[Linganth] CDC Language ban
Charles Briggs
clbriggs at berkeley.edu
Mon Dec 18 16:50:48 UTC 2017
Friends,
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I would like to make two points.
First, let's pool information about the ban and what happens in the wake
of its revelation. I am trying to get touch with people who work at the
CDC to see if I can learn more. A number of us might have friends or
relatives who could provide information, probably anonymously.
Communication in public health in general and the CDC specifically
essentially follows military-style hierarchical controls, which is part
of what makes the ban so significant, so this sort of diffuse, informal
ethnographic approach is what is most likely to pay off.
Second, this situation invites us to look beyond the usual division of
labor between linguistic and medical anthropology to see ways that
ideologies and practices associated with what are constructed as
"language" and "communication" are deeply entangled with those
associated with "medicine" and "health." This nexus, which I referred to
as biomediatization in a book with media scholar Daniel Hallin, includes
but also goes much deeper than either banning these particular lexical
items or fetishizing others (like 'preparedness' or 'sustainability').
In order to get a handle on this situation and to see what it represents
in the day-to-day work of the CDC (and possibly state and local public
health agencies), we need to scrutinize more broadly how mediatization
and the regimentation of what is constructed as "communication" shape
rather than simply reflect what counts as health and illness. These
issues are deeply tied into those recently analyzed by anthropologists
who look at issues of security.
Best,
Charles
On 12/18/17 7:56 AM, Brookes, Tim wrote:
> Wow. This is a very sophisticated response!
>
> On Mon, Dec 18, 2017 at 10:46 AM, Liz Crocker <lcrocker at bu.edu
> <mailto:lcrocker at bu.edu>> wrote:
>
> You might consider reaching out to: https://envirodatagov.org/.
> They had a presentation at the recent AAA meeting about how they
> have been tracking web changes to EPA resources including
> side-by-side language analysis of webpages under Obama and Trump.
> Here is a blog post written for Cultural Anthropology that was
> authored by someone at EDGI
> https://envirodatagov.org/environmental-data-guerrilla-archiving-and-the-trump-transition/
> <https://envirodatagov.org/environmental-data-guerrilla-archiving-and-the-trump-transition/>.
>
>
> They might be a great resource for considering how you could
> develop a similar program for the CDC and NIH with relation to the
> "banned words." Tracking these changes systematically also
> provides power in being able to quantitatively show how
> organizations are changing messaging and resources via language
> shifts and what that might mean for health and funding. For
> example, check out this report by EDGI that shows how they made
> subtle language changes such as largely removing the word "carbon"
> from EPA resources and swapping in alternative language:
> https://envirodatagov.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/WM-CCR-18-EPA-Smartway-Program-170919.pdf
> <https://envirodatagov.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/WM-CCR-18-EPA-Smartway-Program-170919.pdf>
> That report was picked up by the Washington Post, Politico, and
> the Hill among others.
>
> Cheers,
> Liz
>
> On Mon, Dec 18, 2017 at 9:54 AM, Judith Pine <Judy.Pine at wwu.edu
> <mailto:Judy.Pine at wwu.edu>> wrote:
>
> This is marvelous! And inspiring. I like that it seems to me
> to attack the problem, and that it gives it a name. That seems
> as if it might, perhaps, enter the national discourse in a
> productive way.
>
> * Judy
>
> Sent from Mail
> <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows 10
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* William L. Leap <wlm at american.edu
> <mailto:wlm at american.edu>>
> *Sent:* Monday, December 18, 2017 6:02:49 AM
> *To:* Louis Romer; Judith Pine; LINGANTH; Steven Black
> *Subject:* RE: [Linganth] CDC Language ban
>
> https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/opinion/trump-cdc-transgender.html?em_pos=small&emc=edit_ty_20171218&nl=opinion-today&nl_art=5&nlid=74526359&ref=headline&te=1
> <https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/opinion/trump-cdc-transgender.html?em_pos=small&emc=edit_ty_20171218&nl=opinion-today&nl_art=5&nlid=74526359&ref=headline&te=1>
>
> Judy Pine’s comments also noted, here is another way to think
> about Dr Fitzgerald remark. Once references to
> controversial issues are sidelined, of course that which is
> important can be freely discussed .
