Stanford University Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative (EHLI)

[Elixir]

I am confused - how does making polite suggestions for alternative language make one an authoritarian?

HOW DARE YOU ASK??
(that’s how)

 

[southernhybrid]

Jesus fucking Christ! It's not just about the silly list. How many times must I mention that! It's about those who are far left socially trying to force these changes on other people. The OP just got some of us thinking about what we already saw as a problem. This shit is happening in plenty of places, and it'a making a lot of people angry, and not just conservatives. And no. We're not speaking of this causing an authoritarian nation, but sometimes groups of people act authoritarian. That I think was the point of the authors of the last two links. That's how I see it as well.

Nevermind. You "guys" are hopeless. Stay in your woke little bubble and the rest of us will do our best not to let the far right take over the country.

I gotta go watch some of my favorite movies. Merry Christmas or Happy Festivus or whatever you celebrate this weekend. ( oh wait, it's sexist to make Santa a male )

 

[bilby]

People seem more "offended" than "afraid".

And they seem to be fundamentally offended by being asked to change.

This issue is the distilled essence of conservatism - change is bad. So bad, that it's far better for a bunch of "them" to be made unhappy by something that "we" could avoid doing with almost zero personal effort, than it is for one of "us" to even contemplate change.

Hence the bizarre argument that it was OK to use <insert slur of choice> in my childhood, so it should still be OK now.

It's right here:

It's about those who are far left socially trying to force these changes on other people.

The question "What's wrong with these changes?" isn't relevant or apt. They're changes, so they mustn't be allowed to happen.

 

[Toni]

I think people are fundamentally offended and upset by being thought to be in the wrong. It's uncomfortable to realize that you were saying something out of ignorance and that you unintentionally were denigrating some other person or group of persons. Or simply that you were in the wrong. That in itself is something that can be difficult to acknowledge, even to yourself.

I grew up in an era and in a place where a lot of terms which were offensive were just commonly used. My high school team is still called the Warriors and not only did we have a male student dressed in a full feathered headdress but also a female student dressed as a squaw. Yes, I am deliberately using that offensive term to emphasize that point. Not only that but the alumni association is beyond thrilled that they have so far staved off the latest attempt to eliminate these holdovers from a different era when such things were considered.....ordinary and even 'complimentary' to Native Americans. Back in the day, I was not aware of just how offensive the term squaw was but it did bother me. It was years and years later when I learned of the origins of the term that I realized my brain was recognizing the offense that my contemporaries thought was just fine.

There were a number of words and terms I simply had no idea were actually in reference to...real people and that they were insulting and offensive. And that's the thing, isn't it: Certain terms are offensive. Intentionally so. Or, at the very least, used to imply that the person being referred to doesn't have dignity or feelings or intelligence enough to recognize the insult or the power to protest if they do. And that's the other point: who has power and who does not. Tough to acknowledge for a well intended white person that they actually had the privilege of not having to know the insult carried in a word they thought innocent.

But once I realized or was told: it was not hard to change how I spoke. It was a bit uncomfortable to realize just how ignorant I had been. There was no malice, no ill intent. Just lack of awareness. It was a very, very white area, my little town and indeed, my little corner of the county where I grew up.

 

[Metaphor]

As far as the rest of the list goes, I found many of the terms were absurd. I think the so called overly woke among us seem to be looking for a reason to condemn others based on the words that they use, even when some of those words and expressions have never had any negative meaning in our lifetimes.I used the word guys as one example. I also mentioned Latinx because earlier in the day I read that only 3% of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino want to be addressed as Latinx.

If you want to know why Latinx matters to some folks and not others, perhaps instead of reading a poll of Times readers, you should consider asking a trans Latinx person why they might favor this reform of the language. They might agree or disagree with the change. If it is truly an unpopular usage, it will drift away on its own, like "differently abled" did in the 90s.

Oh, that is one area where I have faith that common sense will prevail, even in America. "Latinx" is literally nothing but the quintessence of white leftist linguistic colonialism, attempting to impose a term on someone else's culture and language. It will stagger off somewhere, looking vainly for a place to die.

