[lg policy] Fwd: [Linganth] CDC Language ban

Fri Dec 22 15:46:46 UTC 2017

 Forwarded From: Steven Black <stevepblack at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Dec 22, 2017 at 8:45 AM
Subject: Re: [Linganth] CDC Language ban
To: Eric Henry <Eric.Henry at smu.ca>, "LINGANTH at listserv.linguistlist.org" <
LINGANTH at listserv.linguistlist.org>

Hi Eric and all,

It *is* a struggle over words, but obviously not just words; and these
words and their application shape policy and practice, as Charles Briggs
and his co-authors have demonstrated in their analysis of
biocommunicability. Communication and health are co-constitutive. In
comparative perspective, Susan Blum and I have been discussing how some of
the particulars of the “ban” fit a much broader pattern of conservatives
co-opting concepts and thus altering their meaning to fit their policy
agenda. For instance, “colorblind” was once a key term in affirmative
action policies, whereas now it is used by those who are dismantling
affirmative action. “Religious freedom” was once central to discourses
about allowing religious diversity and separation of church and state,
whereas now it means not having to serve cakes to LGBTQ persons (among
other more serious reprocussions). And in this latest ban, “community
wishes” is central to public health/ med anth, where it is used to
encourage culturally-sensitive public health efforts, but now it is being
used to mean *not* being sensitive to the needs and wishes of entire
segments of the population—namely not attending to the perspectives/ needs
of LGBTQ communities—but instead attending to the perspectives of a
dwindling but powerful segment of far-right groups. Susan Blum, Lal Zimman,
and I are currently working on a brief piece outlining this and other ling
anth perspectives on the subject. Keep your eye out for it!

Happy winter solstice!

Steve

Steven P. Black // Study Abroad in Costa Rica! Visit:
http://www.studyabroad.gsu.edu/?go=GlobalHealthChallenges// Department of
Anthropology // Georgia State University // P.O. Box 3998 // Atlanta, GA
30302-3998 // (404) 413-5168

*From: *Linganth <linganth-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> on behalf of
Eric Henry <Eric.Henry at smu.ca>
*Date: *Thursday, December 21, 2017 at 8:06 PM
*To: *"LINGANTH at listserv.linguistlist.org" <LINGANTH at listserv.
linguistlist.org>
*Subject: *Re: [Linganth] CDC Language ban

Some more reporting has emerged in the last few days which seems to confirm
the suspicion of many that the CDC ban was actually some more-or-less
informal direction from supervisors that their subordinates avoid certain
language in the preparation of budget documents lest an antagonistic
congress and White House find reason to slash their funding.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/
2017/12/there_is_no_ban_on_words_at_the_cdc.html

There is even some indication that this is not a new phenomenon – that
bureaucrats in the Obama administration avoided the term “global war on
terror” in favour of “overseas contingency operations” and so forth.

I am curious however what colleagues make of the author’s final argument in
the linked article above, namely that the media and the public have chosen
to focus on words as a proxy for policies rather than the policies
themselves. That is to say, if the government were to pepper its websites
and policy papers with “climate change” and “global warming,” but still
withdraw from the Paris climate accords and fund new coal plants, would we
have gained anything by the inclusion of those words? In some sense it is
the same argument Republicans (and Donald Trump himself) put forward about
Obama and Clinton not using the words “radical Islamic terror.” They
implied that the solution to the problem was predicated on using the right
term. This seems indicative of a widespread language ideology in American
politics today presuming that if we could only use the right words, if we
could only call things what they “really” are (like “FAKE NEWS!”), all
problems will be solved. I’m fascinated with this idea that American
politics has become a struggle over the meaning of words, but I’d be
interested to hear what others – who actually live and work in the US –
think about this.

Eric Henry

Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology

Saint Mary’s University

Halifax, NS

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-- 
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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