I Need Help

Today I will start off by telling you that I am confused, conflicted and am no longer sure who I am.

Yeah, yeah, those of you that know me personally are saying so what else is new.

As I have said on here before, I do not have the benefit of a college education nor am I very smart and I am old, all of which makes a lot of things more difficult for me to understand.

That is why I am turning to you, my readers, for your help.

Here's my dilemma - how can I be politically correct and describe myself when I tell someone where I am from?

I always thought I was just a plain old American. Lately though, I am filled with doubt and wonder if I need to trace my genealogy to be politically correct.

This is where you, the reader, comes in. Maybe someone out there can help enlighten me.

Day in and day out we hear the terms, "Native American, Asian American, Mexican American and African American" to describe people born in America.

Call me stupid, but if you were born in America, where your current or distant ancestors came from really has nothing to do with being an American.

On the other hand if you were born in another country and here on a visa then you would not attach the word American to your place of origin.

If you were from another country and became a naturalized citizen then to me you would be an American.

If one insists on using the politically correct terms Native American, Asian American, Mexican American and African American, then I think the word American should come first not last - American Native, American Asian, American Mexican and American African.

Using what some claim as the politically correct term, how do you describe someone born in America that is 1/4 Indian, 1/4 Asian, 1/4 Mexican and 1/4 African?

Would they be Native, Asian, Mexican, African American? If that is proper, who gets top billing if each is an equal 25 %?

I like using the unattached version of what a citizen here in the United States is, and that name would be an American.

Are you beginning to see why I need help?

Please someone out there enlighten me before I trace my family tree and when describing me I have to attach 15 or 20 countries in front of America.

In closing I would like to leave you with this to ponder - If we are all created equal (except for women who are obviously a lot smarter than men), then wouldn't it be a lot more politically correct for every United States citizen to just be called an American?