 

[thebeave]

As far as the rest of the list goes, I found many of the terms were absurd. I think the so called overly woke among us seem to be looking for a reason to condemn others based on the words that they use, even when some of those words and expressions have never had any negative meaning in our lifetimes.I used the word guys as one example. I also mentioned Latinx because earlier in the day I read that only 3% of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino want to be addressed as Latinx.

If you want to know why Latinx matters to some folks and not others, perhaps instead of reading a poll of Times readers, you should consider asking a trans Latinx person why they might favor this reform of the language. They might agree or disagree with the change. If it is truly an unpopular usage, it will drift away on its own, like "differently abled" did in the 90s.

Oh, that is one area where I have faith that common sense will prevail, even in America. "Latinx" is literally nothing but the quintessence of white leftist linguistic colonialism, attempting to impose a term on someone else's culture and language. It will stagger off somewhere, looking vainly for a place to die.

It is a little amusing that people are told to use the preferred pronouns of trans people (be it they, xir, ze and about 94 other names I can't remember), but even though 97% of Latinos/Hispanics prefer the term Latinx not be used for them, the attitude among the progressive left seems to be, "sorry no, we'll keep using Latinx. We know better than you what is right for your people."

Is it really any surprise that Hispanics are leaving the Democrat Party in droves?

 

[Politesse]

As far as the rest of the list goes, I found many of the terms were absurd. I think the so called overly woke among us seem to be looking for a reason to condemn others based on the words that they use, even when some of those words and expressions have never had any negative meaning in our lifetimes.I used the word guys as one example. I also mentioned Latinx because earlier in the day I read that only 3% of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino want to be addressed as Latinx.

If you want to know why Latinx matters to some folks and not others, perhaps instead of reading a poll of Times readers, you should consider asking a trans Latinx person why they might favor this reform of the language. They might agree or disagree with the change. If it is truly an unpopular usage, it will drift away on its own, like "differently abled" did in the 90s.

Oh, that is one area where I have faith that common sense will prevail, even in America. "Latinx" is literally nothing but the quintessence of white leftist linguistic colonialism, attempting to impose a term on someone else's culture and language. It will stagger off somewhere, looking vainly for a place to die.

Well thank god Spanish speakers have you to save them from the leftists...

Yes, reducing gender bias in language is indeed a "leftist" project. I don't know why you think only whites would be interested in same (unaware of the existence of Latin America I guess?) or how challenging the power of the church is a colonial rather than decolonizing enterprise. Undoing the damage of colonialism is a major reason why leftist ideology is so popular in much of the Hispanic world; it's a direct challenge to the corrupt plutocratic system Spain tried to impose over the Americas.

 

[Politesse]

As far as the rest of the list goes, I found many of the terms were absurd. I think the so called overly woke among us seem to be looking for a reason to condemn others based on the words that they use, even when some of those words and expressions have never had any negative meaning in our lifetimes.I used the word guys as one example. I also mentioned Latinx because earlier in the day I read that only 3% of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino want to be addressed as Latinx.

If you want to know why Latinx matters to some folks and not others, perhaps instead of reading a poll of Times readers, you should consider asking a trans Latinx person why they might favor this reform of the language. They might agree or disagree with the change. If it is truly an unpopular usage, it will drift away on its own, like "differently abled" did in the 90s.

Oh, that is one area where I have faith that common sense will prevail, even in America. "Latinx" is literally nothing but the quintessence of white leftist linguistic colonialism, attempting to impose a term on someone else's culture and language. It will stagger off somewhere, looking vainly for a place to die.

It is a little amusing that people are told to use the preferred pronouns of trans people (be it they, xir, ze and about 94 other names I can't remember), but even though 97% of Latinos/Hispanics prefer the term Latinx not be used for them, the attitude among the progressive left seems to be, "sorry no, we'll keep using Latinx. We know better than you what is right for your people."

Is it really any surprise that Hispanics are leaving the Democrat Party in droves?

You seem to be simultaneously acknowledging and denying that plenty of Latino/a/x folks are progressives themselves...

 

[Metaphor]

As far as the rest of the list goes, I found many of the terms were absurd. I think the so called overly woke among us seem to be looking for a reason to condemn others based on the words that they use, even when some of those words and expressions have never had any negative meaning in our lifetimes.I used the word guys as one example. I also mentioned Latinx because earlier in the day I read that only 3% of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino want to be addressed as Latinx.

