The elitists who attend Brandeis University have been triggered by words they have deemed oppressive.
Students at the private Massachusetts university have compiled an "Oppressive Language List" which was published on the university's website. The list encourages the university community to stop using terms "that may hurt those who have experienced violence."
"Congressman", "freshman," and "policeman" are not to be used lest you be labeled a violent enemy of gender inclusiveness.
Rule of thumb, don't use words that end in "man."
The Brandeis students' rule of thumb is that you can't use the term "rule of thumb." It can be replaced with "general rule" because, according to the Oppressive Language List, rule of thumb allegedly "comes from an old British law allowing men to beat their wives with sticks no wider than their thumb."
The UK's Daily Mail pointed out: "This is another spurious etymological interpretation which has been wrongly attached to the phrase by myth and rumor. The precise origins of the phrase are unclear but it is meant in the sense of approximating something using the thumb rather than a specific tool - there is no evidence of a legal application to wife beating. It was first used in print in 1865 by Scottish preacher James Durham who writes: 'Many profest Christians are like to foolish builders, who build by guess, and by rule of thumb (as we use to speak), and not by Square and Rule.' "
The students might consider a walk-in appointment with the Daily Mail to set the record straight.
But, hang on, you can't say you have a walk-in appointment, because "walk-in” is hate speech against those who can't walk and is therefore “ableist,” the list contends.
How about we just chill out with all of our walking and non-walking friends and family and have a nice picnic.
Wait. Are you really thinking about having a picnic? Wow, just wow. How very racist of you, according to the Brandeis lexicon.
A list entry suggests “outdoor eating” as an alternative to “picnic,” because “picnic” has been “associated with lynchings of black people,”
“What is strange is that while the word ‘picnic’ is suggested for censorship, because it evokes, in some persons, lynchings of black persons in the U.S., the word ‘lynching’ is not itself censored,” author Joyce Carol Oates tweeted.
“What sort of punishment is doled out for a faculty member who utters the word ‘picnic’ at Brandeis? — or the phrase ‘trigger warning’? loss of tenure, public flogging, self-flagellation?” added Oates, an acclaimed novelist and visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
While "reading" and "comprehending" are not on the list, some of the students at Brandeis may believe that attempting to do what those words means is oppressive.
The word "picnic" is actually derived from the French "pique-nique," originally used to describe the taking of one's own wine to a meal, which later evolved to encompass the sharing of food outdoors and began being used in England in the 18th century, the Daily Mail noted, adding "the word picnic itself is not derogatory and has no intrinsic links to slavery, lynchings or racism."
Brandeis spokeswoman Julie Jette released a statement saying the list was developed by students who have “noted that many people who have experienced violence may be further harmed by the language others use in speaking with them,” the New York Post reported.
Oh, and don't dare say these fragile elitists have been triggered. "Trigger warning" is on the list because, of course, leftists equate "trigger" with guns and guns are responsible for violence, not people. They suggest an alternative, “content note.”
Having been triggered by the above, we'll just wrap this up without a "content note."
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