[Linganth] CDC Language ban

[Catharine Mason]

Thanks, Judy! I hadn't thought of that possibility.

Good strategy is definitely not based on second-guessing. But if this is
indeed a viable attack on freedom of expression, it will be important for
linguists to respond collectively.


On Sun, Dec 17, 2017 at 12:18 AM, Liz Coville <ecoville at gmail.com> wrote:

> I agree with Judy that we need to find out more about how this came to be.
> Who said what to who and why.  It seems like there's a lot of information
> that hasn't been reported yet, or at least I haven't seen it.  Is it the
> words or the topics that arre being prohibited?
>
> Liz
>
> On Sat, Dec 16, 2017 at 5:01 PM, Judith Pine <Judy.Pine at wwu.edu> wrote:
>
>> I’m interested in watching the information come out on this.  At this
>> point, my sense is that what may have happened is some bureaucrats, as they
>> prepare their budget request, have decided that if they avoid these words
>> they will be more likely to get funded, and if they have these words in
>> their budget they’ll be less likely to get funded. So it’s a pre-emptive
>> sort of thing, not a prohibition coming from the administration but rather
>> a bureaucratic strategy to deal with (probably quite accurate) anticipation
>> of the administration’s response.
>>
>>
>>
>> So this may be an effort to get things funded by re-labelling them
>> without changes in content. I think, though, that it is that this strategy
>> will backfire, as the labels re-shape the contents and everyone struggles
>> in the dark to figure out what they are supposed to be doing. But how do
>> you get bureaucrats to avoid “bureaucratic weasel-wording”?
>>
>>
>>
>> And if we point out the changed wording and it results in the
>> administration and the legislature cutting the funding for the programs,
>> where does that get us? Not that weasel-wording is a good thing, but I’m
>> not sure pointing it out solves the fundamental problem. Maybe, instead,
>> publicize the positive results of programs that use these words, using the
>> words in the titles? Ideally, successes in Republican-leaning areas if
>> possible?
>>
>>
>>
>> -          Judy
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* Linganth [mailto:linganth-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org] *On
>> Behalf Of *Leila Monaghan
>> *Sent:* Saturday, December 16, 2017 1:39 PM
>> *To:* Galey Modan
>> *Cc:* LINGANTH
>> *Subject:* Re: [Linganth] CDC Language ban
>>
>>
>>
>> One way to fight this “ban on words” might be to publicize every document
>> that the CDC publishes with changed words, pointing out the changes.  This
>> ruling hampers everything from getting information about the elderly to the
>> fight against Zika.
>>
>>
>>
>> Leila
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Dec 16, 2017 at 2:15 PM, Galey Modan <gmodan at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Any ideas how we as an organization might fight this?
>>
>>
>>
>> https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/cdc-
>> gets-list-of-forbidden-words-fetus-transgender-diversity/
>> 2017/12/15/f503837a-e1cf-11e7-89e8-edec16379010_story.html?
>> utm_term=.ad1d1b951b0d
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Leila Monaghan, PhD
>>
>> Publisher, Elm Books
>>
>> Laramie, Wyoming
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Linganth mailing list
>> Linganth at listserv.linguistlist.org
>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/linganth
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Liz Coville
> cell: 651-442-8657
> ecoville at gmail.com
>
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>
>


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