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- September 2015 Newsletter
September 2015 Newsletter
Editors and Pet Peeves
Conscious Style Guide is proud to sponsor Beyond the Red Pencil: Editing in the 21st Century.
Although I will not be joining my cohort of editors in Seattle on October 10, 2015, I will be following the hashtag #EdsGuild2015 for the conversation on social media. You can find Northwest Independent Editors Guild on Facebook and Twitter.
In other news: What do I think of pet peeves? Read my Q&A with Copyediting.com to find out.
In solidarity,
Karen YinFounder
Questions for a Writer and Editor: Karen Yin | Copyediting.com
Advice from Conscious Style Guide founder Karen Yin in an interview with Copyediting.com.
“A label shouldn’t keep someone from being what they want, but the label and suggestion often influences parents to steer clear of certain items due to their child’s gender.”
“I’m never going to be considered brave for playing a straight person, and nor should I be.”—Ellen Page
Migrant or Refugee? There Is a Difference, With Legal Implications | The New York Times
“The terms ‘migrant’ and ‘refugee’ are sometimes used interchangeably, but there is a crucial legal difference between the two.”
When revising an “errant tweet” is not enough.
AAJA Urges News Media to Retire “Chink in the Armor” | Asian American Journalists Association
“When used in conjunction with topics involving Asia and/or Asian Americans, it can call to mind a hurtful slur.”
“Why do we use phrases that shift accountability away from the human beings involved, describing ‘out of control’ vehicles that ‘jump curbs’ and ‘plow into pedestrians’ seemingly of their own accord?”
“James Bond” Author “Mortified” by Calling Idris Elba “Too Street” to Play Titular Character | Colorlines
“We all pretty much get what people mean when they call people of color ‘too street’ or ‘hood’ or ‘ghetto.’ But apparently, English author Anthony Horowitz didn’t get the memo…”
“Problems begin when we make our needs someone else’s responsibility and then believe we have the right to get angry about it.”
These Are Words Scholars Should No Longer Use to Describe Slavery and the Civil War | History News Network
“Why should we continue to employ wording that is biased, false, or laden with myth?”
Gender-Neutral Language Is Coming—Here’s Why It Matters | New Statesman
“We can only become what we can imagine and we can only imagine what we can articulate. That’s why language matters to our lives; that’s why little changes in grammar and vocabulary can affect the entire architecture of our political imagination.”
What Emails Reveal About Who’s on Top—and on Bottom—at Work | The Washington Post
“The study found that the kinds of words and phrases that people use varied significantly depending on whether the email was going up or down the corporate hierarchy.”
The Anti-Redskin | The Atlantic
“Change will come, [Ray Halbritter] told the students at Harvard, ‘not because of the benevolence of a team owner, but because a critical mass of Americans will no longer tolerate, patronize, and cheer on bigotry.'”
Yes, “Black-ish” Is Tackling That Word Head-On | Los Angeles Times
“People always ask me if these various explorations of the N-word will result in its eventually losing its venom and becoming another word. Although I would never say never, I would add it’s highly unlikely. Or even extremely unlikely because of the persistence of racism.”–Jabari Asim, author of The N Word: Who Can Say it, Who Shouldn’t, and Why
The Burden Carried by “Refugee” | The Wall Street Journal
“‘[Migrant] has evolved from its dictionary definitions into a tool that dehumanizes and distances, a blunt pejorative,’ wrote Barry Malone, online editor for Al Jazeera English. ‘Refugee,’ he argues, is a more humane choice.'”
Perfectly Reasonable Question: Why Allow a Racial Slur but Remove an Obscenity? | The New York Times
“Editors decided the racial language itself was central to the recounting, and that a paraphrase or write-around would be significantly less effective.”
Why I Don’t Shield My Team From Bad News | Fast Company
On transparency as a core value.
A Juror Bill of Rights | The Atlantic
“Jurors wield an amazing amount of legal power. They’re entrusted with life and death decisions, and billion dollar verdicts. But that power and trust can be undercut by the disempowering feeling of having to comprehend complicated jury instructions filled with important, but incomprehensible legal jargon.”
Ban on Banning Words | Inside Higher Ed
“When used in conjunction with topics involving Asia and/or Asian Americans, it can call to mind a hurtful slur.”
“It’s dangerous to suggest bullying causes suicide, Kelly McBride argued in 2013, because a bullied child may begin to see suicide as a cure, a relief from what he or she is experiencing.”
“The new online resources include downloadable quick reference cards for media professionals for both LGBTI and mainstream media. They provide recommendations for reporting, as well as appropriate language to use, help-seeking information and contact details for LGBTI crisis support services.”
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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