Stanfoolery and "bad words"

Herb Caen used to refer to Stanford as Stanfoo, but the university is looking more like Stanfools lately.  In the interest of free speech which we value here at the Voice, I'll post a recent WSJ editorial that is so ridiculous that it merits keeping around for when the next bit of tomfoolery pops up in the language arena:

Parodists have it rough these days, since so much of modern life and culture resembles the Babylon Bee. The latest evidence is that Stanford University administrators in May published an index of forbidden words to be eliminated from the school’s websites and computer code, and provided inclusive replacements to help re-educate the benighted.

Call yourself an “American”? Please don’t. Better to say “U.S. citizen,” per the bias hunters, lest you slight the rest of the Americas. “Immigrant” is also out, with “person who has immigrated” as the approved alternative. It’s the iron law of academic writing: Why use one word when four will do?

You can’t “master” your subject at Stanford any longer; in case you hadn’t heard, the school instructs that “historically, masters enslaved people.” And don’t dare design a “blind study,” which “unintentionally perpetuates that disability is somehow abnormal or negative, furthering an ableist culture.” Blind studies are good and useful, but never mind; “masked study” is to be preferred. Follow the science.

“Gangbusters” is banned because the index says it “invokes the notion of police action against ‘gangs’ in a positive light, which may have racial undertones.” Not to beat a dead horse (a phrase that the index says “normalizes violence against animals”), but you used to have to get a graduate degree in the humanities to write something that stupid.

The Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative is a “multi-phase” project of Stanford’s IT leaders. The list took “18 months of collaboration with stakeholder groups” to produce, the university tells us. We can’t imagine what’s next, except that it will surely involve more make-work for more administrators, whose proliferation has driven much of the rise in college tuition and student debt. For 16,937 students, Stanford lists 2,288 faculty and 15,750 administrative staff.

The list was prefaced with (to use another forbidden word) a trigger warning: “This website contains language that is offensive or harmful. Please engage with this website at your own pace.”

Evidently it was all too much for some at the school to handle. On Monday, after the index came to light on social media, Stanford hid it from public view. Without a password, you wouldn’t know that “stupid” made the list.

One can only imagine the reaction if you told a Chief Master Sergeant in the Army or Air Force that his or her rank needs to be edited for political correctness.  Then you would hear some forbidden words for sure!

Comments

[HMB]

So much of that list came from other lists that have been circulating at other universities for a while. Here's an article from The Atlantic from over a year ago about a list at Brandeis: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/07/brandeis-language-police-have-suggestions-you/619347/
And there are so many recent articles now saying it's some kind of Stanford administration policy but it's not. It was a document created for discussion within the IT community at Stanford to point out that some terms can be problematic in certain uses.
I've seen the full document and there is some interesting food for thought and discussion. Out of context, though, a lot of it certainly seems ridiculous and bizarre. Even in context, a lot of it makes me want to shake my head and say, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." Or "Sometimes a brown bag is just a brown bag."

[Phinancier]

Marc Andreessen tweeted that someone isn't up to date on the latest language instructions at Stanford after Zelensky thanked "Americans" for their support :-O

[HMB]

I really liked this one of his: https://twitter.com/pmarca/status/1605445401116409856?cxt=HHwWgICg_cKF2McsAAAA

[Mom]

What in the world is going on at Stanford? SBF has his ankle bracelet on at his parents' house but they don't have theirs on? Some professor just coughed up $29 million in a fraud case? Kids are getting scholarships for sports they don't play? And the Tree is getting cut off at the stump for being too rambunctious?

[Joe]

This is pretty funny too:

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/you-cant-say-that-at-stanford/?utm_source=recirc-desktop&utm_medium=homepage&utm_campaign=river&utm_content=featured-content-trending&utm_term=second

[MBGA]

As for verboten terms I hope they fix that "non-binary" thing.
It is an offensive term now because it categorizes people into "binary" and "non binary".

[MBGA]

You might want to check out on youtube a podcast by Darkhorse called "Stanford's acceptable language list".

the low posted speed limit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVNjwMR1xbc&t=558

[hollyroller@ gmail.com]

I love the title of this Thread Joe. In fact I may change my "Handle" to Ms. Tom Foolery. Anyway a large tree just fell in my neighbors back years. Has anyone had any issues with tree issues?
Happy New Year All.

[Haystack Calhoun]

It began when Stanfurd or ('Furd) eliminated the Indian mascot and became the 'Cardinal'--not even a bird but a color.

[Joe]

Here is a fun LTTE in the weekend WSJ regarding the Stanfoolery:

I’m reminded of the second-grade teacher who asked her students to stand if they thought they were stupid. After a pregnant pause, little Alfred stood up. “Alfred,” the teacher said, “do you think you are stupid?” “No, ma’am,” he replied, “but I didn’t want you standing up there alone.”

Steve Reckker

Romeo, MI

[Paloma Ave]

Stanford removes ‘harmful language guide’ from website following backlash.

[Joe]

Here's an entry for the "keep your head down, dammit" file:

The University of Southern California isn’t banning the word “field,” no matter what its School of Social Work may say.

Elizabeth A. Graddy, interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, said Thursday there is no campus prohibition on the use of “field” after an uproar over the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work’s decision to replace the term with “practicum.”

“The university does not maintain a list of banned or discouraged words. We will continue to use words – including ‘field’ – that accurately encompass and describe our work and research,” said Ms. Graddy in an email to The Washington Times.

The School of Social Work was mocked relentlessly after the release of a Jan. 9 memo showing that the department had decided to abolish the word “field” from its curriculum, citing its association with slavery.

The memo from the “Practicum Education Department” said the change aligns with initiatives including the 2021 National Association of Social Work’s “commitment to undoing racism through social work.”

[Paloma Ave]

Joe - Thanks for the article above!

[Joe]

You're welcome. This is a post that will just keep on delivering free entertainment.

[JP]

Here's another one

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has asked the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to rename Wool Street in the city’s Bernal Heights neighborhood to Vegan Wool Street to bring attention to the cruelty inflicted on sheep during the wool-shearing process.

[JP]

Oh non-binary. Here we go again. Trigger warning on new bad words. Oops.

pull the trigger
take a stab at [it]
bite the bullet
jump the gun
kill two birds with one stone
deadline
pick [your] battles
shoot me an email
overkill
bombed the [attempt]
roll with the punches
kicking around an idea
straight shooter