[Linganth] CDC Language ban

[Lal Zimman]

Hi all,

Though it doesn't address how we might respond as a profession, I wrote a
piece for my blog on trans language issues about what it suggests that
"transgender" was among the words to be avoided/eliminated/banned, in case
people are interested.

https://medium.com/@lalzimman/what-does-it-mean-to-ban-transgender-3dbaef9a0a85

Best,
Lal



-- 

Lal Zimman
Pronouns: he/him/his
Assistant Professor of Linguistics
South Hall 3518
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-3100
http://www.lalzimman.com/

Trans Talk, a blog on language and trans experience:
http://www.medium.com/trans-talk

On Sat, Dec 16, 2017 at 3:28 PM, Catharine Mason <cmason.nc at gmail.com>
wrote:

> 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-g
>>> ets-list-of-forbidden-words-fetus-transgender-diversity/2017
>>> /12/15/f503837a-e1cf-11e7-89e8-edec16379010_story.html?utm_
>>> term=.ad1d1b951b0d
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Linganth mailing list
>>> Linganth at listserv.linguistlist.org
>>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/linganth
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> 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 <(651)%20442-8657>
>> ecoville at gmail.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Linganth mailing list
>> Linganth at listserv.linguistlist.org
>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/linganth
>>
>>
>
>
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>
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