I'm proud to be me.

Names don't personally offend me. I can be called anything. And I'll take it matter-of-factly. Honky, for instance. That's supposed to be a racial slur. Aimed at a white man. I think it's funny. Or I suppose I could be called a bohunk. A slur aimed at someone of Czech or Bohemian heritage. My mother was of Czech descent. And she took offense at the term. I've been called just about every derogatory name in the book. Far, far worse than s.o.b. But hey, I take it all in stride. A name never did me any physical harm. And I think I've fended off any mental or emotional anguish over it, too. I'd like to set the world record for the number of names I've been called. It would be a fantasically long list. Might take days to read. The remarkable thing is that I've survived the barrage. If that's the worst that ever befalls me, I'm home free. I bring this up because I'm told that the word "negro' is now considered taboo. Out of style. Actually, racist. Equivalent to honky for a white man. Golly, gee. Wouldn't bother me. I'd be a proud negro or a proud honky or a proud bohunk. Doesn't matter. I'm just proud to be me. Whatever I am. --Jim Broede