Date:  Tue, 19 Mar 1996 00:22:52 -0700

From:  Rudy Troike <RTROIKE[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU>

Subject: Re: Asian



I agree with Ron Butters that "PC" is a right-wing PC term, and strongly

avoid it myself. The term <Asian> gained currency in the U.S. about 20

years ago when (mainly East) Asians were searching for a common term of

reference beyond their national designations, and wanted to avoid the

Eurocentric colonial term <Oriental>. The term <Asia> is an indigenous one

to the area, so it was embraced as the favored term.

    When I was living in Taiwan, the absurdity of "Oriental" or "Far East"

came home to me when I looked east toward the United States (!) and watched

the sun come up over the Pacific, and looked West and saw it set over mainland

China.

    For those who commented earlier, I believe that geographers often

include much of the Near East in "Southwest Asia". And after all, the area

of modern Turkey east of the Bosphorus has long been called "Asia Minor".



    Rudy

    --Rudy Troike (rtroike[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ccit.arizona.edu)