White and Nerdy

It has been called to my attention that I am not especially, er, ethnic. At breakfast today, Cathy a/k/a Sunny pointed out that I used the term "bellwether" in our conversation. Evidently, this is not a phrase that is widely used across the cultures. I know, because I asked. I was at Denny's, and I asked the cashier and my waitress, both African-Americans, whether they had used the term "bellwether" in the last two years. No, they had not. I asked one of my pale brethren who was waiting in line. He didn't answer immediately, but as he searched his memory for the context of the last time that he had actually used the term himself, it was clear he was every bit as white as I.