The list of words those on the Left is rather extensive.
Even someone without dementia like Joe would be hard pressed to not offend the DEI police during a speech.
21 Words and Phrases to Avoid
1. Deadnaming â Itâs not so much the word as the practice.
Deadnaming occurs when you refer to a person whoâs transgender by the birth or given name they used before they transitioned.
2. Misgendering â This also is more a practice than word choice. It occurs when someone describes a transgender person with pronouns that do not align with the gender to which they identify. If you are unsure which pronouns to use, you can ask the person which they prefer (see No. 8 below).
3. Transgenderism, transgendered, transwoman, transman â These terms are offensive to many in the transgender community. The proper terms are transgender (no -ism or -ed) and trans woman or trans man. This
article does a good job of explaining why. GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organization, has several comprehensive guidelines on terms and phrases to use to fairly and accurately talk about transgender people, including the one you can find
here.
4. Homosexual â The preferred word for people attracted to members of the same sex is gay or lesbian.
5. Sexual preference â In referring to someoneâs physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction to another, the preferred term is sexual orientation or, simply, orientation. The
AP Stylebook also offers
guidance.
6. Sex change â Transition is the preferred term for the process of living as a gender one identifies with rather than the sex assigned to them at birth. (You can find additional terms to avoid on the GLAAD
website.)
7. Mom/Dad â Yes, mom and dad. In and of themselves, mom and dad are not offensive terms, and based on the context you are using them, your audience, and the purpose of your communication, they could work just fine. However, just be aware these words (as well as terms such as husband and wife) reveal an assumption of certain family structures, as well as âtraditionalâ gender roles in the home, that may or may not resonate for
some members of your audience. The better words are parent(s); partner or spouse.
8. He/she. You certainly can use he/him or she/her to describe individuals who identify with those pronouns. However, plural pronouns, such as they/them/their, are better if you are addressing an audience to which you are not sure of preferred pronouns. (Learn more
here.)
9. Master/slave â Largely used in the tech industry, master and slave signifies the relationship where one device has control over and initiates the commands of another. Itâs also used in real estate to describe the â
masterâ bedroom. Better to use primary and secondary, parent and child.
10. Whitelist/blacklist â Again, largely tech terms (although
blacklist has cultural significance, too), they describe security controls to allow or limit, respectively, access to a system or network. Allow or deny or include or exclude are better choices. (For a broader application to replace blacklist, boycott is better.)
11. Slave vs. enslaved â When you use the word âslaveâ to describe a person who was held in bondage and forced to perform labor, it can be dehumanizing, in that it focuses on circumstances rather than the personâs identity. Today, most historians talk about enslavement or people who were enslaved.
12. Peanut gallery â This is a classist and racist phrase that dates to the late 19th century. Originally, this term described the cheapest seats in a theater. However, it also was used to describe the upper balcony seats in segregated theaters. A far better word is hecklers.
13. Grandfathered/Grandfather clause â Recently, a Massachusetts Appeals Court recognized the racist connotation of this word by refusing to use it in a
ruling. The phrase originally referred to laws, adopted by some states in the southern U.S. after the Civil War, which created barriers for African American voters.
14. Gyp, Gypped â It has long been tossed about in casual speech to describe someone who has been cheated, ripped off, or conned, but the word comes from the word âGypsy,â which is considered a racial slur among the Romani or Roma people. Far better to use the words that started this entry.
15. Spirit Animal â In 2019, pop singer Rhianna
was criticized for her use of the term âspirit animalâ in referencing her bond with her dancer and choreographer Parris Goebel. She was called out for misappropriating a sacred concept in indigenous cultures. It reflects a larger issue of being cognizant of using symbolism and words sacred to certain cultures in a casual manner that could be deemed offensive. (For more information, visit
Reporting in Indigenous Communities. )
16. Old people â When it comes to talking about age, it can be a touchy subject. The term âoldâ can be seen as pejorative â something that is obsolete and decrepit. Some
donât like the words senior or elderly, either. Of course, connotations are formed by how a culture sees aging. Simply adding â-erâ at the end of old (as in older adults) can soften it. Also, signifying the actual age range you are talking about, 75 and older, say, negates the need for words like old or senior. (AARP delves into ageist language
here.)
17. Chairman/Salesman/Policeman â Although many are now aware that police officer is better than policeman, itâs important to be sure your terminology is gender-neutral when talking about occupations. (You want to be careful with freshmen and underclassmen, too. You can choose first-years and sophomores instead.)
18. Bipolar/OCD/PTSD/Schizo/Psycho â Itâs best to simply never use any of these words in any way to describe an everyday or casual occurrence. (âI think crunching all this data gave me PTSD.â âMy computer is being bipolar today.â) You could
potentially insult a person who has been diagnosed with any of these mental health illnesses or conditions or someone who knows someone who has.
19. Tone-deaf â Using this phrase to indicate someone misread a situation or said or did something inappropriate, thoughtless, or inconsiderate, links deafness with something negative â something that someone failed at. Itâs part of a broader problem known as ableism â discrimination or social prejudice against people with disabilities. Hereâs a
good guide on how to steer clear of similar words and phrases. It also speaks to the concept of
âpeople first,â when talking about someoneâs disability or illness. Itâs a person on the autism spectrum, not an autistic person.
20. Afflicted By/Suffering From/Victim of Mental Illness. Any illness or condition someone has (physical or mental) simply is a fact and to couch it with words such as âafflicted by,â âsuffers from,â or âis a victim of,â says more about your take on their situation than theirs. If it is necessary to mention it at all, a better way to say it would be, âHe was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.â (You can find a useful guide from the American Psychiatric Association
here.)
21. Normal. Whatâs normal doing on this list? Too often it is used as a label while differentiating data or behavior. If someone evidences ânormalâ behavior, are all those that donât abnormal? The words âusualâ or âtypicalâ work better by providing a more quantifiable explanation, as well as sounding potentially less judgmental. (Visit the National Center on Disability and Journalism for a comprehensive disability language
style guide.)
