‘American’ and ‘you guys’ among words considered harmful by Stanford group

SeventhFisherofMen said:

watch out we americans might establish some committee that no one wants where you live and try to establish what words you're allowed to say

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I would not be surprised!
And over-woke Germans usually slavish-ly welcome everything that woke Americans decree.

ThatRobGuy said:

I would imagine "cause harm" is going to be a pretty subjective interpretation

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I think deference should be given to those who feel harmed by a given word or phrase. I don't always realize when language I use is harmful, but if someone tells me it hurts them, I have no problem adjusting. In my mind, it's such a small thing to do to change language I use, but again, it's a convention.

I'm not familiar with the IT world so I can imagine proposed alternatives might be cumbersome. That tells me a better alternative has not yet been reached.

Reminds me of "1984" and "the Ministry of Truth".
They decree what a word has to mean.
And if you think otherwise, you will repent it ....

The church has been policing speech for millennia. I find it amusing to see religion folks getting upset at others encroaching on their turf.

iluvatar5150 said:

Why would we exclude authoritarian influences from this discussion? They’ve been a huge cultural force throughout history.

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I mean, feel free to give examples from authoritarian regimes, but don't expect them to make your case that this is fine.

Nithavela said:

You are so brave.

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Sorry, you can't use that word anymore.

public hermit said:

I think deference should be given to those who feel harmed by a given word or phrase. I don't always realize when language I use is harmful, but if someone tells me it hurts them, I have no problem adjusting. In my mind, it's such a small thing to do to change language I use, but again, it's a convention.

I'm not familiar with the IT world so I can imagine proposed alternatives might be cumbersome. That tells me a better alternative has not yet been reached.

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If 99 people from a minority are fine with a word, and one person from that same group tells you they feel harmed by it, you will change your language for everyone? What if someone else in that group is hurt by the word that the one who didn't like the original word tells you to use? You can't please everyone.

Margaret3110 said:

If 99 people from a minority are fine with a word, and one person from that same group tells you they feel harmed by it, you will change your language for everyone? What if someone else in that group is hurt by the word that the one who didn't like the original word tells you to use? You can't please everyone.

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I can do my best, and make no mistake, if one person asks me to use a different word, I have no problem doing that for them. Again, people are more important than words.

public hermit said:

I can do my best, and make no mistake, if one person asks me to use a different word, I have no problem doing that for them. Again, people are more important than words.

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I agree that people are more important, and if someone I know asks me to use a particular pronoun or word to refer to them personally, I will do my best to honor that. But I'm not going to rewrite the English language because someone somewhere feels harmed by all the words.

Margaret3110 said:

But I'm not going to rewrite the English language because someone somewhere feels harmed by all the words.

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I don't see it as rewriting the whole English language, and I recognize you're probably using hyperbole. I think we're faced with certain instances that can matter. I'm not familiar with all the changes but with some, and I'm fine with them.

When I was very much younger, I used to say "man" and "dude" a lot and in reference to anyone. I remember saying "Hey man" to my girlfriend and she said, "I'm not a 'man.'" I realized 1) she was right, and 2) I was throwing this word around without really thinking. Granted, that's a fairly banal example but I did quit using it because it didn't fit, and I was speaking without thinking. What did I lose in changing my words? Nothing.

I think this resistance to changing our word use is more a matter of pride than anything. We don't like to be told what to do, much less what to say. For me, it's a matter of Christian principle to put the interests of others before my own as much as possible, which is not at all easy. But I can at least do so when it comes to words that could hurt others. I'm no saint, but this is at least one area where I think I can do it, which is great.

I rarely take advice from the IT department.

Wow, we love to argue!

Goonie said:

'you guys' is definitely a term that can easily be taken the wrong way.

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I wonder if it should be made illegal to say in the UK.

seeking.IAM said:

I would be happy if "you guys" goes away. It grates on me when I'm out to dinner with my wife and the wait staff says, "Are you guys ready to order?"

What guys?

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I've heard a woman calling a group of women "you guys" plenty of times. What's happened is it's become a generic phase among younger people equal to "you folks" et al.

Lifelong Pittsburgher here with a save!
“Yinz wanna go shopping, a’nat?”
You can have “jaggerbush” too, at no additional charge!

iluvatar5150 said:

Even when used innocuously and in good faith, it can influence our perceptions and expectations about the world

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People have expectations about the world? Maybe that's why people are becoming overly sensitive.

iluvatar5150 said:

that often overlooks the challenges faced by people with disabilities.

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Are you in a wheelchair or have a disability? I do. I am more offended by the word "retard" when used in relation to someone's lack of intelligence, than I am by the word "lame" when an activity is referred to as boring. It's really all about context.

Nithavela said:

It ignores any females in a group. It would be like saying "die Herren" to a group of mixed women and men when adressing them.

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Is saying "you people" any better? I'm a woman and I find that less respectful than the word "guys" when addressing a mixed gender group

Pommer said:

Lifelong Pittsburgher here with a save!
“Yinz wanna go shopping, a’nat?”
You can have “jaggerbush” too, at no additional charge!

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Hey! I grew up in PA with yinz and yunz. Think Hershey though.

Larnievc said:

You say that but if someone called Jesus a naughty word would you expect devout christians to 'toughen up'?

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What seventhfisher said.