To the oversensitive Americans in our midst,

I learned from a conversation with Michael Demmons of Gay Orbit that there are some among you who are deathly afraid of offending minorities through the routine use of words in the English language that have taken on a pejorative meaning when used in certain contexts.

Here are two examples off the top of my head:

1. “Flipbook,” which seems to be an office implement used to make presentations to people.
2. “Chink in armor,” which refers to weaknesses, either used literally (as in medieval combat) or figuratively.

Neither of these terms offend me, or the Chinese that I know. Nor do I find offense the words “blackboard,” which has now been PC-ed into “chalkboard,” and “whiteboard,” which is now referred to as “dry-erase board.”

I understand your concern that you don’t want to offend minorities. In a country like this, the most vile attack one can level at a white person is to accuse them of being racist. Why that is, I do not know. There are plenty other crimes against humanity that people of all colors can engage in. However, your “concern” should be limited to blatant and malicious acts of racial discrimination and insensitivity. Exempli gratia: You can use the term “flipbook” just fine, or the phrase “chink in armor,” but of course it doesn’t mean that you will gain respect should you call the Asians at City Wok “goddamned Chinks.”

I think that jumping around vocabulary because some words are possibly offensive in a different context is bad for English, bad for communication, and bad for “race relations” in this country. It is extremely condescending for you to avoid using terms that have been around for a very long time just because they might be offensive. I think I’ve repeated myself too much but let me close with a few more examples.

It is not okay to call a black person a “nigger,” although to be honest I have written before about the use of the word “Negro” and that it should lose its racist connotation the way “Asian” or “Caucasian” shouldn’t seem racist. It’s not okay to call an Asian a “Chink” or a “gook” or a “jap,” or any one of the pejorative terms for us on that side of the globe, however, don’t be afraid to say “flip over to the next page,” or other uses of the word as long as you don’t use it to refer to Filipinos.

Verily there is real verbal bile that comes with some words. We don’t need the condescending approach that some of you (accidentally) exhibit when you take extra care to avoid using words whose pejorative nature depends on context and usage.

Wishing to communicate with a few of you better,
One Fine Jay

P.S. MD, insist upon your officemates that it really is called a “flipbook,” and not an “easel board,” or whatever it was. Tell them a Filipino told you.