Big, smart grownup that I was, I couldn't think of a proper reply to his response. I couldn't really argue with the mechanics of it. Perhaps a lecture on respect and sensitivity would have been appropriate, but I would only have made an even bigger ass of myself.
Adults are stupid.
We have too many prescriptions and qualifications. We're hypersensitive and overly sentimental. We worry too much about being offensive or inappropriate. And though these are not always bad things, they can really make our stories boring. Kids are smarter because they know less.