Well, George, We're There

People know about George Orwell's 1984, but in 1946 he penned an essay, “Politics and the English Language,"about the dangers of  debasing the language. You debase the currency first, then the language. See 1913 the year of inception for the IRS and this Federal Reserve Bank.

Once upon a time in the English language we had the comparative case: slow, slower and slowest; dumb, dumber and dumbest; fat, fatter and fattest. Two of them--and quite possibly all three--have been outlawed already. The diversity gap. That's one of those premeditated PC misnomers. It's hardly subtle. But it's malicious. At a time when universities are allowing so-called safe zones where only certain races or people of a certain persuasion are allowed, this academic is supposedly concerned about widening the diversity gap.

Well, George, we're there.

Student leaders of this year’s freshman orientation at James Madison University were given a list of 35 things they should avoid saying, including phrases such as “you have such a pretty face,” “love the sinner, hate the sin,” “we’re all part of the human race,” “I treat all people the same,” “it was only a joke,” “I never owned slaves,” and “people just need to pick themselves up by their bootstraps,” among other expressions.

Those phrases and others on the list “widen the diversity gap” and do not “create a safe and inclusive environment,” according to the seven-page handout, a copy of which was provided to The College Fix by a campus spokesman.

Adapted from Dr. Maura Cullen’s book “35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say: Surprising Things We Say that Widen the Diversity Gap,” the list also classifies some compliments and encouraging words, such as calling someone “cute” or saying “I know exactly how you feel,” as a no-no.

Many of the “dumb” statements also pertained to race. “I don’t see color,” “I’m colorblind” and “I don’t see difference. We’re all part of the same race, the human race” were all advised against. “If you are going to live in this country, learn to speak the language” also made the list.

After each phrase, an explanation as to why it should be avoided was given. Expressions on race allegedly make people of color feel invisible and diminish their life experiences, the handout states. Statements of empathy supposedly “shuts the other person down,” it adds. Saying to LBGTQ people “what you do in the privacy of your own bedroom is your business” is “hurtful and annoying” because it does not acknowledge the quality and depth of their relationship outside the bedroom, the handout states.The last item on the list warns against labeling something as political correct, calling it “an attempt to shut the other person up.”

James Madison University’s director of communications Bill Wyatt told The College Fix via email that “this was just an exercise, prior to orientation, to get our volunteers to understand how language affects others. The list was not distributed to our first-year students nor were the volunteers instructed not to use the phrases.”

Yet page one of the handout, written by JMU, reads that orientation leaders should “use this handout as a resource” to help accomplish the goal of creating a “safe and inclusive environment for your first year students.”They were also called upon by the handout to “take some time to reflect on your prejudices and biases, and how that might affect your interactions with students.”

They've been working on the currency for years and it was only a matter of time before they got around to the language. The only thing dumb is this lady's book. It's hurtful and annoying. For those of you with pre-college children still at home, you might want to consider if this is the kind of university or college you want your children to attend. It's called using your purchasing power.

The number is 35 today. By the time your children get there it could be 35,000 and  have it's own academic department.

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