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- November 2015 Newsletter
November 2015 Newsletter
Giving Thanks vs. Thanksgiving
The act of giving thanks is called thanksgiving. I enjoy writing it in lowercase to remind myself that deep gratitude is not tied to one day.
As it turns out, happiness, optimism, and peacefulness are by-products of gratitude, so why not make it a daily practice?
Today, I am grateful for warm socks, apple pie for breakfast, my new keyboard, my many niblings, and all the ways one can be sappy.
With humor,
Karen YinFounder
Conscious images!
“The author genuinely responded to the criticism that his book used too many stereotypes and made changes to the book a number of times throughout the years, culminating in the 1991 edition.”
Wheelchair Etiquette: 10 Tips for Inclusive Language | Just Better Care
“9. It is OK to use expressions such as ‘going for a walk’ when speaking to a person who uses a wheelchair. Most people will use the same common expressions. Just speak naturally.”
“People who are all about inclusivity, all of a sudden they’re like, ‘You can’t use that word,’ and it’s like, ‘You just told me I can’t self-identify.'”—Brandyn Gallagher, a transgender man
“It’s time to remind ourselves that the word ‘fat’ is not a bad word, that it’s an adjective, it’s a benign descriptor of size.”—Jes M. Baker, author of Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls
University Deems Words “Rape,” “Crazy” Hurtful and Harmful | The College Fix
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln targets six words in its inclusive-language campaign.
Cut the Jargon and Let Patients Hear What You’re Saying | American Academy of Family Physicians
“Our imprudent use of language has the potential to influence patient decisions.”
Model Tess Holliday Defends the Term “Plus-Size” | Cosmopolitan
“Tess [Holliday], who is a size 22, says she has ‘no shame with being PLUS’ and argues it’s a descriptive term like any other.”
On structuring communication in family businesses.
Why Are Moderators Continuing to Use This “Racial Slur” in Republican Presidential Debates? | Media Matters for America
“While many media outlets are moving away from or have banned altogether the use of the ‘illegal immigrant’ slur and substituting it with the more humane term ‘undocumented immigrant,’ Fox has a history of clinging to the disparaging term and praising its use.”
No “As” for Effort This Year, All Agencies Clear Plain Language Hurdles | Federal News Radio
“The reader is the customer, and the writer works harder so the reader doesn’t have to.”—Chris Crane, Center for Plain Language
Health Experts Are Explaining Drug-Resistant Bacteria Poorly | The Atlantic
“The Wellcome Trust has stopped using the phrase ‘antibiotic resistance’ in its public communications. ‘We say “drug-resistant infection,”‘ says Mark Henderson, the organization’s head of communications.”
A guide to labels in the world of “plus-size” models.
America Might Have Accidentally Banned Transgender Discrimination in 1964 | The Washington Post
“Legal scholars say that the precedent against ‘sex-stereotyping’ may extend to transgender people, if they are discriminated against because they do not behave according to the sex assigned to them at birth.”
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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