Hyphenated Americans

I don't give a crap what people call me...Asian, oriental, titty sucker, etc. It doesn't matter what you call me. What matters is your intent. Did you intend to offend me? Trash talkin' is one thing, but a genuine intent to offend is another. This brings me down to the hyphenated Americans. You know, Asian-American, African-American, etc. I would like to tell you all a story that backfired on people who insisted on such labels.

My friend Benton has a buddy who applied for an African-American scholarship. Not only was he accepted for it, he ended up getting full tuition, money for books and housing. Problem was, this kid was blonde haired and blue eyed. They were going to deny him the money. However, he was indeed African-American. His family was from South Africa. He was 3rd generation South African. He claimed that he was more "African" than most of the black people on campus. He took them to court and won. The language was clear. People of African descent. He was. I tell this story because I am against political correctness. Respect is NOT given in the form of a word. It's given from within. That's just my opinion.