The Student Room Group

Asian is not a race

Why do people keep using asian as a race smh? Seriously it’s very annoying. Asia is a very diverse continent with many ethnicities, skin colours/races and cultures. So it’s stupid to think that all Asians are the same race/colour or have the same culture.
Reply 1
Pakistani, Indian, Iranian, Kurd, Saudi Arabian, Iraqi, Afghan, Syrian, Palestinian, Chinese etc are not the same.
You are correct in saying that asian isn't a race, but it is a useful general term because people from asia are asian.
British people are all british, but individually are English, Scottish, Irish, or Welsh (for the most part, not sure what the people in the surrounding islands count as)
British people are overall European, which includes most, if not all of Eurode (Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Sweeden, ect)
The USA is also a diverse country, but most who live there tend to still be North american. And north americans tend to be from The US, Canada, or Mexico.

Its a non issue. If being called Asian, when you are from china, India, or any other country in Asia offends you, then its your own problem.
Reply 3
Original post by Anonymous
You are correct in saying that asian isn't a race, but it is a useful general term because people from asia are asian.
British people are all british, but individually are English, Scottish, Irish, or Welsh (for the most part, not sure what the people in the surrounding islands count as)
British people are overall European, which includes most, if not all of Eurode (Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Sweeden, ect)
The USA is also a diverse country, but most who live there tend to still be North american. And north americans tend to be from The US, Canada, or Mexico.

Its a non issue. If being called Asian, when you are from china, India, or any other country in Asia offends you, then its your own problem.


Okay but you don’t see people going around calling Germans, French etc Europeans on a daily basis. When it comes to Asians, people seem so uneducated and just use the word asian to describe their race/nationality and what not. When it comes the to the west/Europe they use the word “white”, not European. But for Asia, people say Asian like that doesn’t make sense, Asia is where you’re from, not the race. There is no specific race for Asians, they are diverse. It’s just I feel people think anyone from Asia are the same when they are not. They have so many different skin colours and cultures.
Original post by Anonymous
Okay but you don’t see people going around calling Germans, French etc Europeans on a daily basis. When it comes to Asians, people seem so uneducated and just use the word asian to describe their race/nationality and what not. When it comes the to the west/Europe they use the word “white”, not European. But for Asia, people say Asian like that doesn’t make sense, Asia is where you’re from, not the race. There is no specific race for Asians, they are diverse. It’s just I feel people think anyone from Asia are the same when they are not. They have so many different skin colours and cultures.


Nope you do. I interact with americans alot and they call the european people on the server europeans for the most part until they find out where we are individually from. They don't call us whites because white people exist all over the world (along with other races of course).

The thing is, Europeans are a race to an extent, but contain smaller sub races. Just the same as Asians do if that makes sense?
Original post by Anonymous
Okay but you don’t see people going around calling Germans, French etc Europeans on a daily basis. When it comes to Asians, people seem so uneducated and just use the word asian to describe their race/nationality and what not. When it comes the to the west/Europe they use the word “white”, not European. But for Asia, people say Asian like that doesn’t make sense, Asia is where you’re from, not the race. There is no specific race for Asians, they are diverse. It’s just I feel people think anyone from Asia are the same when they are not. They have so many different skin colours and cultures.


I get this honestly, like I'll do a google search for asians and people always some how seem to be talking about east asians like whenever someone syas asian a lot of people just seem to think oh yeah japanese, chinese korean etc.
Original post by Anonymous
Okay but you don’t see people going around calling Germans, French etc Europeans on a daily basis. When it comes to Asians, people seem so uneducated and just use the word asian to describe their race/nationality and what not. When it comes the to the west/Europe they use the word “white”, not European. But for Asia, people say Asian like that doesn’t make sense, Asia is where you’re from, not the race. There is no specific race for Asians, they are diverse. It’s just I feel people think anyone from Asia are the same when they are not. They have so many different skin colours and cultures.


Not a big deal. People do the same with African and Caribbean’s.
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 7
Original post by justanotherchica
I get this honestly, like I'll do a google search for asians and people always some how seem to be talking about east asians like whenever someone syas asian a lot of people just seem to think oh yeah japanese, chinese korean etc.


Thank you!
I hate when they think Asian= Indian, Pakistani and Bengali or Asian= Chinese, Japanese and Korean etc. Don’t forget about Central Asia and the Middle East! We exist too. On top when you have pale skin they are like “Oh you look white though” as if people from Asia don’t have pale skin people. Most Central Asians, Kurds, Afghans, Iranians and some Arabs have pale skin! It’s normal there, don’t have to be from the west to be light skinned.

Original post by cherryred90s
Not a big deal. People do the same with African and Caribbean’s.


