Language police
What’s wrong with specifying gender?
We are on a very slippery slope and sliding downhill fast! Colorado State University has published its Inclusive Language Guide to make sure anyone on the CSU campus will be using only acceptable speech. “America” and “American” can no longer be used.
Much of the document is devoted to eliminating the use of common words that express or imply gender or biological sex, such as “freshman,” “policeman,” “male” and “female.” It also discourages the use of “his” or “her” or “she” and “he” and instead prefers only non-specific words like “ze,” “zir” or plurals like “they” or “them.” As an English major who taught English (long ago), I never encountered “ze’s” or “zir’s” and taught the difference between a plural and singular word and why it mattered.
The City of Berkley has gone even further and banned any word with a gender mentioned as part of the word. “Manholes” will now be called “maintenance holes,” “firemen” will become “firefighters,” “manmade” will be “artificial” and all instances of “men and women” will be replaced by “people.” Gendered pronouns, such as “he” and “she” will also be replaced with “they.” I’ll also remember the next time I paint a watercolor, it is really “artificial” not “manmade.” (I am not offended by the general use of “man” to refer to people.)
So much for singular or plural anymore with these word choices, and what else do all these quasi-government officials have to do but make up newer and even more arbitrary rules until nobody will be able to understand anything being said or written thus creating a huge black hole (to be changed to a “colorless”! Pitiful state of affairs!
Catherine Paxton
Arlington
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