Colorado State: don't use American

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a practical question.

Scenario. I am in the grocery store. The person (who appears to be a female to me) in front of me drops a dollar bill. Before I saw this list, I would say "Ma'am, you just dropped this dollar bill." So now am I supposed to say "Person, you just dropped this dollar bill."

Because even though the person looks like a female to me, I'm supposed to use inclusive language and if I don't I'm considered non-inclusive?

Ma’am is terrible anyway. I get offended by it because I am only in my early 30s! But I also get offended by “miss” because I am a grown ass adult. So just stop saying it because it’s weird.

+1. Ma'am if faux polite at best, and more typically snide--basically comes off as you're old and in my way.

The irony is that "ma'am" is apparently included on the list to avoid offending the wrong person but you've just showed that the people who are ostensibly offended by the term are far more offensive than anyone using the term.....

[Anonymous]

Anecdata, but a true story.

DH grew up in a rural part of Ohio. Went to college and once used a term he heard frequently growing up and never thought much about ('jewing someone down' - meaning to negotiate a lower price).

His girlfriend, who was Jewish, was rightly appalled and he was mortified once he gave it 2 seconds thought.

Language evolves as the country does -- or at least it should. Nothing wrong with such a list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a practical question.

Scenario. I am in the grocery store. The person (who appears to be a female to me) in front of me drops a dollar bill. Before I saw this list, I would say "Ma'am, you just dropped this dollar bill." So now am I supposed to say "Person, you just dropped this dollar bill."

Because even though the person looks like a female to me, I'm supposed to use inclusive language and if I don't I'm considered non-inclusive?

Ma’am is terrible anyway. I get offended by it because I am only in my early 30s! But I also get offended by “miss” because I am a grown ass adult. So just stop saying it because it’s weird.

This says a lot about you. None of it good.

NP here. That you insist M’am is polite when most people disagree says a lot about you. Miss is also outdated. These terms won’t magically become polite because you like them.

Do you also address married women as Mrs. Husband’s first name Husband’s last name?

Maybe you’re a rude person in general?

That's complete horseshit. As another PP said, 99.99% of the people you address as Ma'am or Sir won''t be offended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a practical question.

Scenario. I am in the grocery store. The person (who appears to be a female to me) in front of me drops a dollar bill. Before I saw this list, I would say "Ma'am, you just dropped this dollar bill." So now am I supposed to say "Person, you just dropped this dollar bill."

Because even though the person looks like a female to me, I'm supposed to use inclusive language and if I don't I'm considered non-inclusive?

Ma’am is terrible anyway. I get offended by it because I am only in my early 30s! But I also get offended by “miss” because I am a grown ass adult. So just stop saying it because it’s weird.

This says a lot about you. None of it good.

NP here. That you insist M’am is polite when most people disagree says a lot about you. Miss is also outdated. These terms won’t magically become polite because you like them.

Do you also address married women as Mrs. Husband’s first name Husband’s last name?

Maybe you’re a rude person in general?

At least one person who doesn't like the term 'ma'am' has shown herself to be extremely rude and impolite in her private thoughts, as she admitted herself.

Do most people really think ma'am is impolite, as you claim? I have seen nothing to support this idea. I hear the term used a lot and I also see no one offended by it. It's quite commonly used in the southern US and seen as perfectly polite. I have a feeling the idea that ma'am is offensive was invented by a certain person rather than a common understanding it's no longer an accepted word.

After all, there is no reason for ma'am to be considered offensive, no more than using Ms. in your signature line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So other American countries.. such as those of central, north, and South America...

They call us ..

“Americans” or “americanos” right?

They don’t call us “el gente de los estados unidos” or “personas de EEUU.”

Do you speak spanish or are you trying to make this up? They call us estado-unidense (plural estado-unidenses). "United stateser" is a direct translation, but that's not a word. American is the direct translation into English.

That answers my question.
But since we can’t go around saying I’m a United statser... American is the next thing we have.

lol a little because conversationally most people don’t go around saying “I’m american” constantly. But it does come up.

Does PBS’s “The American Experience” cover some portions of non US history too?

[Anonymous]

No ma'am?
No miss?
Okay...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had no idea that cake walks were an ugly racist tradition. Did them at our school fair growing up. So thanks for posting this link.

Once I referred to a work colleague as off the reservation. A Native American colleague pointed out that she found it offensive. I had literally never thought about what I was saying and was mortified

I welcome these lists.

Our school still does cake walks.

You can (genuinely) say you are reclaiming the cake walk as the act of resistance slaves intended it to be.

Cakewalk actually means easy carnival game. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cakewalk_(carnival_game)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://collegian.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Inclusive-Language-Guide_10_30_18.pdf

This is another instance where I have to remind myself that, as bad as this sounds, the VAST majority of people I know in real life are not this stupid/radical left/intolerant. In fact, I can't actually think of one person I know who wouldn't call this list total BS. Still disheartening that a college would print it.

I'll bite. Can someone explain how to replace "he or she" or "Ladies or Gentlemen" with "Rams"? How do I use this in a sentence?

Google says:

noun
plural noun: rams
1. an uncastrated male sheep.
the zodiacal sign or constellation Aries.
singular proper noun: Ram; noun: the Ram

2. short for battering ram.
HISTORICAL
a beak or other projecting part of the bow of a warship, for piercing the hulls of other ships.

3. the falling weight of a pile-driving machine.

4. a hydraulic water-raising or lifting machine.
the piston of a hydraulic press.
the plunger of a force pump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a practical question.

