The Conscious Language Newsletter: April 2021

April 21, 2021

From the World of Conscious Language

Note: The authors’ viewpoints are not necessarily shared by Conscious Style Guide. 

“The hyphen accentuates ‘Semitism’ and implies the existence of a Semitic race of people.”

“It’s about weaning ourselves off the entire approach of criticizing opposing political views by calling those who hold them unintelligent or irrational.”

 Women? Womxn? Womyn? | The Butler Collegian

“For a trans woman who has fought long and hard to be recognized as [a woman], being labeled as a womxn can be harmful and othering. For this reason, many have circled back to using ‘woman’ rather than ‘womxn.’”

“You can just as easily address the problems BIPOC aims to solve by being specific when you’re talking about a specific group. If you’re talking about Black folks, say Black folks.”

“Acceptance leads to inclusion, and inclusion leads to belonging.” —Christopher Banks, president and CEO, Autism Society of America

“The stigma and material consequences of incarceration are so deep that what seems like a basic descriptor to journalists becomes a permanent, potentially life-altering label.”

“Ableist jokes on TV and movies…feed into a culture of dehumanisation that portrays people with disabilities and neurodivergent people as less than human and less deserving of respect.”

 Make Space for “Whole Whale” 

Written by Conscious Style Guide founder Karen Yin,Whole Whale is a picture book about inclusiveness.

Coming out May 1, 2021, from Barefoot Books. Illustrated by Nelleke Verhoeff.

Available for preorder everywhere books are sold.When you use our Bookshop.org affiliate link, we will earn a commission from your purchase.

“How about we just label pads, tampons, and pain relief for periods ‘menstrual products’ [instead of ‘feminine hygiene’ and ‘women’s health care’] and call it a day?”

Here are some of the most common microaggressions in the workplace and what to say or do instead.

“Her tweet read: ‘Hungarian is a gender-neutral language, it has no gendered pronouns, so Google Translate automatically chooses the gender for you…’”

“The backlash to the attempt at flipping the intention of ‘women belong in the kitchen’ shows the risk of getting too playful with social media marketing, especially when many viewers see messages in isolation.”

A look at the history and the current use and controversies of the term “local” in Hawaii.

“A group of more than 80 people with an interest in animal welfare, including Dr. Jane Goodall, have signed a letter calling on the editors of the Associated Press Stylebook to change their guidance.”

 CSG in the News 

“Some [fellow writers of color] were dismayed by how their writing had been whitewashed by having culturally relevant language removed or been pushed to include copious explanatory language, detracting from their narrative.”

“In order to uphold equity, diversity, and/or inclusivity, everyone needs to be on the same page. So then when someone comes knocking, looking for a way in, someone is there to answer it.” —Adebe DeRango-Adem

From the Archives

“Even if the word hapa was originally adapted from English, uneven power dynamics still exist when debating who gets to use this word and for what.”

In Case You Missed It

Examining and disrupting gender stereotypes, teaching about consent, reclaiming slurs, and more.

Visit the Editors of Color Database

The Editors of Color Database, a project of Conscious Style Guide, is a free service that connects employers and recruiters with editors, proofreaders, and sensitivity readers of color in the U.S. and Canada. It’s also free to submit job listings for distribution to our private network of editorial pros. The Editors of Color website is home to the Database of Diverse Databases, now with over 75 resources featuring underrepresented communities. Diversify your staff and sources now!

Transparent white strip on top of blood-red background has EDITORS {OF COLOR} knocked out. Below, reads "Tools for Diversifying Your Staff and Sources," followed by editorsofcolor.com.

Follow Us on Instagram

Follow @consciousstyleguide on Instagram for examples of how context can support sensitive content, with a focus on children’s books, including young adult.

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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].