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- The Conscious Language Newsletter: May 2022
The Conscious Language Newsletter: May 2022
From the World of Conscious Language
Note: The authors’ viewpoints are not necessarily shared by Conscious Style Guide.
“Not using the word ‘manifesto’ in no way deprives our audience of information; it helps deprive the shooter of the platform he was looking for.”
The Media Fell for “Pro-Life” Rhetoric—and Helped Create This Mess | The Washington Post
“When journalists agreed to accept terms such as ‘pro-life’ to describe those who oppose abortion, they implicitly agreed to help stigmatize those who support it. After all, what’s the rhetorical opposite of ‘pro-life’?”
Canada Is the First Country to Provide Census Data on Transgender and Non-Binary People | Statistics Canada
“The precision of ‘at birth’ was added to the sex question on the census questionnaire, and a new question on gender was included…This addressed an important information gap on gender diversity.”
What Black Women Hear When They’re Called “Auntie” | The Atlantic
“If we really want to ‘get’ language, we have to hold space for contested and conflicted meanings.”
Why Words Matter: “Care Partner” vs “Caregiver” & More | Alzheimer’s San Diego
Alzheimer’s San Diego offers guidance on “why certain terms may not be the best choice, and how simple substitutions can make a huge difference in how we view people living with dementia.”
Italian Babies Should Carry Both Parents’ Family Names, Top Court Rules | The Washington Post
A top Italian court has ruled that newborns should be assigned both parents’ surnames rather than just the father’s.
660 U.S. Place Names Include a Slur for Native Women. Change Is Coming. | The New York Times
“State governments have for decades been slowly chipping away at the pejorative names.”
How the Colors of Subtitles in “Pachinko” Nod to Decades of Colonialism | The Washington Post
By color-coding subtitles in Pachinko, the filmmakers reveal the intertwining of languages in simultaneous, contradictory conversations.
When Will Fat Women Be Adequately Represented on Screen? There’s a Test for That | Los Angeles Times
“Giving fat female characters story lines that don’t revolve around their weight…is the next step in helping destigmatize fat women in the real world.”
Can I Utter a Racial Slur in My Classroom? | The New York Times Magazine
“The trouble is that no individual can simply override social and semantic norms and decide what the utterance of a word will signify.”
“The term describes a lady lumberjack and is used in titles of competitions for women all over the world.”
How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Ableist | Romper
“Language is not the be-all-end-all of changing a mindset, but flipping your vocabulary does spark great discussions and make it clear to kids how subjective this whole thing really is.”
“If the media and the arts can help shine a light on disability, well-crafted writing can be one of the brightest torches of all and thankfully, now, those keen to discover more know exactly how and where to look.”
“Activists say the overuse has increased recently with the COVID-19 pandemic introducing English medical terms previously unheard of in Korea.”
CSG in the News
“One of the best places to start is to think about whether the word choices you use in day-to-day workplace communication make others feel included or ostracized.”
CSG adviser Henry Fuhrmann’s “Drop the Hyphen in Asian American” piece continues to make waves.
Editorial resources from Slaw, “Canada’s online legal magazine.”
From the Archives
The False Divide Between “Well Educated” and “Less Educated” | Conscious Style Guide
“Some of the richest people in the world are ‘less educated,’ including Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.”
In Case You Missed It
Picture Books and Unconscious Bias | Conscious Style Guide
“While most copyeditors are making sure that words are correct and free of harm, those of us who work with illustrations need to make sure the art is as well.”
Ableist tropes, gender-inclusive wedding-role titles, accessible meditation instructions, and more.
Wear Your “Make Peace With Words” T-Shirt With Pride
This super soft T-shirt is hand-printed to order in your choice of shirt and ink colors as well as style (fitted or straight-cut). Every purchase supports two woman- and POC-owned businesses. Why make peace with words? Read the article by CSG founder Karen Yin.
Buy Books, Support CSG!
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.
Diversify Your Staff
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!
Follow Us on Instagram for More Tips
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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