Colorado State: 'Avoid' using 'Americans,' 'America'

[Kontinuum]

Colorado State University claims that “American” is a non-inclusive word that should be avoided.

CSU's online Inclusive Language Guide, compiled by the school’s Inclusive Communications Task Force, lists certain words and phrases to avoid while providing replacements in an effort to help “communicators practice inclusive language and [help] everyone on [its] campus feel welcomed, respected, and valued.” The school's Women and Gender Collaborative website directly links to the document.

CSU lists both “American” and “America” as non-inclusive words "to avoid," due to the fact that America encompasses more than just the U.S. By referring to the U.S. as America, the guide claims that one “erases other cultures and depicts the United States as the dominant American country.” The school suggests using “U.S. citizen” or “person from the U.S.” as substitutes.

The university additionally lists many gendered words and phrases to avoid. These include “male,” “female,” “ladies and gentlemen,” and “Mr./Mrs./Ms.”

“Male and female refers to biological sex and not gender,” says the guide. “In terms of communication methods (articles, social media, etc.), we very rarely need to identify or know a person’s biological sex and more often are referring to gender.”

“Straight” is another word to avoid, according to CSU. The guide explained that “when used to describe heterosexuals, the term straight implies that anyone LGBT is ‘crooked’ or not normal,” and says to use the word “heterosexual” instead.

“Normal person” was also listed as a phrase to avoid because it “implies that ‘other’ people… are not whole or regular people.” The guide offered no substitute word because it claimed that it is never appropriate to use the phrase to describe someone.

According to the list, the phrase “handicap parking” should also not be used because it can “minimize personhood” and offend disabled people. The guide recommends “accessible parking” as an alternative.

“War,” “cake walk,” “eenie meenie miney moe,” “Eskimo,” “freshman,” “hip hip hooray!”, “hold down the fort,” “starving,” and “policeman” were among other words and phrases deemed non-inclusive by CSU.

https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=13460

[spanishninja]

before anybody goes "derp derp it's a canpus reform article derp derp!", the text includes link to the university's own words.

[Socialhealer]

Ah they didn't say don't use the word cunt.

So CSU are a bunch of cunts.

[Daedius]

Here's an idea;

Fuck 'em and ignore these morons.

I ain't going to change for the absolute sake of it, threading on egg shells to avoid hurting someone's feelings. They'd be someone I wouldn't want to associate with anyways, so to hell with 'em.

Totally gag inducing...

[Dsonsion]

Yup, the correct word starts with "gri" and will get me infracted here.

[Kaleredar]

Before you're all convinced that the sky is falling, I've never heard of these "recommendations" amounting to a hill of anything.


I also find it interesting that they included "hip hip hooray," seeing as the notion that that's derived from some latin anti-Semitic slur is a myth.

[Wyrt]

Ah, something new for the perpetually outraged right wingers to be outraged about. Don't you ever get exhausted about being outraged by every minor thing?

[Captain N]

Ah, something new for the perpetually outraged right wingers to be outraged about. Don't you ever get exhausted about being outraged by every minor thing?

It's all a part of that colleges being liberal indoctrination center conspiracy theory they're pushing.

It's kinda funny though they're mad at a college deciding not to use certain words and yet worship a man who can't speak complete sentence and uses made up words.

[Socialhealer]

It's all a part of that colleges being liberal indoctrination center conspiracy theory they're pushing.

It's kinda funny though they're mad at a college deciding not to use certain words and yet worship a man who can't speak complete sentence and uses made up words.

I think its funny that all the political nutcases like you think because someone has an opinion they're instantly a Trump fan, or they're even american in the first place.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Won't somebody anybody think of the children?

Like seriously isn't college the place we are supposed to have open minds open to new ideas and then being challenged about them so that before they give birth out into the real world we aren't all dragged down.

Seriously safe places from words, now safe places for the ideas of new words or rather concepts that challenge the status quo.

I have an idea how about showing some tolerance and going unless or until something is harming someone, I'll just take a look at these ideas and go "Meh, No thanks" and move on.

I would say I am very liberal, but I am going to go on saying Mailman, and Manhole, and Actor when I am referencing a male or female. Doesn't mean everyone else is wrong, it just means if I prefer my way, ill keep it.

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I think its funny that all the political nutcases like you think because someone has an opinion they're instantly a Trump fan, or they're even american in the first place.

Calling people nutcases isn't very nice man.

[Socialhealer]

Calling people nutcases isn't very nice man.

Being called a Trump supporter every time someone doesn't agree with me isn't nice either, im not even American and I don't care what he's doing, but god forbid someone on mmo-c will tell me every time he so much as farts.

I'm unsubbed from the politics section for a reason but mods don't really enforce keeping the politics in there.

[unfilteredJW]

I think its funny that all the political nutcases like you think because someone has an opinion they're instantly a Trump fan, or they're even american in the first place.

It’s all from the same pile of human garbage so might as well work with it.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Being called a Trump supporter every time someone doesn't agree with me isn't nice either, im not even American and I don't care what he's doing, but god forbid someone on mmo-c will tell me every time he so much as farts.

So you are conflating being a nut case to that of a Trump Supporter?

[Chinese Bootlickers]

I look forward to the day where we all look back out how stingy college campuses are right now and have a hearty laugh.

[PickleballAce]

Don't you ever get exhausted about being outraged by every minor thing?

You mean, like...using the wrong pronouns?

Outrage culture spans the political spectrum.

[Grimbold21]

The expected commentary associating criticism of such lunacy with right-wing did not disappoint...

The expected commentary undermining opposition to such initiatives by qualifying them as minor issues did not disappoint either.

[Independent voter]

College students are very left wing as a group.

[Themius]

You know I have spoken with many people from Latin America that get annoyed at the entire fact that "America" is solely saved for people in the United States are America.

It is like if there was a place called "United States of Europe" and everyone ignored the fact French people are also European.

[Grimbold21]

You know I have spoken with many people from Latin America that get annoyed at the entire fact that "America" is solely saved for people in the United States are America.

It is like if there was a place called "United States of Europe" and everyone ignored the fact French people are also European.

That offense is as silly as the attempt to solve it.

Also, geographical position and subjective experience. I don't know a single European that says 'America' when travelling to a country in Latin America. At best, we would say "I'm going to Southern America".

[ranzino]

You know I have spoken with many people from Latin America that get annoyed at the entire fact that "America" is solely saved for people in the United States are America.

It is like if there was a place called "United States of Europe" and everyone ignored the fact French people are also European.

ok, i can get aboard that ship, but all the other "dont say that !!!" is bs.