What is wrong with describing someone as Asian?

[ProudAS]

It's what the person is and not being used in a derogatory manner. My colleague felt he had to whisper though when describing another colleague to me.

I fail to see how describing someone by their ethnicity is any different to describing them by their gender.

[curlew]

If you have already told me, I haven't understood. Try again?

[LimitedEditionLady]

You get your last word in now ok?go on itll make you feel better.

[LimitedEditionLady]

No i wont read it,your wasting my time.

[BeyondTheLimitsOfAcceptability]

I went to a CoW primary school. Books with witches were available to read, but I have never read Charlottes Web, as far as I know, the school didnt have it. Just thought I'd add that to the most random derailment of a thread I've ever seen

[LyraSilvertongue]

Curlew, no-one suggested that the Muslim parents were threatening to take their children out of school if they were made to read the work pig. The loony Christians were, which is why I think the teacher did the right thing, not because he appeased the religious extremism but because he didn't make those children suffer for their parents' extremism. Am I making myself clear?

[curlew]

And, as I have said, we have absolutely no idea what the Muslim parents at the school said or did. Our only witness was a child in th school at the time and presumable not privy to all communications between parent and teacher.

[LyraSilvertongue]

Hmm. I think we've said all we should say on the matter as no-one knows the full facts.
I have very little sympathy with religious extremism as you may have guessed, especially when people of different religions are fighting and killing each other because they worship the same god in different ways.

[LimitedEditionLady]

Yes it is random and pointless.whatever you say lyra he/she will still go and on about it.im off,tedium has taken over.

[LyraSilvertongue]

It was all getting a bit nit-picky and tedious. I'm mildly irritated by the "that didn't happen" but hey ho.

[LimitedEditionLady]

Yeah me too,apparently i dont know my own life.oh well people eh .

[wickeddevil]

Wow. Have read pages 1 and 14 and missed out the ones in between.

Need a new jaw dropping emoticon.

[LongTailedTit]

Same here wicked - totally lost!

[curlew]

Me too!

[DramaAtTheTurkeyCafe]

To me the obvious problem with "Asian" is that it means different things to different people. In American it means "broadly Chinese-looking," in the UK it means "broadly Indian-looking," so there could be misunderstandings. However, I wouldn't want to use "Indian" or "Chinese" either, unless I knew for sure that the person was that exact nationality. I genuinely don't know what's for the best here.

[PMmeHunny]

ZOMBIE!!!

[ghostyslovesheets]

Fuck me - have we not solved this query in THREE YEARS

aka B~I~G~O~L~D~Z~O~M~B~I~E

[Lacucuracha]

I would avoid using people's race as a descriptor.

How often do we say 'the white guy in Finance'? Rarely, I think.

We use other descriptors apart from colour, so why can't we do the same for people of other races?

[Lacucuracha]

I usually hate Zombies but this subject is still relevant so no harm.

[InsomniacAnonymous]

I thought MNHQ put the zombie warning back, so either they didn't or milf69 thought his/her comment was worth reviving a 5 year old thread for.

[Ceinwen2]

I was once accused of racism for saying to a young teacher who was looking for the new Head of Year 7 in a massive staff room " he's the black guy". It seemed reasonable to me as though the school had many teachers of various racial origins, he was the only black guy. If I had thought quicker, I might have said the man with the blue tie. If I had said " he's the fit black guy" ( because he was a hunk, believe me) would that have been better? It all depends on the intention. She would have had me down as a racist. I had her down as an idiot.

[ThePants999]

@milf69 - you've posted on three threads tonight, all of which have been ancient. Firstly, how are you even finding these? Secondly, FFS, stop.