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Line 125: − ==Serious Opposition to Textbooks and Sensitivity Guides == − Although the definitions found in most dictionaries are sufficiently vague to argue for or against the appropriateness of the term ''Oriental'' in some contexts, many Americans feel that banning words and images has gone too far. Judge [[Robert Bork]] in ''[[Slouching_Towards_Gomorrah]]'' writes, "Now, however, the educational system has become the weapon of choice for modern liberals in their project of dismantling American culture." − − Scholarly works such as "[[The Language Police]]", "The Battle of the Books" and "Challenging the Myths about Multicultural Education" have argued for the continued usage of politically incorrect terms including ''Oriental''. <ref>http://mtprof.msun.edu/Win1994/PTrev.html</ref><ref>Battle of the Books: The Curriculum Debate in America 1993 James Atlas published by W W Norton & Co Inc</ref><ref>The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Children Learn by Diane Ravitch (c) 2003 published by Knopf</ref><ref>http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ497173&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&objectId=0900000b8003e14e Challenging the Myths about Multicultural Education by Carl A Grant</ref><ref>"Multicultural Education Through the Lens of the Multicultural Education Research Literature." by J.A. Banks and C.A. McGee Banks (eds.). Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education NY: Simon. and Schuster Macmillan</ref> [[Diane Ravitch]] has documented the existence of an elaborate and well-established protocol of beneficent censorship, quietly endorsed and implemented by textbook publishers, states, and the federal government. "Publishers practice self-censorship to sell books in big states." <ref>http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375414824</ref> Ravitch has documented "the 'bias guidelines'" for major publishers of texts and tests. "The "bias guidelines" consist of advice to writers and editors about words and topics that must be avoided."<ref>http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110003695</ref> − − Supporters of the traditional usage of the term ''oriental'' are frightened by how easy it is to ban a word from American textbooks. Toby Merrill of the [[Yale]] Book Review states: − ::''All it takes to forever banish a word or image from schools across the nation is a well-placed, vocal group to lobby the Board of Education in either of these states. It is in the California market that publishers feel the most pressure from the left.'' <ref>http://www.yalereviewofbooks.com/archive/summer03/review12.shtml.htm Yale Book Review</ref> − − Laurie Morrow, a former Salvatori Fellow of the [[Heritage Foundation]] and professor of English mocked proponents of political correctness and attempt to imply extreme sarcasm when she wrote the following in support of traditional usage of the term ''oriental'': − ::''Although the Japanese proudly consider themselves eastern--from the Land of the Rising Sun (remember that World War II flag?)--don't call them "Oriental," for this is Eurocentric, and one should have no center in the happy world of cultural equivalence. (One wonders whether the language police would object to a Tokyo resident's using the term Occidental?)''<ref>http://www.worldandi.com/newhome/public/2003/September/bk2pub.asp</ref> − − Professor Morrow also writes: − − ::''The language police seek to eliminate anything that might cause students discomfort or distress. The world is, however, a difficult and trying place, full of ideas that must be resisted and fought. What students need to learn are courage and perseverance in the face of difficulty, so that they can confront what should be resisted--including censorship by the language police.''<ref>http://www.worldandi.com/newhome/public/2003/September/bk2pub.asp</ref> − − However, those who support traditional usage of words and terms do not support an end to all sensitivity. Sybil Maimin writes: − ::'' Ravitch does not call for elimination of bias and sensitivity panels but rather for their work, now behind closed doors, to be open to public view. She believes that teachers or school districts rather than state officials should choose books for the classroom, which would decrease the power of pressure groups and lessen uniformity. She has confidence that “language evolves in response to social change. Lots of words disappear naturally,”'' <ref>http://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2003/june03/issue/spot_ravitch.html Education Update</ref>
→Serious Opposition to Textbooks and Sensitivity Guides
While the term is clearly an example of [[Eurocentrism]] some people do not think Eurocentrism is undesirable. Additionally, many scholarly works in the 19th and 20th Century were riddled with errors, but the outcry to replace words and phrases has not be even-handed or uniform. For example, according to the [[Encyclopedia Brittanica]] and Tim McCaskell of the Toronto Board of Education, the works of [[Charles Linnaeus]], [[Charles Darwin]], [[Francis Galton]] and others have been used to justify many atrocities, including slavery, colonization, and racial genocide. Despite the fact that evil acts were justified by the works of these men, phrases such as the "[[Origin of Species]]"; the "[[Theory of Evolution]]"; the "[[General System of Nature]]"; "[[survival of the fittest]]" et.al., are still in use today. <ref>http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9108541/philosophical-anthropology</ref> <ref>http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jonmorro/race.html</ref> <ref> "A History of Race/ism", Prepared by Tim McCaskell, a representative of the Toronto Board of Education</ref> <ref>http://www.scholars.nus.edu.sg/victorian/history/empire/Empire.html</ref><ref>http://www.mediamonitors.net/harunyahya37.html</ref>
While the term is clearly an example of [[Eurocentrism]] some people do not think Eurocentrism is undesirable. Additionally, many scholarly works in the 19th and 20th Century were riddled with errors, but the outcry to replace words and phrases has not be even-handed or uniform. For example, according to the [[Encyclopedia Brittanica]] and Tim McCaskell of the Toronto Board of Education, the works of [[Charles Linnaeus]], [[Charles Darwin]], [[Francis Galton]] and others have been used to justify many atrocities, including slavery, colonization, and racial genocide. Despite the fact that evil acts were justified by the works of these men, phrases such as the "[[Origin of Species]]"; the "[[Theory of Evolution]]"; the "[[General System of Nature]]"; "[[survival of the fittest]]" et.al., are still in use today. <ref>http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9108541/philosophical-anthropology</ref> <ref>http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jonmorro/race.html</ref> <ref> "A History of Race/ism", Prepared by Tim McCaskell, a representative of the Toronto Board of Education</ref> <ref>http://www.scholars.nus.edu.sg/victorian/history/empire/Empire.html</ref><ref>http://www.mediamonitors.net/harunyahya37.html</ref>
==Current Usage of Oriental and Related Depictions ==
==Current Usage of Oriental and Related Depictions ==