Sexist Chant: Relax! It’s just an old joke
View post on imgur.com As a feminist over the years I’ve often tried to trouble some language misuse that has the potential to hurt people. While it appears that there has been a slight move away from saying “it’s a man’s world” and using the generic “man” to refer to all people, it can be useful to remember the struggle to have language habits change to be more accurate and inclusive, even on a linguistic matter so basic. How many times did people roll their eyes when I said “human” when the word “man” was expected… So humankind instead of mankind for example, or “chairperson” rather than “chairman.” slowly over 30 years or so, language has evolved so that many people are accepting of more inclusive language, and less inclined to tell users to “lighten up” or “relax.” Pointing out how any group uses a term that could be offensive or hurtful is usually met with a chorus of different versions of the phrase “it doesn’t mean anything, we’re just having fun.” Winnipeg loves it’s NHL J