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WHY IS ASIA SO CONFUSING?
Member Since: 11/3/2006
Posts: 11,500
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WHY IS ASIA SO CONFUSING?
Okay so we have "asians", which most people think as Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Singapori, Malaysian, Indoniesian... But really asians are ALL nations in the continent! this means, anyone from Russia(half of the country and more is in Asia) the nothernmost nation, Lebenon (the Westernmost nation) Indoneisa (Southernmost) and Phillipenes (easternmost)!
So what do you call people of "far east"?
Then we have the Sub-Continent of India (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka...) What do we call them? I mean some call them Middle Eastern which is SOOO different and Indian (on surveys and stuff) can mean Native American people, so what do we call them?
WHY THE FCUK IS ASIA SO CONFUSING? someone care to explain?
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Member Since: 12/23/2006
Posts: 20,355
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they´re not even half as confusing as US
 @ this thread
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Member Since: 11/3/2006
Posts: 11,500
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^ lol it started from my other one, felt like making this separate
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Member Since: 9/4/2006
Posts: 8,136
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They all are Asians. Yes, it is a little bit confusing because there are so many different cultures. Why don't you ask Mazen?
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Member Since: 11/3/2006
Posts: 11,500
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i wanted many different opinions on the matter
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 12/29/2003
Posts: 6,311
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Middle Eastern usually refers to areas like Saudi Arabia and Iran. I think people from the Indian sub-continent are usually referred to as natives of their country, like Pakistani and Bangladeshi. With those from India, it usually does vary. Sometimes people do mean Indian as in someone from India, otherwise they mean Native Americans... even though when you think about it, the whole thing with them gets confusing because America was named after they came, so technically they are just Natives in general... Blame the early Europeans for making it all so confusing.
Anyway, I do agree that they are all Asian. The most I could understand was someone saying East Asian (or oriental asian) versus South Asian (those from the Indian sub-continent)
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Member Since: 8/14/2007
Posts: 29,341
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Isn't it the same when people from the United States call themselves Americans while Mexicans, Argentinians and Canadians are also american people?
I think it has to do with the size of the continent, which is HUGE.
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Member Since: 9/4/2006
Posts: 8,136
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Quote:
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Originally posted by Queen Bitch
Isn't it the same when people from the United States call themselves Americans while Mexicans, Argentinians and Canadians are also american people?
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That is so true but stupid. Why would they do that?
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Banned
Member Since: 8/24/2003
Posts: 4,785
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I've noted this a few times on this board and elsewhere - the continent itself isn't confusing, it's people's perceptions of it. Over here in the UK, the Indian sub-continent gets the precedent of being known as or referred to as Asian and the others only by their country names or Asian-other. Whereas in the US and some parts of Europe, the Chinese sub-continent gets precedent. I think it might and am hoping it's changing though, I don't like seeing Chinese or 'other' on Equal Opportunity forms listed as separate from Asian over here just I don't like getting called 'oh, the curry kind' (when they realise I'm not Native American) or worse in the US where they seem to think of non South East Asians (Chinese sub-continent) as backwards and primitive whereas 'Asian-others' aren't looked down upon here except by racists and in the classification we are talking about here.
At least with South East Asian and South Asia (Indian sub-continent) though there's more recognition simply because of the size and impact on the world, but everywhere around gets a worse deal in terms of acknowledgment, like you have stated in your post. They also suffer from the blur over boundaries with Europe e.g. Western Asia/Middle East and Russia.
Then there's the point that people refer to races as mainly Black, White and Asian, where Asia is the only geographical one which complicates classification. It should actually make it easier because Asia has so many races but it has led to people including some and excluding others. Then you get Pacific Islanders and Artic peoples, who are pretty much excluded from organised classification in general.
The thing about Indian Asians and Native Americans (known properly by their own names) though is that even though Columbus was probably just trying to make up for his slip up and hence called Native Americans - Indians all the same even though it wasn't India, research suggests that they actually have been Indians or Asians anyway before continental shift.
But like Cesar posted, everyone from Asia is ethnically Asian, end of unless they're mixed.
Edit - the mix up between Western and South Asians is to do with ignorance and similarity in skin colour, even though many South Asians can also be darker or different altogether when considering the countries between the Indian and Chinese sub-continents.
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Member Since: 11/3/2006
Posts: 11,500
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Quote:
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Originally posted by Queen Bitch
Isn't it the same when people from the United States call themselves Americans while Mexicans, Argentinians and Canadians are also american people?
