Sometimes, You Can Be TOO Politically-Correct....

When I write a script, I write the characters without mentioning what race they are, and why should I? Unless the script specifically deals with race, or there is a situation in a script in which race matters, the casting should be color-blind, even in the writer's head.

When I read scripts, though, the words that are most often used are "black", or "African-American". The latter is considered the more politically-correct, and is generally the fallback for many writers.

But maybe it has become too ingrained. I recently read a script in which characters were described as being "African-American" throughout.

The problem? The script was set in Africa. The characters were African people, with dark skin, who lived in Africa their entire lives, who had never been to America, nor knew anyone in America.

Note to writers -- if you want readers to take your script seriously, try to avoid the things that will make them erupt into dumb-founded laughter.