What is "Asian"?

Where is your list of which peoples are “Asian” are coming from? I would have categorized all of the peoples you listed as Asian, meaning their country of origin is located in Asia.

@OP: “They live on the continent of Asia too, don’t they?”

Yes, they do live on the continent of Asia as well. That is why they are fully considered Asian. You’ve answered your own question.

If you were born in Asia, you are asian, regardless of your look or how popular or accepted your country is considered to be.

Asian = of Asia

Simple as that.

Because “Middle eastern” is a more fitting description for those who originate from the Middle East, even though it is part of Asia.

Every human is a “Person”, but sometimes we use Boy/girl/man/woman to make it just a little bit less vague.

Thanks everyone for your answers.

@Spirit_of_the_Nomad My list comes from the media, popular culture, people I talk to, etc. I’d have also thought all the people I listed are “Asian,” hence my confusion that people don’t seem to act like they are. People are much more likely to call an Afghani “Middle-Eastern,” but a Chinese person simply “Asian.” What’s that about?

@Sarcasm But why, if “Middle Eastern” is more fitting for those from the Middle East, why is it just plain “Asian” for a Chinese person, say? I mean, why specific for one region, vague for another?

Because “Oriental” became offensive.

@Sarcasm Ah, thank you, that does explain something.

I’m Asian, but I don’t find the term “oriental” to be offensive. It’s certainly an outdated term however.

To get even more specific with geographical classification, people from China, Japan, Korea, etc. are considered “East Asians”, and people from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, etc. are considered “Southeast Asians”.

Asia is a very big continent, and culturally, places like China and Iraq don’t have much in common with each other culturally. They developed in isolation from each other because of natural barriers like the Gobi desert and the Himalayan mountains. I’m Turkish, which is almost all in Asia, but I don’t feel Asian, I feel Middle Eastern.

@Haleth But you are Asian. (Well, assuming you’re on the Asian side of the country you are—is the other side in Europe?) Why does the term “Asian” to you represent specific countries in Asia, and not the continent as a whole? (I understand that you don’t feel much in common with a Chinese person, I understand the separate histories and development, etc. What I don’t understand, or what my question was about anyway, is why “Asian” has come to refer to a specific part of Asia.)

@Haleth

All these responses (not just yours) delve into misconceptions and “feelings.” nicobanks only asked about the word “Asia” and who it represents, and that is the people of Asia (the entire continent).

“Asia” is purely a political label in this context. I do agree with you there are vast amounts of differentiating cultures that may not even have anything to do with each other, but they still on the same continent of Asia.

Just to take things to an illustrative-extreme: there could be a elephant in India and a a cat in Afghanistan, and they would both correctly be called “asian.”

@vanphan Well, yes, that is true. I was trying to explain why people from parts of Asia aren’t called Asian. Geographically, we are from the same continent, but in other ways we feel different, so just calling everyone Asian would be a big blanket statement. That’s why we sometimes refer to East Asians, Southeast Asians, Middle Easterners, Pacific Islanders, etc. It’s all accurate, but it shows sensitivity and respect to get a little more specific.

Why are Canadians not called Americans? They live on the continent of North America too, don’t they? Mexicans?

@Jacket Canadians are called North Americans. I’m called North American all the time and I consider myself one (I’m Canadian). I’m not called American because that means someone from the United States of America, a country I’m not from. And Mexicans are tricky, sitting there between the North and the South…

People from Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, etc technically live on the continent of North America but are called Central Americans. Middle Eastern and Central American are more precise terms of location and do not exclude those people from also being Asian or North American.

It’s similar to this whole “European” classification for those individuals with “white” skin. When filling out forms at hospitals and such there is often a box which asks for your ethnicity.

I never think it is appropriate for me to tick “European” as I am not from Europe, nor have I ever been there. I am from New Zealand and happen to have white skin.

Why are “white” people classified as Europeans? (Bear in mind that this is what happens in New Zealand, I am not aware if this is the case in other origins).

<—- New Zealand born – mother from Scotland and father ½ Native American Indian and ½ Italian. I end up ticking the box “other” and writing “Kiwi”.

I never understood the Kiwi’s plight. Wow.

Well, all of us are Africans, and some of us are running a prehistoric genetic vitamin D boosting program. The rest is just recent geography.

Filipinos are also considered “Asian” in many circles. Yet they don’t really strike me as “Asian.” Oh how we love to categorize. What your question does is show how weak any attempt to accurately group, categorize, or define humans is on any basis larger than the individual. It won’t be possible much longer in universe time.

oh haha well me if that helps