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- The Conscious Language Newsletter: May 2020
The Conscious Language Newsletter: May 2020
From the World of Conscious Language
Note: The authors’ viewpoints are not necessarily shared by Conscious Style Guide.
Talking to Children About Job Loss During the Pandemic | The New York Times
“Be frank with your teenagers about the family finances in a collegial, we’re-figuring-out-our-next-steps-here manner. Let them surprise you with suggestions for what to do.”
Cover the Coronavirus Without Being an Ableist Asshole | Bitch Media
“It can be frustrating—and even triggering—to be constantly reminded that situations you live with every day are considered grim by others or that they’d be miserable if they were forced to share your reality.”
There’s No Wisdom in Crowd Photos | Columbia Journalism Review
“Different cameras and shot angles can give very different impressions of how close people are to one another.”
Epidemiological Models: 10 Things Journalists Covering Coronavirus Research Should Know | Journalist’s Resource
Provide context, such as “what the study adds to what we know about that particular topic and which big questions remain.”
“Stop directing most of the questions at the president…Ask the scientists and doctors in the room.”
Seven million Canadians speak French, one of Canada’s official languages, but Health Canada suspended bilingual labeling requirements to speed imports during the coronavirus pandemic, concerning researchers and experts in language rights and policies.
Using Collaborative Language Is Essential in Times of Crisis | Fast Company
“Using the word ‘together’ is a powerful way of building a community.”
Why Does “Yellow Filter” Keep Popping Up in American Movies? | Matador Network
“Yellow filter goes hand in hand with films that depict mostly negative stereotypes about living in the country in question, all while centering the journey of a white hero.”
The #HairWeAre campaign “explores the stigma around Afro hair and breaking the common urban ‘acceptable’ look that female and male models are often stereotyped into within the media.”
Why the Words We Use Matter When Describing Anti-Trans Activists | The Conversation
“Those who deny trans rights while claiming feminism would prefer to be called gender-critical feminists. But that term too is terribly misleading. By definition, feminists are critical of gender.”
Finding the Right Words in a Crisis | Harvard Business Review
“In a crisis, leaders who give fewer instructions—but more-concrete ones—are more likely to see people act on their words.”
“People often find porn featuring trans women with outdated, transphobic language, which only stands to perpetuate a cycle of discrimination and mistreatment against those women in real life.”
How Young People Are Redefining “Transgender” and “Nonbinary” | Dictionary.com
A look at how “young transgender and nonbinary people are leading the way in creating language that helps to express the nuances of their gender identity and expression” and how using such affirming language can be lifesaving.
What Is the Gender-Neutral Version of “Fisherman”? | Grammar Girl
Angler, fishfolk, and other gender-free contenders that can replace fisherman.
How to Write a Condolence Note | The New York Times
“Given the extraordinary ways that Covid-19 is interfering with end-of-life interactions and mourning rituals, it is appropriate to recognize this if you’re moved to do so.”
CSG in the News
Plain Language for COVID-19 Communications | NYC Opportunity
We’re thrilled to be included as a plain-language resource in this guide by the NYC Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity.
Diversity in Publishing: An Interview With Sangeeta Mehta | The Editors’ Weekly
Thanks to Sangeeta Mehta, who helped launch the Editorial Freelancers Association’s Diversity Initiative, for the shout-out to Conscious Style Guide.
Conscious Style Guide adviser Henry Fuhrmann’s “Drop the Hyphen in Asian American” continues to influence style guides beyond The Associated Press Stylebook and BuzzFeed Style Guide.
From the Archives
Why We Confuse “Race” and “Ethnicity”: A Lexicographer’s Perspective | Conscious Style Guide
“‘Race’ and ‘ethnicity’ as labels can change not just from speaker to speaker but from context to context.”
In Case You Missed It
More help with coronavirus-related communication, conscious images for reporting gender-based violence, and Miss Manners on a gender-neutral courtesy title.
Get a Different Perspective
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. Also home to the Database of Diverse Databases, now with 70 resources featuring underrepresented communities!
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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].
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