#non-biased

As someone who loves language, I have always wondered why people become upset at the desire of many to abolish biased language. I want language to be as precise as it can be, not some slapdash grouping of words that sort of describes a situation. I think that we have matured enough as a communicating society to refrain from language that excludes or makes people feel excluded.  The words we use express just as much, or more, about who we are as those to whom we are referring. It is for these reasons that I believe language should be used with both thought and care.

Probably the first time I noticed the importance of inclusive language was in grades seven and eight. That is the time that it started to bother me that all people were referred to as “mankind.” I, of course, noticed that boys and girls were treated differently much earlier, but the language side of it took awhile to sink in. All of our history and geography books referred to “mankind” as if I were a part of it. There are many things I would love to be excluded from when talking about humanity’s history, but I am part of it. It’s my history, too. Yes, “mankind” has shown at times that it has grown from public floggings as family entertainment. I am happy that I don’t have to get into my corset and five layers of clothing to go to the market square in the middle of summer and cheer as someone pokes a stick at a chained bear.  I think our language should reflect the maturity of humanity’s abolishment of the torture of the corset. I know it wasn’t “mankind” who cared enough to think of that. The word humankind is not much longer and it includes all of us. 

If the message people wish to convey is a biased one, then they should feel free to express it.  I may not always agree with that free use of language, but it is our right as members of a democratic society. That freedom is offered to everyone who lives in our country. As citizens of Canada, I feel that our language should reflect our population.  Some people do not agree that everyone in Canada is equal and that there are, in fact, lesser citizens. If I am wrong about this then why is the word “gay” used as an insult or to indicate the dislike of something? If half the world’s population can find the use of “mankind” as exclusionary, then using the word “gay” as a pejorative means that one-quarter of the population is insulted. Our world should have moved past the need to make others feel like lesser beings. Isn’t name calling kind of embarrassing at our age?