I think it has to do with the size of the continent, which is HUGE.
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well people say Brazilians are rarely referred to their continental name or American, while "asian" is sometimes considered as a race
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Banned
Member Since: 8/24/2003
Posts: 4,785
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Quote:
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Originally posted by Queen Bitch
Isn't it the same when people from the United States call themselves Americans while Mexicans, Argentinians and Canadians are also american people?
I think it has to do with the size of the continent, which is HUGE.
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The difference there is between nationality and ethnicity. Nationality is your citizenship and ethnicity is your geographical/racial heritage.
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Member Since: 12/23/2006
Posts: 20,355
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lol, the citizens of the american continents referring to themselves as "americans" or "indians" is all based on: 1: the spanish Conquistador "Amerigo" brutally berserking his way into the continent, and 2: A big ****ing mistake by that loser Columbus 
poor people...
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 12/29/2003
Posts: 6,311
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Quote:
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Originally posted by Queen Bitch
Isn't it the same when people from the United States call themselves Americans while Mexicans, Argentinians and Canadians are also american people?
I think it has to do with the size of the continent, which is HUGE.
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That is true but then again, it is called "United States of America" and as you mentioned, it is a huge country. Technically both Canadians and "Americans" are "Americans" if you assume "Americans" to be from North America. However, rarely do you see people from Mexico and Argentina mentioned as South American, which would still make sense.
Maybe it has something to do with size and popularity overall? Americans may be those from United States because it is the biggest country in the Americas and is said to be more powerful/popular (or at least said to be) than Canada (the other big country)? With Asia, most people think of China/Japan/Korea because of their history and contribution while India is on its own (and therefore harder to call Asians) because the people differ [looks-wise] from those from far east (the countries you hear more about)?
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Member Since: 11/3/2006
Posts: 11,500
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yah, I have come across people who say "you're asian" (just so you know im Indian) and some people are like "you're not asian! chinese people are" so some people like to use the ubiquitous name, while others try to be better at classifying things, and really it is perspective, which stirs such befuddlement, and I wanted to know who is really right, if there is a concrete answer
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Member Since: 11/3/2006
Posts: 11,500
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Quote:
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Originally posted by blackbeatxx
lol, the citizens of the american continents referring to themselves as "americans" or "indians" is all based on: 1: the spanish Conquistador "Amerigo" brutally berserking his way into the continent, and 2: A big ****ing mistake by that loser Columbus
poor people... |
yah, colomba thought natives were Indians... and they say he was a genius 
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 12/29/2003
Posts: 6,311
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Quote:
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Originally posted by JerseyBoy
yah, I have come across people who say "you're asian" (just so you know im Indian) and some people are like "you're not asian! chinese people are" so some people like to use the ubiquitous name, while others try to be better at classifying things, and really it is perspective, which stirs such befuddlement, and I wanted to know who is really right, if there is a concrete answer
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Yeah, I have gotten the same responses. Maybe, according to their definition of Asian, they might be right but technically speaking, India is not a continent on its own, but is rather a part of Asia. Therefore, anyone who is from India, should automatically be assumed to be Asian. As Pandora mentioned, it usually depends on perception of Asian nations.
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Member Since: 12/23/2006
Posts: 20,355
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the funny part of the columbus thing too, is that the Viking (swedish actually  ) Leif Eriksson sailed to America (the US east coast) 500 years before columbus did his expedition, and he did not refer to them as indians, lol
edit: sorry for being OT
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Banned
Member Since: 8/24/2003
Posts: 4,785
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Quote:
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Originally posted by JerseyBoy
yah, I have come across people who say "you're asian" (just so you know im Indian) and some people are like "you're not asian! chinese people are" so some people like to use the ubiquitous name, while others try to be better at classifying things, and really it is perspective, which stirs such befuddlement, and I wanted to know who is really right, if there is a concrete answer
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It's called ignorance and acting stupidly based on ignorance. 'Tis widespread and as annoying as f'ck.
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Member Since: 8/9/2004
Posts: 21,889
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Btw, Half of the Middle Eastern countries are in Africa. lol
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Member Since: 11/3/2006
Posts: 11,500
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Quote:
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Originally posted by blackbeatxx
the funny part of the columbus thing too, is that the Viking (swedish actually ) Leif Eriksson sailed to America (the US east coast) 500 years before columbus did his expedition, and he did not refer to them as indians, lol
edit: sorry for being OT |
cuz he wasn't trying to travel to India
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