This one is more of a rant. At least, it’s about a pet peeve. But I don’t think I’ll flesh it out unless I feel really motivated.
Basically, I wish people used more precise terms to designate different parts of the world and I can’t help but feel that there’s some ethnocentrism involved in the placenames used by many people including (or especially) journalists.
It’s really not about political correctness. It’s about accuracy, precision, clarity.
Terms I tend to like:
- West Asia
- Southwest Asia
- Central Asia
- Eurasia
- North Asia
- East Asia
- South Asia
- Southeast Asia
- North Africa
- West Africa
- Central Africa
- East Africa
- Southern Africa
- Northeastern Africa
- Northwestern North America
- Northeastern North America
- Northeastern United States
- Southeastern United States
- Southwestern United States
- Continental United States
- Continental Europe
- Southeastern Europe
- South America
Term use I find just a bit tricky but still fit, for mostly historical reasons. I just wish they were more precise.
- Americas
- Europe
- Central Europe
- Eastern Europe
- Western Europe
- Northern Europe
- Southern Europe
- Scandinavia
- Baltic
- Balkans
- New England
- North America
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- MidWest
- The North
- The South
- Central America
- Caribbean
- Antilles
- Oceania
I also get slightly annoyed at the reliance on country names, especially in mainstream media, but I do understand why they seem so important to journalists and news-guzzlers.
Terms which rapidly get problematic:
- “America” (Is it the continent, the “United States of,” or the very concept of the “New World?”)
- Bible Belt
- Sunbelt
- Rust Belt
- Middle America
- Orient
- Occident
- The West
- Black Africa («Afrique Noire»)
- Latin America
- Levant
- Far East
- Near East
- Middle East
Of course, “Middle East” is the one I find most problematic. Not only has its meaning shifted over the years but it’s one of those terms which hides more than it reveals. Oh, sure, I enjoy ambiguity. But I like ambiguity when it’s purposeful, obvious. Honest. The type of ambiguity afforded “Middle East” is more than Orientalism. It’s halfhearted neo-colonialism.
Ah, well.