[78-L] One person's opinions...?!^

[Alexandre Benoit]

We people living in Donald Rumsfeld's 'Old Europe' are willing to learn. 
You can't say 'Afro-American' anymore today? So, 'African-American' is currently correct?  
 
For how long? How long did such epithets usually stay in use until they were deemed offensive? 
As far as I noticed from beyond the ocean, ALL these words were seen as derogative after 
a couple of decades. 
What's coming next as THE politically correct wording? 
Any trends noticeable yet? 
You Americans, ask yourselves why the perception of these words tends to always 
change after 30 or 40 years:   because you have a problem in your society. 
 
It's different in Europe. 
I have an adopted black daughter (sic!) - that's what she calls herself. 
We never had a problem with this in our family, or with friends, neighbors, whoever. 
What do you Americans want us to say?    African-French?   African-European? 
 
No, we say 'noir' in French, just like the Germans say 'schwarz' - withourt ever taking it 
as derogatory. We don't even think that the Spanish word for this color is offensive 
(the n-word). Nor the English 'black'. 
 
Those here offended remind me of that Rohrschach joke that most everybody knows: 
'But it's you, doctor, who shows me all those obscenities'. 
 
Alex 
who does not feel the slightest offended by Mr. Zwarg