If you want to know why Latinx matters to some folks and not others, perhaps instead of reading a poll of Times readers, you should consider asking a trans Latinx person why they might favor this reform of the language. They might agree or disagree with the change. If it is truly an unpopular usage, it will drift away on its own, like "differently abled" did in the 90s.

Oh, that is one area where I have faith that common sense will prevail, even in America. "Latinx" is literally nothing but the quintessence of white leftist linguistic colonialism, attempting to impose a term on someone else's culture and language. It will stagger off somewhere, looking vainly for a place to die.

Well thank god Spanish speakers have you to save them from the leftists...

Me? No. I have faith they will save themselves from this imperialistic nonsense.

Yes, reducing gender bias in language is indeed a "leftist" project. I don't know why you think only whites would be interested in same (unaware of the existence of Latin America I guess?)

No, not all whites. American leftist imperialist whites. I can assure you there are many white nations in Europe who are not going to accept language colonialists imposing their values on their own language.

or how challenging the power of the church is a colonial rather than decolonizing enterprise. Undoing the damage of colonialism is a major reason why leftist ideology is so popular in much of the Hispanic world; it's a direct challenge to the corrupt plutocratic system Spain tried to impose over the Americas.

Sure love. That's why 2 per cent of Latinos prefer to be addressed as Latinx, and 98 per cet would prefer their own language not be colonised.

 

[Metaphor]

As far as the rest of the list goes, I found many of the terms were absurd. I think the so called overly woke among us seem to be looking for a reason to condemn others based on the words that they use, even when some of those words and expressions have never had any negative meaning in our lifetimes.I used the word guys as one example. I also mentioned Latinx because earlier in the day I read that only 3% of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino want to be addressed as Latinx.

If you want to know why Latinx matters to some folks and not others, perhaps instead of reading a poll of Times readers, you should consider asking a trans Latinx person why they might favor this reform of the language. They might agree or disagree with the change. If it is truly an unpopular usage, it will drift away on its own, like "differently abled" did in the 90s.

Oh, that is one area where I have faith that common sense will prevail, even in America. "Latinx" is literally nothing but the quintessence of white leftist linguistic colonialism, attempting to impose a term on someone else's culture and language. It will stagger off somewhere, looking vainly for a place to die.

It is a little amusing that people are told to use the preferred pronouns of trans people (be it they, xir, ze and about 94 other names I can't remember), but even though 97% of Latinos/Hispanics prefer the term Latinx not be used for them, the attitude among the progressive left seems to be, "sorry no, we'll keep using Latinx. We know better than you what is right for your people."

Is it really any surprise that Hispanics are leaving the Democrat Party in droves?

You seem to be simultaneously acknowledging and denying that plenty of Latino/a/x folks are progressives themselves...

They're Latinos. That's the term for a mixed-sex group of Latino people. Die mad about it.

 

[Politesse]

As far as the rest of the list goes, I found many of the terms were absurd. I think the so called overly woke among us seem to be looking for a reason to condemn others based on the words that they use, even when some of those words and expressions have never had any negative meaning in our lifetimes.I used the word guys as one example. I also mentioned Latinx because earlier in the day I read that only 3% of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino want to be addressed as Latinx.

If you want to know why Latinx matters to some folks and not others, perhaps instead of reading a poll of Times readers, you should consider asking a trans Latinx person why they might favor this reform of the language. They might agree or disagree with the change. If it is truly an unpopular usage, it will drift away on its own, like "differently abled" did in the 90s.

Oh, that is one area where I have faith that common sense will prevail, even in America. "Latinx" is literally nothing but the quintessence of white leftist linguistic colonialism, attempting to impose a term on someone else's culture and language. It will stagger off somewhere, looking vainly for a place to die.

It is a little amusing that people are told to use the preferred pronouns of trans people (be it they, xir, ze and about 94 other names I can't remember), but even though 97% of Latinos/Hispanics prefer the term Latinx not be used for them, the attitude among the progressive left seems to be, "sorry no, we'll keep using Latinx. We know better than you what is right for your people."

Is it really any surprise that Hispanics are leaving the Democrat Party in droves?

You seem to be simultaneously acknowledging and denying that plenty of Latino/a/x folks are progressives themselves...

They're Latinos. That's the term for a mixed-sex group of Latino people. Die mad about it.

