Hey! Teacher, Leave Those Kids Alone!!!!

Students at Hull University are being told to use gender neutral language in their essays - or risk losing marks.

According to documents obtained by the Sunday Times, students are told to "be aware of the powerful and symbolic nature of language and use gender-sensitive formulations. Failure to use gender-sensitive language will impact your mark."

A senior lecturer in religion at the university said: “Should any student use language which is not deemed gender-neutral, they will be offered feedback as to why. Deduction of marks is taken on a case-by-case basis.”

An example of what words mustn't be used and what to replace them with:-

Forefathers – ancestors, forebears

Gentleman’s agreement – unwritten agreement, agreement based on trust

Girls (for adults) – women

Housewife – shopper, consumer, homemaker (depends on context)

Manpower – human resources, labour force, staff, personnel, workers, workforce

Man or mankind – humanity, humankind, human race, people

Man-made – artificial, manufactured, synthetic

Man in the street, common man – average/ordinary/typical citizen/person

Right-hand man – chief assistant

Sportsmanship – fairmess, good humour, sense of fair play

Oh dear! Do you think I should tell them that some of the replacement words they give as an example contain the word 'man'? Such as human, humanity, humankind

This is taking PC to the extreme

Pink Floyd, all is forgiven. :rasp:



Cardiff Metropolitan University's "Guide to Inclusive Language" gives gender-neutral alternatives to 34 words or phrases.

The six-page document says that the terms “forefathers”, “best man for the job” and “man-hour” should be avoided in order to "promote an atmosphere in which all students feel valued".

The university said in a statement that the document "makes no demands, bans nothing and carries no sanctions."

The suggestion from Hull takes it one step further.

Be careful because the Thought Police are watching

 

What a load of auld pish! No wonder this world is in a mess.

 

I take it, then, that none of you three agree with it!

 

I must be too old @shiney....

 

Whoops! I don't think I should have clicked 'agree' but I'll leave it there now

 

What!! No word of dissent or argument? Uh dear! I'm at it again . I used a word with 'men' in it.

I suppose they wouldn't object if I made reference to the distaff side of my family as it is meant to be gender specific.

 

I'm the shopper in our house! So, am I a housewife?

On a more serious point, students are the people that tend to be rebellious and buck against authority. If the authority is telling them that they have got to be more PC and non gender specific there may be a situation where they decide to do the opposite. Part of doing the opposite, and the mind set that may come with it, is that they may be pushed to the far right in their views and actions.

Extremism of all sorts sucks!!!