icon caret-left icon caret-right instagram pinterest linkedin facebook twitter goodreads question-circle facebook circle twitter circle linkedin circle instagram circle goodreads circle pinterest circle

A Psychologist's Thoughts on Clinical Practice, Behavior, and Life

"1984" Redux or Currently Permitted Language

There is a robust discussion about the "sensitivity industry" on the Authors Guild Community website. It details how publishers have come to take criticism seriously from even unknown online complainants about books. In one case, criticism of a bunny in a book aroused corporate angst. And no, the complaint was NOT from the bunny.
To this discussion I added my experience of participating on a Facebook parenting group where, in response to the many unsophisticated comments, I explained Borderline Personality Disorder in terms of developmentally derived weakness of basic ego capacities. I was then criticized for using the term "weakness" since this allegedly put people down. I thought to respond that following this logic, tuberculosis and polio must be considered beneficial rather than disabling but didn't. Responding to know-nothings is fruitless.
I dropped out of Facebook parenting advice groups, my tolerance for idiocy having been exceeded, after one group's moderator stated that anyone who henceforth used the term "breast-feeding" in place of "chest-feeding" would be expelled. After reporting this incident on the Authors Guild Community website a cleverer writer than me advised that I should have responded, "Send me your child to chest-feed," and others contributed. One said that employees of a state mental health department on the West Coast were instructed that henceforth the term "insane" should be used in place of "crazy," while another posted that his friend at a Washington D.C. facility was ordered to use the term "crazy" in place of "insane." You figure.
Which leaves me puzzled. I have long believed that, considering all their responsibilities (home, child-care, job, ill pet, etc.) it is fortunate that it is women who have babies since they must be the stronger sex. Will I now be pilloried for stating this?

Be the first to comment