Why Do Some People Make Such a Big Deal About What They Are Called?

I have recently noticed a disturbing trend in the United States---the country that loves to refer to itself as the melting pot of the world.

All of a sudden, each little group seems to have decided that they don't want to melt into the whole, after all.

Blacks want to be called African Americans; those from south of the border prefer Latino American; Indians are Native Americans, (probably to distinguish them from Indians from India), etc. Lately, a term that seems to be bandied about a lot is Muslim American.

I would feel pretty silly asking people to call me a Caucasian American or Christian American so why should we identify a Muslim by the title of Muslim American, but, if we do, are we expected to preface it with the name of their birth country, too? Iranian Muslim American? Saudi Arabian Muslim American?

I thought that America was supposed to be the great melting pot so shouldn't we all just be Americans, unless of course you are here illegally, or are one of those who participates in protest marches carrying the American flag upside down underneath the flag of your country of origin?

I understand, too, that we are no longer supposed to call those who are here illegally, illegals, either. They are now undocumented Americans. I wonder if we need to add the other designations to that term, resulting in unwieldy titles such as, undocumented African Americans, undocumented Latino Americans, undocumented Muslim Americans, etc.?

The whole business of all these titles seems pretty ridiculous to me. Actually, so does insisting on being called "Senator," instead of Maam. A friend of mine who recently received his doctorate in English, insists on being called Doctor. I have a Master's degree. Should I insist on being called Master? Apparently some people have nothing better to do with their time than spend it making mountains out of molehills.

Or is that what I just finished doing?