White Cat Bar, Bangkok, is open

[forrestreid]

Regarding the comment of @mauRICE on the reference to a customer of the bar as “Oriental”, I will submit to his wisdom that is now regarded as rather “not cool” to use it. Personally I would have said that, although rather old-fashioned these days, it wasn’t necessarily an offensive term.

However, given your location in Kuala Lumpur, I presume you have your finger on the pulse amongst the people about whom the term is used.

However, I think you’re wrong to suggest it is purely an equivalent of "Asian". I think the term "Oriental" when describing a person is more understood to mean an East Asian person, as opposed to an Arab or Indian. So by saying Oriental rather than Asian, Vinapu was giving somewhat richer contextual information.

Usage on this is depends on where you are from - in the UK Asian tends to mean somebody from the south Asian subcontinent whereas in America an Asian almost exclusively means East Asian.

In England you might hear somebody saying “there used to be a Chinese restaurant there, but it closed and they opened an Asian restaurant in its place” which would sound weird to a North American, but would be understood in England to mean an Indian restaurant replaced a Chinese.

[Keithambrose]

7 minutes ago, forrestreid said:

Regarding the comment of @mauRICE on the reference to a customer of the bar as “Oriental”, I will submit to his wisdom that is now regarded as rather “not cool” to use it. Personally I would have said that, although rather old-fashioned these days, it wasn’t necessarily an offensive term.

However, given your location in Kuala Lumpur, I presume you have your finger on the pulse amongst the people about whom the term is used.

However, I think you’re wrong to suggest it is purely an equivalent of "Asian". I think the term "Oriental" when describing a person is more understood to mean an East Asian person, as opposed to an Arab or Indian. So by saying Oriental rather than Asian, Vinapu was giving somewhat richer contextual information.

Usage on this is depends on where you are from - in the UK Asian tends to mean somebody from the south Asian subcontinent whereas in America an Asian almost exclusively means East Asian.

In England you might hear somebody saying “there used to be a Chinese restaurant there, but it closed and they opened an Asian restaurant in its place” which would sound weird to a North American, but would be understood in England to mean an Indian restaurant replaced a Chinese.

In UK, in my experience, on the escort sites, etc, 'South Asian' is used to denote someone from India. Asian can cover South East Asia, and China. Japan is usually separate 

[floridarob]

Words shift depending on country, culture, and language. In Mexico you’ll hear “chino,” “hindú,” and “gringo” used pretty casually. You’ll even see places called “Oriental City.”

Aren't languages fun 🙂

[mauRICE]

6 hours ago, forrestreid said:

Regarding the comment of @mauRICE on the reference to a customer of the bar as “Oriental”, I will submit to his wisdom that is now regarded as rather “not cool” to use it. Personally I would have said that, although rather old-fashioned these days, it wasn’t necessarily an offensive term...

However, I think you’re wrong to suggest it is purely an equivalent of "Asian". 

Where did I say or suggest it to be "purely an equivalent of Asian"?

The term has been used on me and I found it very offensive.

[mauRICE]

Instead of rambling on where or how the term "Oriental" may be used denotatively, try looking up its connotative meanings which are generally considered offensive, dated and derogatory when applied to people. It carries strong colonial undertones, reducing diverse cultures to a stereotyped, exotic or othered image.

The term is linked to historical discrimination, "yellow peril" stereotypes and Western colonial attitudes that viewed Asia as other or inferior and reduces diverse populations to a monolithic, exoticised or foreign image, often disregarding individual identities. Not surprisingly, I've often seen this blinkered lens applied to the diverse Thai peoples in this and other fora.

I suggest anyone who's interested in this topic read Edward Said's seminal tome, Orientalism.

[Ian here]

I was born in England. Asian there generaly refers to people from Pakistan and Countries around that area.

If someone was to say or refer to an Oriental gentleman they would be talking about China or around that area.

Australia, Asians are Chinese or people around that area.

The evening meal in England was called Tea and the meal during the day was called dinner.

Australia, midday is lunch and evening meal is dinner.

Can you imagine trying to learn English as your 2nd language?🫣😁

 

[mauRICE]

52 minutes ago, Ian here said:

Can you imagine trying to learn English as your 2nd language?🫣😁

 

Oh I dunno...Olddaddy seems to have had a fair go at it, as the Aussies would say. 🤣😂