our local rag cant call people " oriental" can it now?

[cod]

abotu a fire adn htey had to escape?

No! V old-fashioned if you ask me.

No. And meaningles anyway 'of the East'- could be anywhere!

\link{http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=545754\here's} an interisting discussion on the subject

Oriental rug is okay, as your discussion suggests. Also oriental cooking, fine.
Oriental people or, even worse, orientals = not okay.

someone is taking the piss - eh cod?

presumably they were trying to avoid offense not knowing which country they came from..probably British anyway

"East Asian" is a better word, I'd think. (I'd also say "South Asian" instead of "Asian" for people from India and neighbouring countries, but I'm funny like that.)

no rhuby really serious
fornt page of tdays rag

but totally irrelevant imo what colour they were

I'm afraid I have used the term "oriental" to describe a person of approximately East Asian extraction, whose precise area of origin I haven't been able to discern from either their name or appearance. BUT I agree the racial origin of the people escaping the fire is irrelevant (unless there is an implication that there were insufficient fire notices in a language they could understand). Have I covered myself enough, or should I leave now in the sure and certain knowledge that i am a racist?

I find it strange that papers do that here (use a racially descriptive term when it's not necessary for the story)

My local paper had a big story about a paedophile with a headline along the lines of 'gay man in paedophile shock'

His sexual orientation was irrelavant if you ask me, he was first and foremost a pervert

the where they are from point usual carries the message that they were exploited/overcrowded/deprived/illegal doesn't it without actually saying so, doesn't it..or it's just padding

What really annoys me is the way "Asian" is used by the media and government to lump everyone from Japan to India in one large lazy category. I bet British people would be annoyed if they were lazily described as "European".

Completely irrelevant here, I think, unless they were actually illegal immigrants being exploited or overcrowded.

not hey were just in a third floor flat ( three of em)w hen the fire started itn he night

the journalist is probably an old school lazy beer bellied type with greasy hair

lol at mn thread degenerating into appreance again

How embarrassing I don't know where that came from..I'm appalled at myself

the comission for racial equality sent me a snotty email sying htey dont advise ont eh appropirateness of words and to egt legal advice
woo ho get them snotty buggers
what DOt hey do then

it's actually quite common usage \link{http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,1598574,00.html\ you'll enjoy this article cod}

poppadom you said we wouldnt like it if we were classed as european but what about british as far as im concerned im scottish not british. but anyway they often describe the person in the paper as white male or back etc but not sure about oriental m not up to speed about whats "allowed" anymore