N’importe quoi! Le terme ‘American’ peut être offensant.
A “bias-free language guide” written by University of New Hampshire faculty has come under criticism from the school’s president and state officials.
The guide, published in 2013, was meant to educate students and faculty about using “inclusive language” that does not stereotype individuals “or demean people based on personal characteristics” including gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or economic background, according to its page on the UNH website.
First posted by the conservative website Campus Reform on Tuesday, the guide quickly circulated on several national websites, garnering criticism for several of its recommendations.
The recommendations include replacing the phrase “senior citizen” or “elders” with “people of advanced age,” replacing the phrases “obese” and “overweight” with “people of size,” replacing the phrase “rich” with “person of material wealth,” replacing the phrase “Caucasian” with “white” or “European-American” and replacing the phrase “homosexual” with “gay,” “lesbian” or “same-gender loving.”
The recommendation that received the strongest response was the suggestion that students and faculty refrain from using the term “American” and instead use the phrases “U.S. citizen” or “resident of the U.S.” The term “American,” they say, “fails to recognize South America.”