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Stanford's Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative intends to educate young minds by introducing new phrases to replace old common phrases like 'bury the hatchet' or 'brave', but not everyone on board.

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California: Stanford, one of California’s most prized universities is now pushing to change everyday common language to align with the latest woke, progressive ideology. Many of these phrases, once considered normal and, thus acceptable, are now branded as racist and/or potentially offensive.

We at Align Us don’t necessarily agree with Stanford’s new plan. But it does bring to light why we have created our platform in the first place- to help you learn more about the political leanings of businesses and institutions.

We have decided to attempt to translate some of the recommendations from Stanford University into language that normal people could use every day. 

Ohh, sorry, "normal' is one of those banned words.

Stanford’s mission is known as the Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative.

According to the Stanford website, “The goal of the Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative is to eliminate many forms of harmful language, including racist, violent, and biased (e.g., disability bias, ethnic bias, ethnic slurs, gender bias, implicit bias, sexual bias) language in Stanford websites and code.” 

The website also provides examples for quick reference. They state the "potentially harmful" phrase, followed by an acceptable replacement and additional context to further explain the change.


Interesting Examples

Some examples to this initiative are:

1. Instead of "balls to the wall", consider using "accelerate efforts".

Stanford’s context: Attributes personality traits to anatomy

Example: I want to cut this tree down quickly, so I’m going to accelerate efforts.

Or-

2. Instead of "preferred pronoun", consider using "pronoun".

Stanford’s context: The word "preferred" suggests that non-binary gender identity is a choice and a preference.

Example: Hello, my name is Edward. And your pronoun is..?

Or-

3. Instead of "she", consider using "person’s name or they".

Stanford’s context: Unless you know the person you're addressing uses "she" as their pronoun, it is better to use "they" or to ask the person which pronouns they use.

Example: Hey Frank, I don’t know much about that person. Who is they?

Stanford’s administrative staff claim that their goal is merely to “educate people about the possible impact of the words we use.” But they go beyond pronouns. There new guidance consists of several varieties of “potentially offensive” terminology.

Among the other categories include “violent,” for language that “often involves imagery that may be upsetting to the recipient...“An example on the website lists “rule of thumb” to be replaced with “standard rule or general rule” because “this phrase is attributed to an old British law that allowed men to beat their wives with sticks no wider than their thumb.” Another category is “culturally appropriative”, for language that “misuses terms that hold meaning to a particular culture in a way that often lacks respect or appreciation.” In this example, if you make amends with a previous rival or competitor, you shouldn’t say “bury the hatchet” but instead use “call for peace”. 


In an even more surprising example, the word “brave” shouldn’t be used at all because "the term perpetuates the stereotype of the ‘noble courageous savage,’ equating the Indigenous male as being less than a man.”

The examples go on and on.

In fact, the Stanford website lists ten categories in total that include approximately 200 or so “recommendations” to avoid offending someone.

Not all students and staff agree with the initiative. In fact, it has been reported that approximately 40% of students and staff don't agree with the initiative and don't intend on complying. It is unclear at this point if the university will modify or eliminate the initiative.


Do The Research


If you are looking for a recommendation for education or schooling for your child, come to Align Us first. Look up our listed institutions under the education category to find if the location you are looking up leans to the right, or to the left, like Stanford. If the institution doesn’t exist, you can add the business to the list, and any direct first-hand experience you have had with them.

That’s why we’re here. We exist so you can make informed decisions for you and your family.


-Align Us


Eddie
  

Eddie

Blog Contributor SPM
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