University of New Hampshire Deems 12 Words Problematic;Advises Students Against Usage

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Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
It's a weasel word for calling something racist, sexist, transexist, etc. in a muted, "acceptable" way. It's great because to accuse something of being racist or sexist is something people might reasonably scrutinize, whereas "problematic" lies in a nebulous area where weak arguments can have more leeway.
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Problematic literally means "I have a problem with it", but dressed up to sound more meaningful and academically sound (because generally people don't give a fuck if some stranger has a problem with something). It's probably a combination of these two things though.
 
Remember kids, the most important reason to change your language isn't to avoid hurting people, it's to make an ostentatious signal display that shows just how good a person you are and how much better you are than those other people!
 
This is fascinating to read to be honest.

I can't tell if I'm reading a document put together by a committee of perpetually offended but cloyingly polite first year sociology majors, or 4chan.

Like, if you grit your teeth while reading the whole thing, it makes it sound way more authentic.
 
Monocle said:
"Pointless" can be interpreted as a synonym for "dull," which is a term bullies use to call people stupid. You should show more sensitivity.
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Dammit, sorry I have to retune my vocabulary to not offend our fat allies and less intellectually savvy amongst us
 
Their recommendations sound like the absolute fastest way to come across as an insufferable asshole.
 
Obviously some of these are ridiculous, but this one is solid (haven't looked through them all yet).

Watch the Metaphors
“Bipolar,” “autistic,” “schizo,” and “ADD” are words that should not be thrown around in conversation. These words are descriptors of real psychiatric disabilities that people actually possess. They are not metaphors for everyday behaviors that happen to bug us. When used to describe people you hate, you imply that the disabilities themselves are something to be hated.
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In fairness, I always thought "person of colour" was an unnecessarily unwieldy phrase. I'm not sure what you could replace it with off the top of my head, but everyone is a person and everyone has a colour.
 
fuzzyset said:
Obviously some of these are ridiculous, but this one is solid (haven't looked through them all yet).
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It's a good recommendation but avoiding "abelist" language is like ice-skating up hill, I always end up back at the beginning reminding myself to not call that driver ahead of me a schizo.
 
"I saw that
American
Brenda today. She was strutting her
healthy
body everywhere thinking she looks pretty. What total
Caucasian
."


Edgy.
 
Preferred: U.S. citizen or Resident of the U.S.
Problematic: American
Note: North Americans often use “American” which usually, depending on the context, fails to recognize South America
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That's our demonym get over it.
 
This school isn't very AMERICAN.

72e1350ad38fa60a2755128cfdf15a0f.jpg
 
The only word I agree with is " illegal alien ".

The most widly accepted dehumanizing word used on a date to date basis.

People who thought it was a good idea to make such a list must be conservative double agents imo. No one can be so stupid as to think that this was a good idea. This kind of shit is not only counter-productive but also very damaging.
 
In all seriousness I would like it if we as a culture stopped calling people "disabled" or "having disorders" for them thinking and/or learning differently. Ie. ADHD and other "learning disabilities". These people are usually brilliant.

Funnily enough, this article encourages that language.
 
Kind of miffed at the problem found in the word "poor person". That word should not become more PG because it "hurts" people. That word should be used because it highlights a major problem in society where people are evoked and placed into that role which we know creates suffering, conflict, and constitutes the individual as a "have not" or a "less than". One is placed there: it's not earned, and has absolutely fuck all to do with choice and will, as its replacement words naively imply.

One doesn't simply "lack advantages" in that role. They are given disadvantages due to dangerously bad ideas, like being a have or else, which is the basic production of poverty in a developed nation. It's merely given to those who fail to match dangerous projections. Changing the word to imply that it's about advantages still plays the game of choice in society, but the original word addresses the fact that there are people in such positions, and more openly addresses the question of "what is poor" in our society, which is far more important than dick waving about advantages and disadvantages.
 
RedShift said:
people of size

People of Size

PEOPLE OF SIZE

what
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Great band name.

On topic, I can't believe this is honestly a real thing. What is wrong with people. They have the skin thickness of tissue paper anymore. American and healthy on a list of sensitive words, l-o-l
 
what is your guys views on microagressions... i mean in an honest question

do you see them as valid or exaggerated, or do you think the way we apply them is not the right way

i really would like to get your guys views on it, do you guys see it as being a real thing that we need to take seriously or not? i have mixed views on the term my self
 
C'mon NH, I know the people up here are mental already because of the radiation in the stones, but please...this is beyond silly.
 
"Class, please turn in your papers on the growing obesity crisis".

"Sir we can't say that."

"Ok, on the overweight crisis"

"Can't say that either."

"Fine, turn in your papers about the fatties."
 
MidnightPass said:
what is your guys views on microagressions... i mean in an honest question

do you see them as valid or exaggerated, or do you think the way we apply them is not the right way

i really would like to get your guys views on it, do you guys see it as being a real thing that we need to take seriously or not? i have mixed views on the term my self
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Well it depends.

But keeping things in general and branching off personal experience, "microaggressions" in today's classrooms inhibits ways to discuss fairly simple concepts and make lectures more of a semantics game rather than actual discussion and debate at the topic at hand.

Sure, there might be valid ways a "microagression" might occur, but letting the professor know you feel triggered when (s)he discusses the "Mohrs* travelling to Spain" is very detrimental to the discussion in a fundamental History class. True story.

*Moor is indeed the proper usage but the student felt upset because she thought the professor was using it as the German word Mohr, (which even then isn't discriminatory) and disrupted the classroom
 
mothering and fathering? come on now how did any of us get here, regardless of how good or present our mothers and fathers were ...we all have them one way or another...goodness.
 
Averon said:
The word "problematic" has exploded in popularity over the past 2-3 years.
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Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
It's a weasel word for calling something racist, sexist, transexist, etc. in a muted, "acceptable" way. It's great because to accuse something of being racist or sexist is something people might reasonably scrutinize, whereas "problematic" lies in a nebulous area where weak arguments can have more leeway.
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For a less biased analysis, see http://www.macleans.ca/society/the-problem-with-problematic/
 
Seems like context is needed.

For example calling a white person American in some contexts could be usEd to imply non whites are not real American s. Hence why European American in that context could be more suitable.

The list by itself seems absurd
 
boiled goose said:
Seems like context is needed.

For example calling a white person American in some contexts could be usEd to imply non whites are not real American s. Hence why European American in that context could be more suitable.

The list by itself seems absurd
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European American is used in lieu of "Caucasian" not "American." Nobody should be referred to as an "American," but rather as "residents of the United States."
 
Please tell me this was put together for some kind of parody.

Person of material wealth instead of rich. People of size. Non-disabled. American. International people.

Since when are people from Northern Africa not Arab anymore.

Is homosexual offensive now.

Guys and girls is problematic.

I need a new dictionary to keep up.
 
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