Cultural "sensitivity" has become as much or more about gamesmanship than respect.

OK, so I’m not a very “sensitive” or politically correct guy. There’s no malice to it. I don’t know, maybe I just don’t know any better, or maybe I just don’t like being bullied.

Everyone makes a big deal of the word “respect” now-a-days. Oddly enough, the people who most loudly demand “respect,” don’t seem very concerned about giving it to others.

So I guess they use the word “respect” to mean deference.

A while ago I started noticing how many articles used the term “African-American” in the same articles in which they use more generic terms for others, like white, Hispanic and Asian.

For me, if whites are, well “whites,” then blacks are "blacks." If blacks are “African-American,” then whites are “European-Americans,” Asians, "Asian-Americans" and Hispanics are “Mexican-Americans,” "Cuban-Americans,” "Puerto Rican-Americans" and so on. Otherwise, there’s no mutual respect.

So when someone insists on using the term “African-American,” I insist that the terms, "Asian-American," “European-American,” etc also be used. If someone uses the term white (which is fine with me), I will use the term black, as it seems only reciprocal. This only seems logical to me, but you’d be surprised how many people have a problem with my objecting to the double standard - “respect” or deference to “minorities,” but no reciprocity for whites.

I’ve been called on being “disrespectful,” by using the term “black” by people using the term “white” and I love that. I always respond, “Oh, I didn’t know we were using the more formal identifiers, as you haven’t used them yourself.”

The common response is, “Excuse me! But I’ve been using “African-American” from the start.” I usually have to laugh before noting, “Yes, but you’ve also been using the term “white” instead of “European-American” from the start, so you had me confused. It’s conventional that respect is a reciprocal, two-way street.”

The people who seem least capable of understanding my points are always the most educated.

People in the media are among the most “politically correct,” or deferent. Actually, I find that most of them are even less “sensitive” of others than I am, mostly because they’re so self-absorbed. But they sure love making certain that everyone around them is properly deferent...I mean “respectful.”

I don’t know why, but I just can’t abide being lectured by bullies. My Mom just didn’t raise me that way.

Now a lot of bigotry is born innocently enough out of fear and ignorance, but being a bully is a deliberate and malicious thing. It takes no small amount of malevolence to be a bully. So that’s why I call people on these seemingly insignificant things.

People who don’t know any better, or have made an innocent mistake will correct themselves, but a bully will bristle with contempt and lecture you on how “insensitive” you are and de facto, how “enlightened” they are.

This is actually a very good thing. You find out where the other person is coming from right off the bat and can deal with them accordingly.

Ignorance can be excused, but control freak, bullies must be confronted at every opportunity.