(whispering) Eskimo

Eskimo is a no-no.

I'm not ashamed to admit I first learned of this watching Postcards from Buster with my children.

Further research informs me that "Eskimo has come under strong attack in recent years for its supposed offensiveness, and many Americans today either avoid this term or feel uneasy using it. It is widely known that Inuit, a term of ethnic pride, offers an acceptable alternative, but it is less well understood that Inuit cannot substitute for Eskimo in all cases, being restricted in usage to the Inuit-speaking peoples of Arctic Canada and parts of Greenland. In Alaska and Arctic Siberia, where Inuit is not spoken, the comparable terms are Inupiaq and Yupik, neither of which has gained as wide a currency in English as Inuit."

Gulp. I grew up eating Eskimo Pies, sitting Indian style, and referring to ripoffs as gyps.

I also grew up being embarassed when my father would use culturally-charged terms that dated him, assuming he did so in spite of knowing better. As an adult, I realize they were no more than second nature slips of the tongue, not cultural insensitivities.

I'm as diligent as possible, as my father most likely was.

May my children be more forgiving.