Do you even speak Spanish.???

The debate over gendered language is fairly similar among English and Spanish-speaking Americans, which is not surprising considering we are all neighbors and to a large extent share in a common culture. Yes, those who advocate for gender-neutral language are a minority in the US regardless of one's primary language. The church has deep roots in both Anglophone and Hispanic America, and her social policies remain influential.

 

[Metaphor]

As far as the rest of the list goes, I found many of the terms were absurd. I think the so called overly woke among us seem to be looking for a reason to condemn others based on the words that they use, even when some of those words and expressions have never had any negative meaning in our lifetimes.I used the word guys as one example. I also mentioned Latinx because earlier in the day I read that only 3% of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino want to be addressed as Latinx.

If you want to know why Latinx matters to some folks and not others, perhaps instead of reading a poll of Times readers, you should consider asking a trans Latinx person why they might favor this reform of the language. They might agree or disagree with the change. If it is truly an unpopular usage, it will drift away on its own, like "differently abled" did in the 90s.

Oh, that is one area where I have faith that common sense will prevail, even in America. "Latinx" is literally nothing but the quintessence of white leftist linguistic colonialism, attempting to impose a term on someone else's culture and language. It will stagger off somewhere, looking vainly for a place to die.

It is a little amusing that people are told to use the preferred pronouns of trans people (be it they, xir, ze and about 94 other names I can't remember), but even though 97% of Latinos/Hispanics prefer the term Latinx not be used for them, the attitude among the progressive left seems to be, "sorry no, we'll keep using Latinx. We know better than you what is right for your people."

Is it really any surprise that Hispanics are leaving the Democrat Party in droves?

You seem to be simultaneously acknowledging and denying that plenty of Latino/a/x folks are progressives themselves...

They're Latinos. That's the term for a mixed-sex group of Latino people. Die mad about it.

Do you even speak Spanish.???

No. But I know enough about it to know that it is gendered, and enough about it to know that 'Latinx' is an imperialist assault waged by white leftist imperialists (and some Latino academics).

The debate over gendered language is fairly similar among English and Spanish-speaking Americans, which is not surprising considering we are all neighbors and to a large extent share in a common culture. Yes, those who advocate for gender-neutral language are a minority in the US regardless of one's primary language.

Yes, they're a minority in the U.S., but that hasn't stopped their colonial assault on someone else's language.

The church has deep roots in both Anglophone and Hispanic America, and her social policies remain influential.

I guarantee you that Spanish is older than 'the church'.

 

[thebeave]

As far as the rest of the list goes, I found many of the terms were absurd. I think the so called overly woke among us seem to be looking for a reason to condemn others based on the words that they use, even when some of those words and expressions have never had any negative meaning in our lifetimes.I used the word guys as one example. I also mentioned Latinx because earlier in the day I read that only 3% of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino want to be addressed as Latinx.

If you want to know why Latinx matters to some folks and not others, perhaps instead of reading a poll of Times readers, you should consider asking a trans Latinx person why they might favor this reform of the language. They might agree or disagree with the change. If it is truly an unpopular usage, it will drift away on its own, like "differently abled" did in the 90s.

Oh, that is one area where I have faith that common sense will prevail, even in America. "Latinx" is literally nothing but the quintessence of white leftist linguistic colonialism, attempting to impose a term on someone else's culture and language. It will stagger off somewhere, looking vainly for a place to die.

It is a little amusing that people are told to use the preferred pronouns of trans people (be it they, xir, ze and about 94 other names I can't remember), but even though 97% of Latinos/Hispanics prefer the term Latinx not be used for them, the attitude among the progressive left seems to be, "sorry no, we'll keep using Latinx. We know better than you what is right for your people."

Is it really any surprise that Hispanics are leaving the Democrat Party in droves?

You seem to be simultaneously acknowledging and denying that plenty of Latino/a/x folks are progressives themselves...

You're right. I should have said ...attitude among the white progressive left...

 

[Politesse]

Yes, they're a minority in the U.S., but that hasn't stopped their colonial assault on someone else's language.

"Someone else's language"? How are users of the latinx variation any less owners of their own language than anyone else?

