Oxfam has released an “inclusive language” guide which apologizes for using the English language before going on to deem a number of words ‘offensive’, such as “headquarters,” “local,” “people,” “mother” and “feminine hygiene.”
Yes, really.
The poverty and hunger charity was slammed for caving to absurd levels of political correctness after issuing the bizarre 92-page guidance to staff members.
“We recognise that this guide has its origin in English, the language of a colonising nation. We acknowledge the Anglo-supremacy of the sector as part of its coloniality,” states the introduction.
“This guide aims to support people who have to work and communicate in the English language as part of this colonial legacy. However, we recognise that the dominance of English is one of the key issues that must be addressed in order to decolonise our ways of working and shift power.”
Apparently, merely using the English language is now racist and offensive.
The word “headquarters” is criticized because it “implies a colonial power dynamic,” while “field trip” is also frowned upon because it can “reinforce colonial attitudes.”
“Mother or father” are also verboten because it is important to “avoid assuming the adoption of gendered roles by transgender parents,” according to the guide, while “feminine hygiene” is also a bad term because it implies menstruation is dirty.
Even the terms “LGBT, LGBTQIX, homosexuality, gay and lesbian” are to be avoided because people who consider themselves part of “the whole LGBTQIA+ community” might be offended if the ‘plus’ isn’t used.
Critics slammed the ludicrous language guide and said that Oxfam should concentrate on charity work rather than policing the words people are allowed to use.
“In Africa, women have a one in 37 chance of dying in pregnancy,” said Maya Forstater, who founded pressure group Sex Matters. “But Oxfam seems to think what’s really important is erasing clear language about the very people who are most at risk.”
“How is ignoring and denigrating the world’s mothers good for development?’ she asked. “This guidance is trying to apply fashionable ideas about gender identity to people around the world who don’t think like this and are dealing with the ordinary problems men and women face every day.”
