Colorado State University: 'America' & 'Americans' Are 'Offensive' Words
Officials urge students to stop using terms deemed to cause 'offense'
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Colorado State University is calling on students to stop using words now deemed "offensive" such as "America" or "Americans."
Officials at the college are urging students to be more "inclusive" by avoiding the use of terms that may cause "offense."
The university has introduced a new “Inclusive Language Guide,” that advises students to avoid the words “America” and “American.”
The guide argues that these words erase “other cultures and depicts the United States as the dominant American country,” making the terms "non-inclusive" and therefore, "offensive."
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According to Breitbart, the guide, which was highlighted this week by Campus Reform, asks students to replace “America” and “American” with “U.S. citizen” or “person from the U.S.”
The guide contains a number of bizarre conclusions about language.
For example, it advises students against using the label “straight” as a synonym for heterosexual because it allegedly implies that those who are not straight are instead “not normal” or “crooked.”
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 refer 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.”
Despite the attempt to manipulate the language chosen by students, the university ironically claims in their “Inclusive Language Guide” that their aim is not to embolden political correctness.
This is not an official policy or required practice.
This document is intended as a resource to help our campus community reflect our Principles of Community particularly inclusion, respect, and social justice.
The language in the guide may not apply to every individual and it is critical to take personal preference into account.
The guide is not about political-correctness or policing grammar, but rather helping communicators practice inclusive language and helping everyone on our campus feel welcomed, respected, and valued.
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The rise of “inclusive language” guides isn't just limited to university campuses, however, as it is something that's impacting institutions around the world.
As Neon Nettle previously reported the terms “manhole” and “manpower” are too offensive and no longer gender-inclusive, according to one California’s most liberal cities who voted to revamp its city codebook with gender-neutral terms.
The Berkeley City Council voted to replace a number of terms found in the municipal code.
Terms up for the chop also include:
- Policeman
- Policewoman
- Chairwoman
- Chairman
- Brother
- Sister
The use of “he,” “she,” “him,” and “her" will also be scrapped.
Democratic city council member, Rigel Robinson, who wrote the ordinance, stated the change was necessary because a “male-centric” city code is “inaccurate and not reflective of our reality.”
“Women and non-binary individuals are just as entitled to accurate representation,” Robinson told CNN.
"Our laws are for everyone, and our municipal code should reflect that,
“It is Berkeley being Berkeley, and what that means is; it’s Berkeley being inclusive."
