without one? It's not a good way to promote social harmony on this board if you ask me.

 

From now on, I'd appreciate it if everyone referred to me as being Texan-American. Thanks.

 

Not Oriental.
The offending words are China man and Yellow man.

 

hey gator, i just ordered it too at amazon and i got something else too (logitech pc camera for you nosy people) so yeah i got free shipping too. I got a question though, how long did it take for it to ship for you? You used fedex free saver shipping too right?

 

Sorry, dude, but A&M got there first with 'political correctness'. They insist on being called Agro-Americans.

 

to be honest i'm from china and i don't really care what ppl call me, asian, yellow, or oriental, whatever, just as long as they called it in a respectful way. In fact, it all depends on the context. even asian could be offensive sometimes for example if someone uses it to stereotype ppl from asia(short? dumb?). and the same goes for black and white, they could be offensive too if they are used in a disrespectful way. But i won't call you a racist if you point out my english sucks