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Since we're verging on the fatal 99 posts, I started a continuation. Here's my last post and linguistic question: Curiously enough, Italians aren't blanketed into the the term Hispanic, though Italian men are often referred to as Latin Lovers. And, actually, the Italians and ancient Romans are the only true Latins, so how did Latin come to mean Spanish culture? Perhaps because Spanish is more directly derived from Latin than any other language except for Italian?...Faldage? emanuela? And what is the differenece between Latin and Latino in describing Spanish-speaking people and culture? Words?You mean there are no words on this thread? What have I been reading? And don't forget Jackie's Phenomenal Women. Mebbe Jackie and WW could relocate their posts, if they like...or mebbe not, whichever. 
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
Hispanic
ADJECTIVE: 1. Of or relating to Spain or Spanish-speaking Latin America. 2. Of or relating to a Spanish-speaking people or culture.
NOUN: 1. A Spanish-speaking person. 2. A U.S. citizen or resident of Latin-American or Spanish descent.
ETYMOLOGY: Latin Hispnicus, from Hispnia, Spain.
USAGE NOTE: Though often used interchangeably in American English, Hispanic and Latino are not identical terms, and in certain contexts the choice between them can be significant. Hispanic, from the Latin word for “Spain,” has the broader reference, potentially encompassing all Spanish-speaking peoples in both hemispheres and emphasizing the common denominator of language among communities that sometimes have little else in common. Latino—which in Spanish means "Latin" but which as an English word is probably a shortening of the Spanish word latinoamericano—refers more exclusively to persons or communities of Latin American origin. Of the two, only Hispanic can be used in referring to Spain and its history and culture; a native of Spain residing in the United States is a Hispanic, not a Latino, and one cannot substitute Latino in the phrase the Hispanic influence on native Mexican cultures without garbling the meaning. In practice, however, this distinction is of little significance when referring to residents of the United States, most of whom are of Latin American origin and can theoretically be called by either word. •A more important distinction concerns the sociopolitical rift that has opened between Latino and Hispanic in American usage. For a certain segment of the Spanish-speaking population, Latino is a term of ethnic pride and Hispanic a label that borders on the offensive. According to this view, Hispanic lacks the authenticity and cultural resonance of Latino, with its Spanish sound and its ability to show the feminine form Latina when used of women. Furthermore, Hispanic—the term used by the U.S. Census Bureau and other government agencies—is said to bear the stamp of an Anglo establishment far removed from the concerns of the Spanish-speaking community. While these views are strongly held by some, they are by no means universal, and the division in usage seems as related to geography as it is to politics, with Latino widely preferred in California and Hispanic the more usual term in Florida and Texas. Even in these regions, however, usage is often mixed, and it is not uncommon to find both terms used by the same writer or speaker.
Am still unclear, WO'N, about the reason why 'Latin' in the first place; shall post when I find something more.
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In what way is "Asian" a less meaningless, potentially insulting "generic clubbing" than Oriental
I would think that might be due to the fact that Asian simply refers to the land mass that a person originated from; whereas Oriental is an expression in one man's language to describe or refer to everything that is/was different from his own Occidental experience. When this same language has now become the communication tool for most people in the twenty first century, the cultures that fall under the umbrella term "Oriental" might feel at variance with all the things that the word was used to imply. Especially when it was not a term designed to refer to a specific race or an ethnic group or a culture. It was and is a descriptive term and not everyone or every culture that it broadly embraces, might agree with the characterisation. To the best of my knowledge, it was used derogatorily, much like 'natives'. I am not certain that, all it meant those days was exotic but I have met people who find the term insulting, and I understand that.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
The real problem with Oriental is more likely its connotations stemming from an earlier era when Europeans viewed the regions east of the Mediterranean as exotic lands full of romance and intrigue, the home of despotic empires and inscrutable customs. At the least these associations can give Oriental a dated feel, and as a noun in contemporary contexts (as in the first Oriental to be elected from the district) it is now widely taken to be offensive. However, Oriental should not be thought of as an ethnic slur to be avoided in all situations. As with Asiatic, its use other than as an ethnonym, in phrases such as Oriental cuisine or Oriental medicine, is not usually considered objectionable.
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> Especially when it was not a term designed to refer to a specific race or an ethnic group or a culture. It was and is a descriptive term and not everyone or every culture that it broadly embraces, might agree with the characterisation.
The same still holds equally true for Asian, and I have spoken to many from the subcontinent who will not accept being called "Asian", insisting on "Indian." hi TEd
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Doesn't talking about boundary definitions get deadly dull after a while?
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Not to those who find it interesting, by.  
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A) Many of these terms take on a aura of contempt and are replaced by other words, not tinged with the contmptible; that these new words are later replaced for the same reason merely points to the fact that it is the underlying concept that is somehow considered contemptible. It is to this attitude of contempt that we should direct our corrective thoughts and not to the language being used to describe it.
2) If words like Latin, Hispanic, oriental and Asian are rejected because they lump together people of vastly differing cultures, what of the term people of color?
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Thanks for the post on Latin/Hispanic, maahey! I finally found the etymology of Latin-America, Latin America, at http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin-America, evidently not as directly connected to the Romance Languages (Spanish, Portugese, French) as most folks, including myself, would have assumed: >Latin America From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Latin America refers to the American countries south of the United States, comprising all of South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Etymological note: Treating the term literally, one might expect the term to apply to cultures and regions in the Americas deriving from cultures speaking Romance languages (those descended from Latin). However this is not the case and French-speaking Quebec in Canada is not part of Latin America. Yet this was the original intention of the term -- "Latin America" was first proposed during the French occupation of Mexico (1862-1867), when Napoleon III supported the Archduke Maximilian's pretensions to be emperor of Mexico. The French hoped that an inclusive notion of "Latin" America would support their cause. That Mexican citizens eventually expelled the French while retaining the term "Latino" is perhaps one of history's more charming ironies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Latin American countries include: Mexico El Salvador Belize Guatemala Honduras Costa Rica Nicaragua Panama Colombia Ecuador Peru Chile Argentina Uruguay Paraguay Bolivia Brazil Venezuela Cuba Dominican Republic Puerto Rico In addition, Spain and Portugal are considered to be the Mother Countries of Latin America.<
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Gee, it seems to me that exploring the semantics, nuance and etymology of words and terms is what we do here, and why this is being publicly knocked on AWAD is a curiosity to me. PC had always been a pertinent discussion here, with its restructuring of language as its foundation, going all the way back to the start in 2000 with tsuwm's thread. There are more than enough threads to read and explore that will pique the interest if others do not. Those of us who have been here for awhile should know that public ridicule of a thread found uninteresting or boring is not the AWAD way.
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in defense of by (who really needs none from me), I thought he was expressing a valid point with his subject and merely asking a question (i.e., doesn't this get boring?) in the body--so why is he being singled out for personal challenge?
as an aside, those who are still posting to the main thread, now that it's passed 99 posts, would seem to be either (1) lazy and/or (b) rude. the reason for this judgment is that the 'rule of 99' has been explained recently as well as many times previously. I hope that I'm not missing any non-boring posts therein.
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