A decade of change

Melanie is a single missionary, home on furlough from 12 years in Hungary. Over lunch she commented to me that the United States has changed a lot over the decade. I asked for elaboration. “Political correctness,” she replied immediately. “Weren’t we PC before 2002?” I said. Melanie assured me (in instinctively hushed tones, for the walls have ears) that that was nothing compared to now.

In my seat I took instant stock of how I have changed since Melanie boarded a plane to Budapest: I lower my voice in restaurants when praying and avoid generalities about people groups (oh, how I sorely miss generalities!) at holiday meals. I am defensive when disagreeing with others that men should copulate with men, or that my taxes should subsidize fetal extermination. I have nearly internalized the self-image of a Hater: One begins to believe what one is repeatedly told one is. After dining with Melanie, I made a mental note to say at the next testy public interaction: “No, I am not a Hater, I simply disagree with your view. Good day, sir.”

I took a notion to check out the website of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). In my own school days I had been apprised that there are 29 grammar rules governing the use of the article “the.” (It is best to be born an English speaker, where such arcane distinctions come by osmosis.) But this is child’s play compared to the rules of speaking that teachers must now inculcate in their precious charges. The teaching of English today is a mandate to get rid of language that hurts people’s sensibilities. At the University of California in Santa Barbara, course syllabi are required to come with “trigger warnings” alerting students to content that may hurt their feelings. Like that contemptible Huck Finn book.

The NCTE guidelines bristle with examples to “provide inclusionary alternatives to specific exclusionary wording.” “Exclusionary” forms, those to be flushed out of the culture, include: man, mankind, man’s achievements, the best man for the job, man the controls, man the ticket booth.

They will be replaced, respectively, by: humanity, human achievements, the best person for the job, take charge of, staff the ticket booth. We will do away with chairman, businessman, congressman, salesman, policeman, fireman, and mailman, and encourage the “person” suffix. The word “freshman,” a definite sensitivity “trigger,” shall be henceforth “first-year student.”

We will do away with chairman, businessman, congressman, salesman, policeman, fireman, and mailman, and encourage the ‘person’ suffix.

Though I disagree with the above substitutions (being a Hater), I was actually tracking with the internal logic of them—until I came across “author.” NCTE decrees that “authoress” must be banished from the realm and replaced with “author.” Um, wouldn’t “author” be the sexist term in the room, as it allows within its structure no indication that a writer of books may be a female? I would have bet a week’s pay that Betty Friedan coined the term “authoress” while throwing darts at her Washington Redskins dartboard.

The teachers council is happy to oblige with sample sentences. “Maria is a career woman” is retired for “Maria is a professional.” “You guys go ahead” is more properly “You students/ class/third graders go ahead.” “Dear Mothers, please bake cookies for your class party” becomes in this brave new world “Dear Families, please bake cookies for your class party.”

Here is a sampler of NCTE’s vision for the teaching of literature: “(1) A balance of literature by and about both women and men should be included whenever possible. (2) Materials should be chosen to emphasize gender equity. … (3) Noninclusive [sic] texts and classic pieces can provide a focus for discussion of gender roles and gender equity. (4) Trade books … and other media should be chosen to show females and males actively participating in a variety of situations. … (5) In organizing lists of educational materials and activities, avoid separation by gender. … (6) Present gender-equitable examples by alternating male and female names. … Praise, encourage, and respond to contributions of females and males equally.”

Would I be a Hater to point out that in most cases above where the two genders are referenced by NCTE, “female” is listed before “male”? Or to call our attention to the sexist idea that there are “male and female names”? And what will we do if one fine Wednesday half the fifth-grade class who are biologically boys are identifying as girls?

Email aseupeterson@wng.org