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- April 2016 Newsletter
April 2016 Newsletter
Conscious Language on the Move
At Kory Stamper and Steve Kleinedler‘s “Questions & Quibbles: Dictionary Edition” session at ACES 2016. Left to right: Karen Yin, Carol Fisher Saller, John McIntyre, Daniel Sosnoski, and Bill Walsh. (Photo courtesy of James Harbeck)
Did you make it to ACES 2016? If not, you missed some fantastic sessions that dealt with conscious language, but you can still download the handouts on copydesk.org:
“Beyond the Plain Language Edit: Going the Extra Mile” by Tracy Torchetti and Claire Foley
“Bringing Your Critical News Lens to Sports Editing” by Steve Bien-Aimé, Amy Goldstein, and Lori Shontz
“Developing a House Style Guide” by Megan Rogers
“Responsible Writing and Editing on Sexual Violence” by Anna Walsh
“Sidestepping Ableist Language” by Ashley Bischoff
And my talk, “AP and Chicago on Sexist Language,”which I encourage you to read if only for the tweets from the audience.
Is it just me, or would you also attend a full day of sessions dealing with people words? My panel last year (on LGBTQ terminology) and my panel this year (on sexist language) drew standing-room-only crowds. The demand for inclusive language is there, and it’s time we gave more room to these issues.
In other news:
Copyediting is officially a sponsor of Conscious Style Guide! We could not be more elated to have the support of the premiere publication for all things editing. There is still time to sign up for Copyediting‘s new In-Depth Course, “Inclusive Language: A Practical Approach to Avoiding Bias,”taught by Sarah Grey, the 2015 Robinson Prize winner.
The newest member of our advisory council is Steve Bien-Aimé, who was a speaker at ACES 2016. We look forward to tapping into his knowledge of race and gender portrayals in the media as we expand CSG. You can follow him on Twitter at @Steve_BienAime.
Congratulations to adviser Terry Wolverton on publication of a poetry anthology exploring the art of dis•articulation, a collaborative and experimental project by Los Angeles poets.
Two more articlesare up: “Pruning Hedges: Editing for Confidence,” on hedge words that get in the way of the message, and “Trans Terminology 201,” on talking about members of the transgender community with sensitivity and accuracy.
What does an LGBT competency trainer do? In the latest “Conscious Language at Work” Q&A, we talk to Sarah M. Vitorino about conscious language and its fundamental role in her work with LGBTQ youth.
Always learning,
Karen YinFounder
“To say ‘all women are beautiful’ is to say ‘all women want to be beautiful.'”
Have They Run Out of Ways to Insult Asians Yet? | Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Asian Americans respond to Calvin Trillin’s New Yorker poem which “laments upon an uber-orientalized China from a patronizing white gaze.”
#SayTheWord, Not “Special Needs” | Eisforerin.com
Disabled vs. differently abled, handicapable, physically/mentally challenged, special needs.
Allies and Microaggressions | Inside Higher Ed
Steps for countering microaggressions with microresistance.
The Long Fight for Bisexual Inclusion | Bisexual.org
On the rampant erasure of bisexual people in the “LGBT” community, where bi people are the majority.
How to Query a Racist Comment | Copyediting
“Give the author an out by suggesting more inclusive language that gets to the intended meaning….”
11 Offensive Phrases You Didn’t Realize Are Fat Shaming | The Body Is Not an Apology
11. “Do I look fat?”
“As conversations about gender broaden, the vocabulary used in these conversations is set to change, too.”
The Legacy of the Kobe Bryant Rape Case | ThinkProgress
From a 2008 study by Renae Franiuk, professor of psychology at Aurora University: “Rape myths in the media teach rape myths to those who do not already hold them, strengthen rape myths in those who already do, and trigger rape myths in those who are ready to use them.”
The problem with diversity when there is no inclusivity or equality.
Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, and How Hollywood Keeps Giving Asian Roles to White Actors | Complex
“While it’s commendable to create more big roles for women, it was at the expense of whitewashing a heavily underrepresented minority group, which doesn’t do anything for diversity.”
“Yeo-Person”? One Title Vexes Navy’s Push for Gender Neutrality | The New York Times
“Along with asking that titles be gender-neutral, [secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus] wanted Navy officials to come up with names that would be easier for people outside the services to understand.”
Maisie Williams Offers Brilliant Reason to Stop Calling People “Feminists” | The Huffington Post
“We should stop calling feminists ‘feminists’ and just start calling people who aren’t feminist ‘sexist’—and then everyone else is just a human.”—Maisie Williams, Arya on “Game of Thrones”
Why Was It Necessary to Use “Chinaman” in This Headline? | Angry Asian Man
“The headline made it to print. Some copy editor thought it was totally okay.”
10 Things You Probably Shouldn’t Say to a Widow | The Huffington Post
“You’re still young. You will find another man.”
Return to Comma-con: A Student Perspective on ACES 2016 | American Copy Editors Society
On “allowing yourself to extend past the notion that ‘words have power’ to ‘my words have power.’”
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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