…And he makes a call to his mom.

            Oh wait, that’s right! Americans are accustomed to logically dense terms when referring to people.

            So have you realized the Indian is not someone of Native American descent? 

            It’s completely illogical to label a group by an incorrect or ill-thought name. Why follow what’s politically correct? It only smothers true ignorance and feelings. It’s an understandable desire to avoid primitive race conflicts, but there’s a fine line between being polite and trying to avoid stepping on sensitive toes. For years now, (white) Americans have wondered:  “black” or “African-American”? Is “Indian” appropriate when referring to a Native American? Is the term “Jew” derogatory? A-rab, Mexican, Oriental, the list goes on.

            Here’s an idea: stop being sensitive-Sallys. The paranoia of, “wait, was that term racist? Was I just insulted?” is repulsive. If we could all educate ourselves on what’s supposed to be offensive and what is simply correct, we could save ourselves a lot of heartache.

            “Indian”, when referring to a Native American, is a huge no-no. Five hundred and twenty years ago, a Spaniard incorrectly labeled the nomads after he laid the claim to discovering their home. Aren’t we a little more sophisticated than that, to call them by the mistaken name until this day? Apologies to the dwellers of the Indian subcontinent as well—Americans just can’t seem to keep the two straight.

            There’s nothing wrong with using the term “black” as long as the term “white” is still widely accepted (can you imagine a time when it isn’t?). The issue with “African-American”, while technically correct, is the inconsistency; a tenth generation European-American won’t be referred to as “Irish-American” or “German-American”, so why is it applied to people of African descent?

            In this post-Civil Rights Movement era, it can be difficult to distinguish what could be offensive to somebody whom you are unfamiliar with. The lesson to be learned here is say what you mean, and mean what you say. It’s up to the speaker and the one spoken about to decide what’s offensive… And it’s time we all get a nice kick in the pants.