Which is wrong too!
Original post by cherryred90s
Not a big deal. People do the same with African and Caribbean’s.


That's exactly true. If you're from Asia, you're Asian - what more is there to say. In Asian history, there has only been major spreading VERY recently. There are so many white people, who are native or near native to countries from all over, that it is just convenient to say white. Same with black people, who can trace back a long way and seem native to many different countries, so they are all just seen as black. The main denominations are Caribbean and African, but no African goes around complaining that they're not black. And if someone did call them African, they won't complain that you're not recognising that they're South African, or Ghanaian, or Egyptian. It's just ridiculous to complain about a convention in how we speak. Most Asians living in the West are only a few generations away from the last family member who lived back home. Therefore, you can be seen as easier to identify. There are many different white people in America, from all over Europe etc., but it's so complicated it's easiest to say white. If you're not Asian and you're annoyed, I see your problem. But if you are, then what are you complaining about. Sometimes people say brown people or even yellow people, but to a lot of Asians, those terms aren't polite, so how else can you identify them? This isn't ignorance, people are different and the aim of the modern world is to recognise and accept difference, and try to accomodate it. We aren't treating everyone EXACTLY the same, because the globalised world is just beginnign, so it is too difficult to accurately idebtify everyone. Even for white people, who have been in this game the longest, it's hard to identify a Polish 2nd generation from a Lithuanian 2nd generation, and noone is complaining. In the instance where people try to assume, they end up seeing ignorant, for exampleif they can't distinguish between a Bengali and Pankistani person. Just deal with it, it doesn't hurt you
People aren't saying Asian is a race, they are just a group of people.
In my opinion Asian is a race
Original post by Anonymous
Why do people keep using asian as a race smh? Seriously it’s very annoying. Asia is a very diverse continent with many ethnicities, skin colours/races and cultures. So it’s stupid to think that all Asians are the same race/colour or have the same culture.


Race isn't based on colour or culture.

It's a broad subset of humans, with ethnicity a taxon below it.

And yes, Asian is a race.

Caucasian(incorrectly referred to as "white", Asian, black, Hispanic are the the accepted race terms currently
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by The RAR
In my opinion Asian is a race


No it's not, there are East Asians (chinese, japanese, korean etc.), South Asians (Indian, Saudi, Pakistani etc.) and South East Asians (Thai, Filipino, Taiwanese etc.). That's like saying African is a race, even though there are white South Africans, and Arab Africans
Original post by Anonymous
Okay but you don’t see people going around calling Germans, French etc Europeans on a daily basis. When it comes to Asians, people seem so uneducated and just use the word asian to describe their race/nationality and what not. When it comes the to the west/Europe they use the word “white”, not European. But for Asia, people say Asian like that doesn’t make sense, Asia is where you’re from, not the race. There is no specific race for Asians, they are diverse. It’s just I feel people think anyone from Asia are the same when they are not. They have so many different skin colours and cultures.


What do you suggest people use instead of asian? Or do you think people are just white or black and there doesn’t need to be a separate racial group for asians?
Original post by Anonymous
Okay but you don’t see people going around calling Germans, French etc Europeans on a daily basis. When it comes to Asians, people seem so uneducated and just use the word asian to describe their race/nationality and what not. When it comes the to the west/Europe they use the word “white”, not European. But for Asia, people say Asian like that doesn’t make sense, Asia is where you’re from, not the race. There is no specific race for Asians, they are diverse. It’s just I feel people think anyone from Asia are the same when they are not. They have so many different skin colours and cultures.


Think you are wrong. they are called Europeans where it is appropriate. It is rarely needed to define it down to individual countries for Asians. It just means people from Asia. The only differential that is uses is Asian v East Asian.

People do nt think they are the same. You seem to angwy and misguided.
Original post by KawaiiCupcake
No it's not, there are East Asians (chinese, japanese, korean etc.), South Asians (Indian, Saudi, Pakistani etc.) and South East Asians (Thai, Filipino, Taiwanese etc.). That's like saying African is a race, even though there are white South Africans, and Arab Africans


It doesn't matter if they're from multiple countries. They're still Asian.

Caucasians are in US, Iran, Croatia, Greece, UK what's your point?

not it's not. If you want someone's race, get them genetically tested. African is a nationality/ or an ethnicity(depending on context, this is a bit more of a grey area). It's therefore not a race.

Caucasian in South Africa would be called Caucasian in race, and African in terms of nationality.

Arabs in Africa would be referred to as Asian/Caucasian and an African nationality
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 16
You're 100% right and it also annoys me when a american or whoever is born in a certain country who are in a spanish speaking family who refers themselves as your race

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