Beaner. Are you offended by the term?

Recently I attended a networking event and the seemingly endless debate for terms Latino VS Hispanic started.
Someone ended the discussion with the following statement.

"Really I could not possibly care less about what people or the government call me. Call me Latino. Call me Hispanic. Heck! Call me Beaner if you want."

Some people started laughing openly while some just giggled and some others waited to see what response would be most appropriate.

How politically incorrect is the term?
Does it depend on the intention?
Or is it just meaningful in certain circumstances?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Anna Patterson on October 24, 2009 at 9:40am: It's a double-edged sword. Many other ethnicities and races have their own "terms of endearment" that only a few are privy to. Nigga, cracker, yankee, beaner. It's who you are, how you say it, how you mean it. Mainly a generational, age, thing. All these terms do have their history. They were all intended to cause pain and shame. As we've evolved to be so multi-racial, we've changed the original meaning of these. Ask a 50-year old and a 15-year old. Most of us now proudly wear these terms so much so, that we've dulled the edges.
Not saying that it's right, but hey, we're moving past our prejudices.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Armando Sosa-Jacott on October 26, 2009 at 1:07pm: Hear, hear!; ▶ Reply to This

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