The Orient means "the East". It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Near East or Far East, in relation to Europe. So refering to what we think of as Oriental Japanese, Chinese, Korean and so on is wrong. I think it became offensive in the same way that negro became offensive. People decided they didn't like it anymore. I guess because it was often used in a negative tone by racists.
When you say "Asians", what are you referring to
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The Orient means "the East". It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Near East or Far East, in relation to Europe. So refering to what we think of as Oriental Japanese, Chinese, Korean and so on is wrong. I think it became offensive in the same way that negro became offensive. People decided they didn't like it anymore. I guess because it was often used in a negative tone by racists.