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- April 2015 Newsletter
April 2015 Newsletter
The Othering & Belonging Conference
Yesterday was the last day of the Othering & Belonging national conference in Oakland, California, organized by the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at UC Berkeley.
I attended virtually by following the #obconf2015 hashtag on Twitter, and I was struck by this quote from speaker Angela Glover Blackwell, founder/CEO of PolicyLink (tweeted by @Steph_Llanes):
“When we focus on the most vulnerable, we get it right for everybody.”
Join me in moving through life with this intention and being kind to ourselves when we fall short.
Gratefully yours,
Karen YinFounder
“Even the crustiest curmudgeons and peeviest prescriptionists at ACES…appeared to be more or less uniformly on board.”
The Limits of Diversity | Asian American Writers’ Workshop
“Diversity has largely replaced equality as the ultimate goal for many educational and workplace settings, including the book publishing world.”
Do We Need to End the “War” on Cancer? | The Guardian
“If one can only overcome cancer by ‘fighting,’ then what does that imply about those who die from it? They are often portrayed as having ‘lost the battle,’ potentially feeding an assumption that they didn’t fight hard enough.”
Epicene “They” Is Gaining Greater Acceptance | Copyediting
“What might make the singular they more broadly acceptable is the idea that not everyone identifies with a particular gender. It is hard to pin a gender identity on a transgender person or someone who considers themselves genderqueer or gender nonconforming.”
She Sounds Smart, but Look at Her Hair! | The New York Times
“One viewer emailed Ms. [Bridget] Todd, ‘Why would I trust anything you have to say about politics when you can’t even manage your own hair?'”
9 Tips for Editing the German Airline Crash | American Copy Editors Society
“When mental illness is a key part of the coverage, what can you keep in mind to ensure accuracy and fairness without adding to existing stigma?”
Getting It Right on Mental Health Begins With Facts and Language | American Copy Editors Society
“The phrase ‘committed suicide’ has more negative connotations than you can imagine. Most likely derived from religious and insurance claim terminology, the phrase implies that a crime has been committed.”
Why Women Aren’t Crazy | The Good Men Project
“You’re so sensitive. You’re so emotional. You’re defensive. You’re overreacting. Calm down. Relax. Stop freaking out! You’re so crazy! I was just joking, don’t you have a sense of humor? You’re so dramatic. Just get over it already! Sound familiar?”
Who Gets to Stay Autistic? | Disability in Kidlit
“Autistic readers often recognize ourselves in characters who are not officially diagnosed, and the treatment of those undiagnosed characters is very different from that of canonically autistic characters.”
“Having a name that isn’t John, Emily or Mary doesn’t mean an individual deserves disrespect or ridicule. Even if someone’s name isn’t of the mainstream English variety, that’s no excuse for avoiding a sincere effort to honor the name with correct pronunciation.”
Can I Get an Awomen: Inclusive Language | The Houghton Star
“Not only are we reducing our view of God when we say ‘male,’ we are also ordaining men with inherent God-like qualities, which are denied to women.”
“The ‘universal male’ (like using ‘men’ to mean ‘people’) assumes that the normal, default human being is male.”—Sarah Grey, professional editor
“What’s the worst word you’ve heard that describes women in leadership? What’s the best?”
Native Actors Walk Off Set of Adam Sandler Movie After Insults to Women, Elders | Indian Country Today Media Network
“They just told us, ‘If you guys are so sensitive, you should leave.'”—Allison Young
New Guidelines for Talking, Writing About Suicide | The Journal News
“What’s more important is the life they lived, not how it ended.”—Maria Idoni, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
There’s No Such Thing as a Post-Baby Body | Bitch Media
“Though my son is only a toddler, I realized that I have the tremendous responsibility for setting the standard of how women should be treated. If he sees and hears me constantly berating my body and putting myself down, he will learn it is acceptable language….”
When Subway Ads Asked These Women If They Were “Beach Body Ready,” They Responded Perfectly | The Huffington Post
“Critics have spoken out against the sexist nature of the promotions. Some have even taken matters into their own hands, scrawling messages of body positivity across the images instead.”
The Conscious Style Guide newsletter rounds up the best news and blog posts from the world of kind, compassionate, mindful, empowering, respectful, and inclusive language. Note: Spotlighting an opinion is not intended as an endorsement. Please send news tips to [email protected].
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