Is the term 'East Asian' offensive in modern American culture?

No I don't think so. By East Asian - are you referring to what used to be called Oriental? Because that's very different from South Asian which would be Indian/Sri Lankan. read more

Because that's very different from South Asian which would be Indian/Sri Lankan. "East Asian" is more of the preferred term - For some reason "Oriental" is considered offensive in America, even though it isn't in Asia. read more

In the same piece, historian Mae M. Ngai, author of Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America, explained that, while the term “Oriental” isn’t a slur, it’s never been widely used by people of Asian descent to describe themselves. read more

Although it is a common assumption that people of Asian descent are all either of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Taiwanese descent, but in reality the term "Asian American" broadly refers to all people who descent from Asian continental sub-regions of East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia as a whole. read more