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- The Conscious Language Newsletter: February 2022
The Conscious Language Newsletter: February 2022
From the World of Conscious Language
Note: The authors’ viewpoints are not necessarily shared by Conscious Style Guide.
“The equivalent of ‘ladies’ would be ‘gentlemen,’ and the ‘men’s’ event has been the ‘men’s’ event for as long as I know.” —Ashley Wagner, 2014 Olympian and NBC correspondent for the 2022 Winter Olympics
“The normalization of gender-neutral language…also has the potential to influence legislation and national discourse about LGBTQ+ families and parents in the workforce.”
The Culture War Over “Pregnant People” | The Atlantic
“I don’t think the increasing reliance on language like ‘pregnant people’ means you can’t define yourself as a mother, or say this is an experience many women go through.” —Louise Melling, deputy legal director, ACLU
Here Comes the…Broom? | The New York Times
Alternatives to bride and groom include broom, marrier, and partner.
Dementia Content Gets Billions of Views on TikTok. Whose Story Does It Tell? | MIT Technology Review
People living with dementia “are raising their own questions about consent, and emphasizing the harms caused by viral content that perpetuates stereotypes or misrepresents the full nature of the condition.”
Words Matter When Discussing Alcohol Issues: A New Stigma-Free Vocabulary for Better AUD Outcomes | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
“The stigma created by the language that is used to describe alcohol problems can decrease many people’s willingness to seek help for alcohol problems.”
“Uncertainty calls for more attention to nuance, not less.”
“Articles from that era constantly focused on Lin’s Ivy League ties, made regular puns about test scores, and labeled him as ‘poised’”—while erasing his style and swagger.
Citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers | University of Alberta Library
“Using these templates is one small way that we can represent Indigenous knowledge as being of equal value to the books and articles we read.”
The Hidden Image Descriptions Making the Internet Accessible | The New York Times
“Though opinions about what details should be included for those using screen readers diverge, most people agree…alt text is an important step toward making the internet more accessible.”
Consider Ditching These 11 Words When Talking About Your Travels | Fodor’s Travel
Terms like colonial and discover may perpetuate an us-versus-them duality.
How One UK Educator Convinced a Publishing Company to Redo Their Flashcards Depicting Asians With Slant-Eyes | NextShark
“[John] Luk provided examples of Asian characters without slits for eyes, such as Luo Bao Bei, ‘Big Hero 6’s’ Tadashi Hamada and ‘The Name Jar’s’ Unhei, to show that there are illustrators who have found more appropriate ways to portray Asian eyes.”
Break Bad Rules: How to Change Language Norms in Your Academic Field, Individually and Systemically | University Affairs
“If you’re not in a position to actively subvert an established language norm, then you can find ways to write around it.”
“Others acknowledged that the company was trying to promote Odisha’s culture but were nevertheless critical of the gods’ appearance on a wrapper that consumers will eventually discard.”
IllumiNative founder Crystal Echo Hawk “supported the Commanders name but suggested more work needs to be done to end the use of Native American imagery across all sports.”
An Anti-Ableist Guide to Dating | Cosmopolitan
“Take the lead from your date when it comes to discussing disability-related issues…Don’t be nosy.”
CSG in the News
Write User Experience Right | Pyrus
“When I asked Yehoshua about best practices for UX writers, he pointed to a style guide. UX writers at any company should have writing guidelines to follow.”
From the Archives
Rethinking Courtesy Titles in Obituaries | Conscious Style Guide
“Placing a gender modifier before a person’s name gives the impression that we should be viewed through gender first and that all other characteristics fall in descending importance.”
In Case You Missed It
The January issue focuses on disability and accessibility, including questions editors should ask, a quick style guide for disability-focused content, and a look at the whys and hows of podcast transcripts.
Shop for Diverse Picture Books
On DiversePictureBooks.com (our Bookshop.org storefront), find exceptional picture books that spread understanding, compassion, and joy through diverse representation. We earn a commission on all orders.
Submit Free Job Listings
CSG’s Editors of Color Database helps recruiters connect with editors, proofreaders, and sensitivity readers of color in the U.S. and Canada. On the website, you can submit job listings for distribution to our private network of pros and explore the 100+ resources in the Database of Diverse Databases, which highlights underrepresented groups. Diversify your sources now!
Creative Writing + Conscious Language
Follow @consciousstyleguide on Instagram for examples of how context can support sensitive content, with a focus on children’s books, including young adult.
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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