why Oriental is offensive

[Mark Odegard]

I once had an online contretemps with someone when I used 'Canuck'. I was
accused of being anti-Canadian.

There are those who might misconstrue the song "Blame Canada" (from _South
Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut_). Yes, it's superficially anti-Canadian, but
then, this is a song written by Canadians to satirize American views of
Canada. If anything, the song is anti-American.

I have fantasies about some super-PC language-cop decreeing that anyone who
speaks Polish is intrinsically anti-Polish, since, when they speak Polish
they use the word 'Polak' to describe a male Pole.

Someone mentioned that someone was forced to undergo 'sensitivity training'
for using 'oriental'. This story shoulda been released to the press in the
expectation it would receive gales of laughter.
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