University Claims Words ‘Picnic,’ ‘Brown Bag’ Are Offensive
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The University of Michigan has a “Words Matter Task Force.”
Seriously. Maybe that’s why out-of-state tuition costs more than $66,000 a year.
The WMTF, set up by the school’s Information and Technology Services (ITS) department, has declared that it finds more than two dozen words and phrases possibly offensive to people, including “picnic,” “brown bag” and “blacklist.”
“To effectively communicate with customers, it is important for ITS to evaluate the terms and language conventions that may hinder effective communication, harm morale, and deliberately or inadvertently exclude people from feeling accepted to foment a healthy and inclusive culture,” the task force said in a memo.
The WMTF offers alternative words to use, for instance urging people to say “gathering” instead of “picnic” and “lunch and learn” instead of “brown bag.”
“The word ‘picnic’ appears to be banned because of false suggestions on the internet that it originates from the racist, extrajudicial killings of African Americans,” the Daily Mail reported. “The word picnic actually comes from the 17th century French word ‘pique-nique,’ a term used to describe a social gathering in which attendees each contributed with a portion of food.”
In July, the Reuters News Agency published a piece headlined: “Fact check: The word picnic does not originate from racist lynchings.”
“Images circulating on social media make the claim that the word “picnic” originates from the racist, extrajudicial killings of African Americans. This claim is false.”
Among other banned words include “dummy,” which should be replaced by “sample,” and “crippled,” which should be replaced with “weakened.” And instead of saying “crazy,” staff are encouraged to say “unthinkable.”
The task force also said “off the reservation” should be replaced with “outside the norms” or “rogue.”
The language police have had a busy year in 2020. They killed the NFL team name of the Washington Redskins, which has so far been replaced only with “Washington Football Team”
Then they went after “low-hanging fruit,” which the Oxford Dictionary defines as “a thing or person that can be won, obtained, or persuaded with little effort.”
But a college professor said the term is racist.
“For African-Americans, if you say ‘low-hanging fruit,’ we think lynching,” said Mae Hicks-Jones, an adjunct faculty member of Elgin Community College in Illinois.
“Grandfathered” is also racist, she said, according to a report in the College Fix. To Hicks-Jones, the phrase is reminiscent of a grandfather clause, which privileged white people’s right to vote over that of black people during the Jim Crow South.
Then there was the “Masters” golf tournament. Rob Parker wrote a Deadspin headlined “We’ve Lived with ‘The Masters’ Name Long Enough.”
“Augusta National was built on grounds that were once a slave plantation and was the property of a slave owner. And according to a 2019 New Yorker piece about the course, it’s believed that enslaved Blacks were housed on the property,” he wrote.
Oh, there’s more. The largest cosmetics company in the world announced that it will remove words like “whitening,” “fair” and “lightening” from the packaging of its products.
“The L’Oreal Group has decided to remove the words white/whitening, fair/fairness, light/lightening from all its skin evening products,” the French cosmetics giant said in statement, according to The Associated Press.
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Wonder what they think of Homer's Iliad and the Odyssey? How many words in Shakespeare are going to be axed?
Could be one reason why folks on "News" media have a hard time saying what they need to say - ya think?
Where are these folks coming from?
The WMTF can go do unmentionable things to themselves. Here in SE Arizona on the border, I will happily pack a brown bag lunch and go have a one person picnic at my local park today! And nobody here will care...
This is what happens when silliness is not nipped in the bud
A right wing complaint list about outliers and crazy PC culture.
and they would be doing us all a favor.
Low hanging fruit means black people?
Nnot in 70 years have I ever heard that and it's mentioned at work all the time by white and non white staff.
And if anyone doesn't believe the Masters is about golf Masters, too effing bad. I have met many black staff and black caddies who work
full time year round at the Masters and they think nothing of the name.
Picnic and brown bag? Get the fug outta here....
This is insane.
And the WMTF won't care.
That's not even what "brown bag" means. There is no learning component to brown bag. It just means to bring your own food. Typically, a common container for that is a small brown bag. People know this. It's not racist and everyone knows it.
Why? Afraid of offending actual dummies?
No. No one thinks that. That's bullshit. I don't believe it. I refuse to believe anyone is actually that dumb.
And note that this madness comes from alleged intellectuals. This is why some people freak out about the state of colleges these days. It's frustrating that educated people still won't change even when you explain that they got it wrong.
It should be interesting to see if consumers can figure out what the products do if these accurate, descriptive words are removed.
OK that one I actually get. I'll give you that one.
I'm thinking the acronym should be changed to WTMF perhaps?
I wonder at the usage of the word foment, because the overriding common connotation to the word is negative, eg. to foment a rebellion....
Indeed "foment" and "force" in the same sentence. Accidental? Maybe. But there are people who are perfectly comfortable telling others that we must think and talk like them, or else... You will comply with our vision of a healthy and inclusive culture and you will do it our way. Sounds wonderful, utopian yes? (-:
Irony is sometimes delicious.
And sometimes it tastes... well... a little irony... (-:
You guys are funny!
They actually have groups that purposely go out and look for things to be offended by? My God! Don't these people have a life?
Shall we add "worthless" to the list?
Kind of reminiscent of the last four years right here. The six or seven hit pieces a day being posted is right there in that category.
It sounds like this might be their jobs. Government guaranteed loans => Higher Tuitions => Bloated Administrative Staff.