34 words/phrases banned by a university

Anyone with common sense, logic and half of a brain will concur that political correctness is getting out of hand. As the great comedian George Carlin once said, political correctness is fascism disguised as manners, and if you have visited a college campus as of late you would know this first-hand.

Example No. 2332101: Cardiff Metropolitan University

According to a new report from The Independent, Cardiff Metropolitan University has announced a change to their code of practice that would ban 34 words and phrases. Some of these consist of “right-hand man,” “mankind” and “fireman.”

(For years, there have been jokes that feminists would one day eradicate mankind from our vernacular. Who knew they would succeed!)

Failure to comply and conform to the school’s speech restrictions may result in disciplinary action.

Here is a statement from the post-secondary institution:

“The University is committed unreservedly to the principle of academic freedom within the law. It is also committed to providing an environment where everyone is valued and treated with dignity and respect. These two commitments are cornerstones of academic life at the University. The Code of Practice on Using Inclusive Language sets out a broad approach to promoting fairness and equality through raising awareness about the effects of potentially discriminatory vocabulary.  In particular, it includes some suggestions to support gender equality; these are consistent with other guidance (e.g., British Sociological Association’s information on Equality and Diversity).”

Indeed, free speech is no longer permitted on an American, British or Canadian college campus these days. How sad.

Here are the 34 words and phrases:

“Best man for the job” – Best person for the job
“Businessman/woman” –  Businessperson, manager, executive
“Chairman/woman” – Chair, chairperson, convenor, head
“Charwoman, cleaning lady” – Cleaner
“Craftsman/woman” – Craftsperson, craft worker
“Delivery man” – Delivery clerk, courier
“Dear Sirs” – Dear Sir/Madam (or Madam/Sir)
“Fireman” – Fire-fighter
“Forefathers” – Ancestors, forebears
“Foreman/woman” – Supervisor, head juror
“Gentleman’s agreement” – Unwritten agreement, agreement based on trust
“Girls” (for adults) – Women
“Headmaster/mistress” – Head teacher
“Housewife” – Shopper, consumer, homemaker (depends on context)
“Layman” – Lay person
“Man” or “mankind” – Humanity, humankind, human race, people
“Man” (verb) eg man the desk – Operate, staff, work at
“Man in the street”, “common man” – Average/ordinary/typical citizen/person – but is there such a person?
“Man-hour” – Work-hour, labor time
“Man-made” – Artificial, manufactured, synthetic
“Manpower” – Human resources, labour force, staff, personnel, workers, workforce
“Miss/Mrs” – Ms unless a specific preference has been stated – though its common not to use titles at all these days
“Policeman/woman” – Police Officer
“Right-hand man” – Chief assistant
“Salesman/girl/woman” – Sales assistant/agent/clerk/representative/staff/worker
“Spokesman/woman” – Spokesperson, representative
“Sportsmanship” – Fairness, good humor, sense of fair play
“Steward/ess” – Airline staff, flight attendant, cabin crew
“Tax man” – Tax officer/inspector
“Waitress” – Waiter, server
“Woman doctor” (or feminine forms of nouns eg actress, poetess) – Doctor (actor, poet etc)
“Working man”, “working mother/wife” – Wage-earner/taxpayer/worker
“Workman” – Worker/operative/trades person
“Workmanlike” – Efficient/proficient/skillful/thorough

When will politicians, academic institutions and organizations learn that when you try to prohibit or restrict something, like words, for example, it only encourages greater use. People hate being told what to do and these acts will only result in more people using “workman,” “manpower” and “man-made.”