Political correctness wins again

As a newspaper editor, the Associated Press stylebook is my bible. It offers guidance on a wide range of grammar and usage issues. And in the new edition, it's bowing to political correctness. According to the new and "improved" stylebook, individual newspapers can now decide whether to refer to a black person as black or African-American. Is there some compelling reason why we need to refer to somebody as African-American when, in most cases, they've never set foot on the continent, and their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were all born right here? And what if a white person who was born and raised in Africa comes here to live? Is he an African-American? And, by the way, not all black people in our country hail from Africa. How do we differentiate them? We hear talk all the time about how we need to break down racial barriers and come together as one America. To me, when you refer to yourself by your continent of origin, you're putting up a barrier and setting yourself apart from your fellow Americans. And the AP is now perpetuating that. The new stylebook also advises us newspaper people that "mentally retarded" is no longer acceptable. Those folks whom we previously referred to as retarded are now to be called "mentally disabled," the AP has decreed. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the old term. It was descriptive. Those folks have been mentally slowed, or retarded, by their conditions. And some activists go nuts when you use the word "disabled." They like to say "differently abled." Where does this stuff stop? I'm sure it's just a matter of time before the AP bans "black" and "disabled" totally. When that happens, I would like to be referred to as a "Scots-Irish-Swiss-German-English American." And, please, don't offend me by saying I'm fat (even though I am, it's my own fault and I'm well aware of it). I will henceforth be known as "calorically challenged."

Sincerely,
The fat white guy