>
> Wlm L Leap, PhD
>
> Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, American
> University, Washington DC
>
> Affiliate Professor, Center for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality
> Studies, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton FL
>
> Senior Founding Editor, Journal of Language & Sexuality
> http://www.benjamins.com/#catalog/journals/jls
> <http://www.benjamins.com/#catalog/journals/jls>
>
> *From:* Louis Romer [mailto:lromer at vassar.edu
> <mailto:lromer at vassar.edu>]
> *Sent:* Sunday, December 17, 2017 9:53 PM
> *To:* Judith Pine <Judy.Pine at wwu.edu <mailto:Judy.Pine at wwu.edu>>
> *Cc:* LINGANTH <LINGANTH at listserv.linguistlist.org
> <mailto:LINGANTH at listserv.linguistlist.org>>; Steven Black
> <stevepblack at gmail.com <mailto:stevepblack at gmail.com>>;
> William L. Leap <wlm at american.edu <mailto:wlm at american.edu>>
> *Subject:* Re: [Linganth] CDC Language ban
>
> An update:
>
> @CDCDirector tweets:
>
> “I want to assure you there are no banned words at CDC. We
> will continue to talk about all our important public health
> programs.”
>
>
> https://twitter.com/cdcdirector/status/942423509124427776
> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_cdcdirector_status_942423509124427776&d=DwMFaQ&c=U0G0XJAMhEk_X0GAGzCL7Q&r=8gvIwdkfYA0asooKAesUKg&m=kOBe070hqwuC6CmDHPc4SrWsciWcAjU9PqKBFJMAwzQ&s=fqJrKOClW0GCs7pEaERDopCOTJI-pkbySMwzlAS3HYg&e=>
>
> On Sun, Dec 17, 2017 at 20:39 Judith Pine <Judy.Pine at wwu.edu
> <mailto:Judy.Pine at wwu.edu>> wrote:
>
> Dear Bill,
>
> Thank you for this response. I clearly have not
> communicated my position very effectively, and I welcome
> the opportunity to clarify what I intended to say.
>
> I do not mean in any way to imply that the discriminatory
> practices of the current administration, and those of the
> GOP more generally, are in any way acceptable, nor that we
> ought not to fight them with ever weapon at our command. I
> just want to be quite careful of where we aim our weapons,
> to do the most damage to these pernicious and toxic policies.
>
> Clearly, we need to address this, and, if it is
> self-censorship, to point out the fact that there is no
> neutral option here. If it is the case, as it may perhaps
> be, that people are being told their budgets are at risk
> if they use particular language, we must make a statement
> against this. My point was only that we would want to
> consider potential unintended consequences of our actions,
> and to avoid accidentally having a negative impact on
> funding for programs that we value.
>
> I may be over-cautious here, but I certainly am not saying
> we should do nothing, nor that this sort of censorship is
> acceptable, even (or perhaps especially) if it is
> self-censorship.
>
> - Judy
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From:*Linganth
> <linganth-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org
> <mailto:linganth-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org>> on
> behalf of William L. Leap <wlm at american.edu
> <mailto:wlm at american.edu>>
> *Sent:* Sunday, December 17, 2017 6:48:18 AM
> *To:* Steven Black
>
>
> *Cc:* LINGANTH
> *Subject:* Re: [Linganth] CDC Language ban
>
> “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.”
>
> Judy et al. */please/* reread Lal Zimman’s excellent
> posting re the implications here for “transgender.”
>
> This administration has affirmed its prohibition on the
> transgender question. Eliminating the category eliminates
> possibilities of services to transgender women and men.
> People’s lives will be affected, all the more so if the
> “health care mandate” options are eliminated and related
> options curtailed under the new tax plan. This is a bit
> more systematic than discrimination.
