[lg policy] UK: A freelance magazine writer is mad someone is trying to be sensitive to others

Wed Mar 8 15:44:39 UTC 2017

A freelance magazine writer is mad someone is trying to be sensitive to
others

   -
   -
   <http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/03/big-media-tries-squash-conversations-sensitive-language/#comments>
   -   Share on Facebook
   <https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/03/big-media-tries-squash-conversations-sensitive-language/>
   -   Share on Twitter
   <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?via=lgbtqnation&related=queerty&url=http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/03/big-media-tries-squash-conversations-sensitive-language/&text=A%20freelance%20magazine%20writer%20is%20mad%20someone%20is%20trying%20to%20be%20sensitive%20to%20others>
   67
   <http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/03/big-media-tries-squash-conversations-sensitive-language/#>

By Alex Bollinger <http://www.lgbtqnation.com/author/alexbollinger/> ·
Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Wikipedia

Every time there’s a story about how a college or university is squashing
free speech, all it takes is a couple minutes of googling to find out that
the actual story is a lot more boring than the panicked headlines say.

Cardiff Metropolitan University recently updated some guidelines for speech
<https://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/news/Pages/Media-statement-in-relation-to-Cardiff-Met%E2%80%99s-Code-of-Practice-and-Guide-to-Inclusive-Language.aspx>.
Here’s what happened, according to the university:

Cardiff Met’s Code of Practice and Guide to Inclusive Language, first
produced in 2005, is not a governance document and is not a corporate
policy. It encourages the use of inclusive language and, in its own words,
“aims to raise awareness amongst staff and students of the importance of
using appropriate language within the working and learning environment and
also aims to promote a common sense approach to managing this”. It makes no
demands, bans nothing and carries no sanctions.

So there are some suggestions that have been around for over a decade that
carry no weight. Well, no one will be enraged by that! So mainstream
publications step in to make a mountain out of a molehill.

*The Independent *ran the headline “University bans phrases such as
‘mankind’ and ‘gentleman’s agreement
<http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-39153731>,'” with the
sub-head: “Academics have criticised the ban as an ‘insulting attack on
free speech.'”

Rachael Pells, who wrote the article, claims that certain words, like
“sportsmanship,” are now banned at the university. “Students and staff
could face disciplinary procedures if they fail to adhere to the language
policy,” Pells wrote.

Foregoing the normal journalistic formalities of using neutral language,
Pell writes (emphasis mine), “The policy also *dictates *that the phrases
‘homosexual’ and ‘heterosexual’ should not be used as they are ‘laden with
the values of a previous time.'”

While Pells does talk to a university spokesperson (her term, which is
actually one of the university’s suggestions to replace “spokesman,” so… et
tu, Rachael Pells?), but for some reason never asked what the “disciplinary
procedures” could result in, especially since the university says that the
report “bans nothing and carries no sanctions.”

And those “academics” who hate the “ban” that *The Independent *referred to
in the sub-heading? Pells found just one, Joanna Williams, a contrarian
whose recent work includes articles entitled “The post-fact world suits
feminism just fine” and “Let’s abandon sex education,” which, yes, are just
what you would expect from headlines like that.

Pells also presents, without any skepticism, a “study” by *Spiked *magazine
to show that universities are “clamp[ing] down” on free speech. Pells did
not present the study’s means or what it considered “censorship,” and
didn’t bother to mention that *Spiked *is a libertarian magazine whose
education editor is… Joanna Williams.

Because one person with a point of view is just one person with a point of
view, but if they write down some numbers, they’re a journal with a “study.”

BBC News also claimed that Cardiff Metropolitan University “bans” certain
words <http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-39153731>, and the
lede reads:

A university has been accused of restricting students’ freedom of speech by
banning words such as “housewife” and “manpower”

Wow, that sounds awful! Of course, the unnamed writer had to choose the
passive voice for that sentence; the only person BBC News found to do the
accusing is Joanna Williams.

“A freelance magazine writer is mad someone is trying to be sensitive to
others” is not quite as outrage-inducing as the headline BBC News went
with, but it’s a lot more accurate.

At no point did either BBC News or *The Independent *point out the irony
that the entire point of the story is to make Cardiff Metropolitan
University shut up.

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/03/big-media-tries-squash-conversations-sensitive-language/

-- 
**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its
members
and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or
sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who
disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write
directly to the original sender of any offensive message.  A copy of this
may be forwarded to this list as well.  (H. Schiffman, Moderator)

For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to
https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/
listinfo/lgpolicy-list
*******************************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lgpolicy-list/attachments/20170308/2191d5cc/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list