 

[repoman]

As far as the rest of the list goes, I found many of the terms were absurd. I think the so called overly woke among us seem to be looking for a reason to condemn others based on the words that they use, even when some of those words and expressions have never had any negative meaning in our lifetimes.I used the word guys as one example. I also mentioned Latinx because earlier in the day I read that only 3% of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino want to be addressed as Latinx.

If you want to know why Latinx matters to some folks and not others, perhaps instead of reading a poll of Times readers, you should consider asking a trans Latinx person why they might favor this reform of the language. They might agree or disagree with the change. If it is truly an unpopular usage, it will drift away on its own, like "differently abled" did in the 90s.

Oh, that is one area where I have faith that common sense will prevail, even in America. "Latinx" is literally nothing but the quintessence of white leftist linguistic colonialism, attempting to impose a term on someone else's culture and language. It will stagger off somewhere, looking vainly for a place to die.

It is a little amusing that people are told to use the preferred pronouns of trans people (be it they, xir, ze and about 94 other names I can't remember), but even though 97% of Latinos/Hispanics prefer the term Latinx not be used for them, the attitude among the progressive left seems to be, "sorry no, we'll keep using Latinx. We know better than you what is right for your people."

Is it really any surprise that Hispanics are leaving the Democrat Party in droves?

You seem to be simultaneously acknowledging and denying that plenty of Latino/a/x folks are progressives themselves...

You're right. I should have said ...attitude among the white progressive left...

and Jewish, this is just the type of Talmudic crap they pull all the time.

 

[Metaphor]

Yes, they're a minority in the U.S., but that hasn't stopped their colonial assault on someone else's language.

"Someone else's language"? How are users of the latinx variation any less owners of their own language than anyone else?

I was not aware that the white Democrats with no Latino heritage owned Spanish.

 

[Metaphor]

Yes, they're a minority in the U.S., but that hasn't stopped their colonial assault on someone else's language.

"Someone else's language"? How are users of the latinx variation any less owners of their own language than anyone else?

If you are talking about Latino academics, yes, it is their own language, so they're not colonialists.

 

[Politesse]

As far as the rest of the list goes, I found many of the terms were absurd. I think the so called overly woke among us seem to be looking for a reason to condemn others based on the words that they use, even when some of those words and expressions have never had any negative meaning in our lifetimes.I used the word guys as one example. I also mentioned Latinx because earlier in the day I read that only 3% of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino want to be addressed as Latinx.

If you want to know why Latinx matters to some folks and not others, perhaps instead of reading a poll of Times readers, you should consider asking a trans Latinx person why they might favor this reform of the language. They might agree or disagree with the change. If it is truly an unpopular usage, it will drift away on its own, like "differently abled" did in the 90s.

Oh, that is one area where I have faith that common sense will prevail, even in America. "Latinx" is literally nothing but the quintessence of white leftist linguistic colonialism, attempting to impose a term on someone else's culture and language. It will stagger off somewhere, looking vainly for a place to die.

It is a little amusing that people are told to use the preferred pronouns of trans people (be it they, xir, ze and about 94 other names I can't remember), but even though 97% of Latinos/Hispanics prefer the term Latinx not be used for them, the attitude among the progressive left seems to be, "sorry no, we'll keep using Latinx. We know better than you what is right for your people."

Is it really any surprise that Hispanics are leaving the Democrat Party in droves?

You seem to be simultaneously acknowledging and denying that plenty of Latino/a/x folks are progressives themselves...

You're right. I should have said ...attitude among the white progressive left...

Are you trying to indicate that you think all native speakers of Spanish are brown-skinned and anti-leftist? I can't make sense of your point. You clearly don't talk to many college age hispanic folks of any nationality. I do speak Spanish, as do most of my students to varying degrees. They are a culturally and racially diverse community, and talk about and worry about the same sorts of things all college students do the world round.

 

[Metaphor]

I could be ignorant of this - but are there any leaders in Hispanic/Latino countries who use the term 'Latinx' with their own people?

 

[Politesse]

Yes, they're a minority in the U.S., but that hasn't stopped their colonial assault on someone else's language.

"Someone else's language"? How are users of the latinx variation any less owners of their own language than anyone else?

I was not aware that the white Democrats with no Latino heritage owned Spanish.

Party affiliation has little to do with anything. We don't define college policies based on how our students vote.