>
> (Sorry if Trump bashing offends, but in this case, Trump
> and his people have made their call and they are not on
> our side of the struggle.)
>
> Wlm L Leap, PhD
>
> Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, American
> University, Washington DC
>
> Affiliate Professor, Center for Women’s, Gender and
> Sexuality Studies, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton FL
>
> Senior Founding Editor, Journal of Language & Sexuality
> http://www.benjamins.com/#catalog/journals/jls
> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.benjamins.com_-23catalog_journals_jls&d=DwMFaQ&c=U0G0XJAMhEk_X0GAGzCL7Q&r=8gvIwdkfYA0asooKAesUKg&m=kOBe070hqwuC6CmDHPc4SrWsciWcAjU9PqKBFJMAwzQ&s=LFGbTWJb06xvaY4d75V0j9iHuyYPLNlzmd-l-7K2lJU&e=>
>
> *From:* Linganth
> [mailto:linganth-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org
> <mailto:linganth-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org>] *On
> Behalf Of *Steven Black
> *Sent:* Sunday, December 17, 2017 8:36 AM
> *To:* Janina Fenigsen <jfenigsen at gmail.com
> <mailto:jfenigsen at gmail.com>>
> *Cc:* LINGANTH <LINGANTH at listserv.linguistlist.org
> <mailto:LINGANTH at listserv.linguistlist.org>>
> *Subject:* Re: [Linganth] CDC Language ban
>
> I’ve been looking for good ways to incorporate
> health-related issues into the committee on Language and
> Social Justice, and this certainly looks like a good topic
> for that group. I will raise the issue with the group.
> From a public health/ global health discourse perspective,
> there is a lot going on here. I agree with Judy that there
> seems to be an element of self-censorship here (which is
> also disturbing).
>
> Exclusion of “transgender” is obviously discriminatory.
> The replacement of “evidence-based” with some phrase about
> science and community is more opaquely problematic. A core
> anthropological critique of contemporary public/ global
> health is that health interventions prioritize
> “data-driven” interventions to the exclusion of cultural/
> community perspectives. Addressing this critique is
> clearly NOT the intent of this censorship, but any op-ed
> or statement writers need to be cognizant of this
> anthropological critique even as they/we call out the many
> problems with the word banning (whether it is
> self-censorship or other-censorship).
>
> If anyone who is not on the social justice committee is
> interested in working on issues of health, language, and
> social justice, you should join the committee! It is an
> open group.
>
> Please excuse any typos (sent via mobile device)
>
> Steven P. Black
>
> Department of Anthropology
>
> Georgia State University
>
>
> On Dec 16, 2017, at 11:03 PM, Janina Fenigsen
> <jfenigsen at gmail.com <mailto:jfenigsen at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> Judy, excellent points, thank you!
>
> janina
>
> On Sat, Dec 16, 2017 at 4:01 PM, Judith Pine
> <Judy.Pine at wwu.edu <mailto: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
> <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 <mailto: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
> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.washingtonpost.com_national_health-2Dscience_cdc-2Dgets-2Dlist-2Dof-2Dforbidden-2Dwords-2Dfetus-2Dtransgender-2Ddiversity_2017_12_15_f503837a-2De1cf-2D11e7-2D89e8-2Dedec16379010-5Fstory.html-3Futm-5Fterm-3D.ad1d1b951b0d&d=DwMFaQ&c=U0G0XJAMhEk_X0GAGzCL7Q&r=8gvIwdkfYA0asooKAesUKg&m=yuMZGp--44GnEmA6YVM8_uomhvTiRSRtQJjabY4h34Q&s=T254d4iOs_tNTIa4w-uNYLGVnNa1y3MxxRq5FfdtXC0&e=>
>
>
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> --
>
> Leila Monaghan, PhD
>
> Publisher, Elm Books
>
> Laramie, Wyoming
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> ______________________________________________
> Louis Philippe Römer, Ph.D.
> Visiting Assistant Professor
> Department of Anthropology
> Vassar College
> 124 Raymond Ave, Box 701
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