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That's my point though, in the case of the census bureau, they researched what words to use, checked with their advisory counsel, and based on the respondents from the last census used the word Negro in order to reach out to the people who identified themselves that way. Yet, by trying to accomodate those people's self identifications, they stepped in it and insulted others.
It seems like there is no way to win. They were not trying to be offensive, in fact, they were trying to be sensitive, yet they are being raked over the coals for their insensitivity.
Like the thread a while back about "differently abled" or "handicapped" or whatever the proper term is now, it is constantly changing, and even though a person or organization is just trying to make a point or say something, they can be accused of insensitivity even when that was not their intention at all.
I wish people would A) be let in on what is appropriate and what is not, so to not offend, and B) that those offended would be less sensitive and over reactive to those who intended no slight. Sensitivity and just plain sense can go both ways.
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