I was doing an injection training the other day when one of the participants asked if I've ever had someone not be able to do thier own injection. I was laughing as I remembered the person involved had sat knee to knee with me, gripping that needle a hair above the injection site, just hovering for what seemed an eternity with me trying to encourage them as best I could. As I related this I said "Yeah, it was a real mexican standoff!" - EEEKKK!!! ARRGH! I quickly finished relating the rest of the story but as I got in my car after and drove away I was dying - how could I say that? What if they called the office and complained? Holy Crap! But as I was driving toward my next case I started thinking, what is a mexican standoff? It's actually a reference to two equally armed opposing sides that cannot make a move against each other. On further investigation, the origin is vague but it's believed to have become a term during the Southwestern settlement of our country, possibly term to describe a duel between two equally armed opponents. In other words it's not a negative slant on anyone. So why did I react the way I did? I think because we've become so afraid of being politically incorrect we're constantly censoring what we say and do - not to say there are some phrases and words we can do without, but I think it's reached a point when you mention any ethnic phrase you immediately feel like you've insulted someone. Somewhere. Somehow. I think we've reached a point that we feel we shouldn't even mention anyone's ethnic background, like it's no longer something to be discussed in polite society, an unsaid insult. But there's nothing wrong with being what you are. I was watching a show one day with a dog trainer and the owner kept going on about how her dog was like a child, and the trainer finally looked at her and said - "But what's so wrong with being a dog?". That phrase has stuck with me for a long time, I guess because to me it sums it all up one small sentence. You are what you are and there's nothing wrong with that.