DrTyore;389624 wroteUmmm
So you would be okay with phrasing that introduces broader, more inclusive language into our lexicon (aka, what this overall thing is doing with the gender identity / labeling / non-presumptuous traditional phrasing), yet claim the George Orwellian newspeak? Well let me just say that 1984 is the book that I have, far and away, read the most (like, once a year for the last 20 years). The concept of newspeak is one where in the language is removed / refined / redacted to limit the concepts available to people, while this is meant to expand (and, contrary to the theist-fascists) and include a higher understanding.
Fun
Mark
perhaps i misunderstood the article, but it seemed to me that they were outright saying that we should replace sexist or genderist terms with better ones. i got that opinion from the following lines:
A poster campaign by an Ontario public school board advises its 15,000-or-so students that it is not appropriate for them to use words such as mother and father, husband and wife, or even Mr. and Mrs.
and
The poster on gender tells students to avoid all use of the word "man" in conjunction with other descriptors, so they are enjoined to say human beings or people instead of mankind, while chairman, policeman and "manning the display booth" are also forbidden, apparently even if the person referred to is a man.
(my emphasis added obviously)
the article does state that it wants to add new terms that are not sexist but it also states, as we can clearly see, that we should outright stop using these other "sexist" terms.
again, i completely agree that sexism is ingrained in our culture and language, but i do not agree that correcting this problem should come from changing the language (as they try to do in 1984 newspeak - obviously their goal is different but it's the same method of "correcting" culture by changing the language).
i didn't actually mention how i think this change should come about though. i feel that we need a more bottom-up approach starting with the basic education (as opposed to a top-down approach of changing the language - language is a product of culture and not the other way around so it seems silly to correct culture by changing language). we should still be teaching policeman as well as police officer along with teaching how the terms can be loaded with sexism.
i have always argued that there should be a mandatory cultural studies course for high school students (and a philosophy course as well ;)). they currently try to include it in the english program, but it's done poorly at best. learning how to critically analyze our culture is incredibly important and it amazes me that we don't try to teach our children how to properly wade through our culture and our society. with proper understanding and critical thinking skills, the sexism in our language will (hopefully, ideally) change for the better.
