PC

PC, not 'personal computer' rather, 'politically correct'.

Recently, in an interview someone asked Charlize Theron if she was an African-American now that she had American citizenship.

That got me thinking about the PC labels we awkwardly stick on people groups. I have a black friend who was born in the Caribbean, and raised in Britain. As far back as anyone in her family knows, they aren't from Africa. She thinks it is funny that on forms her ethnicity (she married an American) is often (wrongly) marked as African-American. She says she is Black and British.

I know a black writer who belongs to a black women writer's organization. It is a large organization. I don't know her well enough to have a discussion about it, but my first guess is she would be 'steamed' if I belonged to a white women writer's organization.

Last year a large group of illegal Mexican immigrants marched on the State Capital in Phoenix. They wanted their rights! They marched with a Mexico flag (only) in their parade. My thoughts on that is that people should immigrate legally.

One reason most countries have immigration laws is to screen for communicable disease. It is a simple duty to their citizens to safeguard their health. The other reason, of course, is to prevent violent criminals from entering the population; another safeguard. So there are my two reasons why people should immigrate legally.

But I have to say, to demand rights to citizenship and not carry this country's flag was a massive insult to their fellow countrymen who did immigrate legally. If they want to carry a Mexico flag, then they need to go to Mexico and demand rights there.

Besides, I'm a mom and it sets a poor example for my kids for me to be for any social reform for someone who has first admitted to be 'illegal' immigrants. To soft soap it in social work school, they said 'undocumented aliens'. I said, a rose by any other name... It didn't set well with some. They said I was racist. The fact is, I can't be pro anything illegal and preach to my children the importance of respecting the laws of this great country.

One last comment, my Pueblo friend says in general Indians don't mind being called 'Indians.' It isn't like Chris Columbus intended it to be anything other than the name of the people he encountered. He was just a wee bit LOST. She doesn't mind, Indigenous Peoples or Native Americans (which really covers both of the American contents, if you think about it), but to be correct, really correct, she is Acoma.

My Japanese-American friend lumps all white Americans in one batch. We probably look more alike than we actually share traditions and cultural behaviors.

Same thing is true with mentally handicapped people. When I started in social work, the label was Mentally Retarded. Technically, it is a really good term. It is clear. But people started using it as slang and other people decided to change the name rather than change the thinking of the ones using 'retard' for slang.

So it is DD right now, Developmentally Delayed. We screw up sometimes and use developmentally disabled, another old name in the evolution of terms. There was a new one last year, cognitive delayed, but it never caught on, so we are back to DD. The real question is not the label, it is why we need to call a group by their medical diagnosis in the first place.

Well anyway, I just thought this might begin a discussion.