The Cambridge Dictionary Redefines 'Man' and 'Woman'

“Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.”
—George Orwell, 1984

Orwell’s “Newspeak” is on full display. We’re almost ready for “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength.” Not quite, but rest assured, we are getting there. By way of a quick review, there are these things called dictionaries. They used to be these big, frequently dusty things found in the back of classrooms or libraries. Occasionally, they have been given as gifts to young students who tried their best to look grateful. Dictionaries have migrated to a digital format and can be found online.

Once upon a time, a dictionary could be used to provide you with the correct spelling of a given word, as well as its definition. No political commentary, no “directing” people to an acceptable mindset. Just the information you needed to help you express yourself properly.

Now? Not so much.

The Cambridge Dictionary has changed its definition of “man” to the following:

man

noun (MALE)

an adult male human being:

• a young/tall man
• men and women
• the man in the green jacket
• For a very long time, only men could join the armed forces.
• Steve can solve anything – the man’s a genius

an adult who lives and identifies as male though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth:

• Mark is a trans man (= a man who was said to be female when they were born).

• Their doctor encouraged them to live as a man for a while before undergoing surgical transition.

The definition of “woman” now reads:

woman

noun

• She’s a really nice woman.
• A woman and two men were arrested the day after the explosion.
• Women first got the vote in Britain in 1918.
• She is Ireland’s first woman (= female) president.

an adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth:

• She was the first trans woman elected to a national office.
• mary [sic] is a woman who was assigned male at birth.

Isn’t that a bit transphobic? After all, if someone decides that they are a man, woman, ferret, or conch shell, isn’t it offensive to relegate them to nothing more than identifying as one? Are they not now fully a man, woman, cuttlefish, or Rubik’s Cube on any given day? How dare the Cambridge Dictionary dead-gender someone?

Most people, including many conservatives, are fine with an adult calling themselves whatever they want. Most people, including many conservatives, simply don’t care at this point. But this situation with the Cambridge Dictionary, provided it still identifies as a dictionary, is a different matter altogether.

This is an attempt to alter language. And once language has been altered, words can mean whatever someone with enough power wants them to mean. And then, words can be used against anyone at any time when it becomes convenient. And that includes the most radical progressives among us, if necessary. And then we are well on our way to “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength.”

If you don’t believe me, you can look it up in the… Never mind.