(Photo: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck has a question for African-Americans. Why, he wants to know, can’t they just be Black or, better yet, simply Americans. On his Tuesday broadcast, Beck asked co-host Pat Gray whether he, too, felt “ridiculously stupid” using the term “African-American” while visiting other nations. Why they would even do that is a whole other question, but I digress.

“How can people be one thing in one country and nowhere else in the world?” Beck asked. “In South Africa, it’s Black and colored.”

Which brings him to another point: is the term “colored” really so bad? And why should he and other white people be made to feel bad about employing the outdated description. According to Beck, “African-American” was coined to give Blacks a false sense of high esteem that he thinks is political correctness run amok. Here’s how he sees it.

African-American “was not made to do anything except try to create a super man. ‘Oh don’t you dare feel bad about yourself! You’re African-American!’ No. You’re an American. Instead of building the country up and saying, ‘Lookit. We all have the right, here in this country. Look at what happened with Martin Luther King. That makes you an American. Judge not by the color of your skin’,” Beck said. “And you weren’t over in Africa! Your great-great-great grandfather was, your great-great-great-great grandfather may have been, but you weren’t! And sure this country sucked for blacks. Sucked. Beyond sucked, for a long time. But it doesn’t now. It doesn’t now. Be proud to be an American.”

According to Beck, Americans have become too afraid to offend one another or specific groups which impedes their ability to be truly honest. “Have no fear,” is his advice, “Dismiss these human rights frauds.”

There are probably some “colored” people out there who are saying the same thing about him.