“Inclusive language” is all the rage on the left. It’s like when we were kids, and some of us created our own words and phrases to keep our parents in the dark about what we were really doing. Inclusive language in this case is meant to keep ordinary people in the dark about what some elites are doing to their world.
Inclusive language, like the tax code, is only understood by the elites. It gives them power over those who don’t understand taxes/wokeness and imparts a special feeling of belonging with other elites.
But in this case, inclusive language is not meant to communicate anything but to obscure meaning. Of course, that’s the exact opposite of the purpose of language, but if the point isn’t to communicate but to conceal, it doesn’t matter.
Atlanta has just published its own guide to oppression. “Inclusive language” guides serve the purpose of giving some people the power to define the identities of others. What else would you call that but “oppression”?
Apparently the word 'waitress' is offensive in Atlanta https://t.co/znEvDRpYYj
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 8, 2023
“We begin with language because behavior change begins when we shift mindsets. We do that by helping people communicate more thoughtfully, effectively, and inclusively,” Candace Stanciel, the Chief Equity Officer for the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, said at the conference announcing the guide, according to a video. “This is not about being politically correct, but seeing people as whole humans with complex identities.”
First question: Do “identities” really have to be “complex”? Humans got along for about 100,000 years without complex identities, why start now? And if communicating “more thoughtfully, effectively, and inclusively” also means “more obscurely,” someone has to explain these “complex identities.” And if language is power, those who define language have the most power.
Ms. Stanciel is right. This isn’t about political correctness. It’s about control.
The guide promotes critical race theory as a recognition “that racism is more than the result of individual bias and prejudice,” and defines racism as an issue promulgated in the U.S. by white people. It argues that “white dominant culture” has used white supremacy to establish “cultural norms, practices, and functions” to force everyone to behave under its “authority.”
Atlanta’s guide also urges government officials to practice “cultural humility” and to avoid cultural appropriation from “personal use” of “symbols, art, language, [and] customs” from other groups. It labels race and gender as “social constructs” used to categorize people who fall outside of “societal norms.”
“Societal norms” is code for “white culture.”
Atlanta’s guide also urges government officials to practice “cultural humility” and to avoid cultural appropriation from “personal use” of “symbols, art, language, [and] customs” from other groups. It labels race and gender as “social constructs” used to categorize people who fall outside of “societal norms.”
The guide lists a plethora of terms it deems “offensive,” including “illegal immigrant,” “homosexual,” “man-made” and “waitress.” It also argues that deportation is a “threat to human rights” and is a weapon used to harm immigrants.
“As we continue to grow and evolve, so does our language, and with it, the power to shape perceptions and attitudes,” Mayor Andre Dickens wrote in the guide. “This guide represents an important step toward ensuring that our communication prioritizes care for each other when navigating the extensive diversity that enriches the city of Atlanta.”
Related: The Woke Bell Tolls for Ernest Hemingway
Shaping “perceptions and attitudes” should not be the job of government in a free society. These “inclusive language” guides are little more than left-wing propaganda disguised as instruments of social justice.
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