Educate me please… since when is ____ offensive?

I consider myself to be fairly well educated.  I’m a minority myself (asian).  I am not a racist.  I am very open minded.  I am also pragmatic. I am for diversity, but not at the expense of success. I believe racism is not a myth, but is overblown and perpetuated by many of the organizations who would do away with it.  I would like to think I am sensitive enough to know when something is offensive and when it is not.  I believe – “to each, his own.”  I also believe that political correctness has gone WAY TOO FAR in most cases.

So, educate me please… since when is the word “monkey” offensive?

I first heard about it in a local news report — some high school kids got in trouble for using the word in a chant at a sports game.  I’ve NEVER heard that the word “monkey” is somehow offensive, but apparently it’s long been considered an offensive word.  I checked with some friends and my wife, but none of them heard of it either.  Just because someone at some point in history called an african american a “monkey” does not automatically make the word an offensive one.  I was once called “skinny” (long ago)… yet that word has not become offensive.

While I’m on the subject… Since when is “plantation” an offensive word??

Sully Plantation – a historical site near my home – has recently changed it’s name to Sully Historical Site.  Sorry, that’s just lame.  Eventually, we’ll be calling it something like… “Historical location #43234″  just so we don’t offend anyone who’s great, great, great grandparents were slaves or may have lived on a plantation — and we’ll strike the word “site” because it might offend the blind.  Sheesh!

I guess if it makes people happy, we’ll go along with it all – but you know what… I’m still going to teach my kids what a monkey says —that’s  “oooh, oooh, ahhh, ahhh” for those who were wondering.  I don’t care what the news reporters say!