Scenario. I am in the grocery store. The person (who appears to be a female to me) in front of me drops a dollar bill. Before I saw this list, I would say "Ma'am, you just dropped this dollar bill." So now am I supposed to say "Person, you just dropped this dollar bill."

Because even though the person looks like a female to me, I'm supposed to use inclusive language and if I don't I'm considered non-inclusive?

Ma’am is terrible anyway. I get offended by it because I am only in my early 30s! But I also get offended by “miss” because I am a grown ass adult. So just stop saying it because it’s weird.

+1. Ma'am if faux polite at best, and more typically snide--basically comes off as you're old and in my way.

The irony is that "ma'am" is apparently included on the list to avoid offending the wrong person but you've just showed that the people who are ostensibly offended by the term are far more offensive than anyone using the term.....

Have you been called ma'am? I don't use it to address anyone, so I'm not revealing myself. No matter how politely you use the term, I promise you there are people who use it with the intent to offend. Since it's only used with strangers, you might at least consider that when you do use it, you can be misconstrued.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://collegian.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Inclusive-Language-Guide_10_30_18.pdf

This is another instance where I have to remind myself that, as bad as this sounds, the VAST majority of people I know in real life are not this stupid/radical left/intolerant. In fact, I can't actually think of one person I know who wouldn't call this list total BS. Still disheartening that a college would print it.

I'll bite. Can someone explain how to replace "he or she" or "Ladies or Gentlemen" with "Rams"? How do I use this in a sentence?

Google says:

noun
plural noun: rams
1. an uncastrated male sheep.
the zodiacal sign or constellation Aries.
singular proper noun: Ram; noun: the Ram

2. short for battering ram.
HISTORICAL
a beak or other projecting part of the bow of a warship, for piercing the hulls of other ships.

3. the falling weight of a pile-driving machine.

4. a hydraulic water-raising or lifting machine.
the piston of a hydraulic press.
the plunger of a force pump.

It's the mascot of the school that put out this paper. Obviously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a practical question.

Scenario. I am in the grocery store. The person (who appears to be a female to me) in front of me drops a dollar bill. Before I saw this list, I would say "Ma'am, you just dropped this dollar bill." So now am I supposed to say "Person, you just dropped this dollar bill."

Because even though the person looks like a female to me, I'm supposed to use inclusive language and if I don't I'm considered non-inclusive?

Ma’am is terrible anyway. I get offended by it because I am only in my early 30s! But I also get offended by “miss” because I am a grown ass adult. So just stop saying it because it’s weird.

+1. Ma'am if faux polite at best, and more typically snide--basically comes off as you're old and in my way.

The irony is that "ma'am" is apparently included on the list to avoid offending the wrong person but you've just showed that the people who are ostensibly offended by the term are far more offensive than anyone using the term.....

Have you been called ma'am? I don't use it to address anyone, so I'm not revealing myself. No matter how politely you use the term, I promise you there are people who use it with the intent to offend. Since it's only used with strangers, you might at least consider that when you do use it, you can be misconstrued.

I can understand that I might be misconstrued, and not care in the slightest, at the same time. I'm crazy talented that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll bite. Can someone explain how to replace "he or she" or "Ladies or Gentlemen" with "Rams"? How do I use this in a sentence?

This is a Colorado State University document. They are the Rams. When you stand up in front of a group, you are supposed to say, "Hello Rams!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a practical question.

Scenario. I am in the grocery store. The person (who appears to be a female to me) in front of me drops a dollar bill. Before I saw this list, I would say "Ma'am, you just dropped this dollar bill." So now am I supposed to say "Person, you just dropped this dollar bill."

Because even though the person looks like a female to me, I'm supposed to use inclusive language and if I don't I'm considered non-inclusive?

Ma’am is terrible anyway. I get offended by it because I am only in my early 30s! But I also get offended by “miss” because I am a grown ass adult. So just stop saying it because it’s weird.

+1. Ma'am if faux polite at best, and more typically snide--basically comes off as you're old and in my way.

The irony is that "ma'am" is apparently included on the list to avoid offending the wrong person but you've just showed that the people who are ostensibly offended by the term are far more offensive than anyone using the term.....

Have you been called ma'am? I don't use it to address anyone, so I'm not revealing myself. No matter how politely you use the term, I promise you there are people who use it with the intent to offend. Since it's only used with strangers, you might at least consider that when you do use it, you can be misconstrued.

You haven't explained why it would be misconstrued to refer to someone as ma'am. It's a *polite* way to refer to a person. Why is it a big deal? Is it sexist? Just like calling a man "sir"? Military uses sir/ma'am all the time. Is that wrong? Or bad?

There are people out there who are offended for every possible thing out there. So why is this singled out? We would have to ban the entirety of the English language in order to avoid offending everyone over everything.

At the end of the day, some of you are forgetting that what *you* think is not important. Because *you* are not important. There is no evidence whatsoever that "ma'am" is considered offensive or used as an offensive or derogatory term in the larger society, and that is what is important. Demanding that everyone stop using "ma'am" just to make a few people happy is wholly silly and ignorant.

Ask yourself: why are your views more important than other people's views. What justifies you thinking your views are widely shared? Based on what assumptions? But you really can't, can you? It's all imaginary in your head to think these things. IT's the reflection of the inherent selfishness of our times that people are so self-absorbed to think only of their own feelings and ideas, no matter how badly based or misjudged they may be, and that it must triumph over other people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll bite. Can someone explain how to replace "he or she" or "Ladies or Gentlemen" with "Rams"? How do I use this in a sentence?

This is a Colorado State University document. They are the Rams. When you stand up in front of a group, you are supposed to say, "Hello Rams!"

I guess how lucky for them that they're not the Indians, Cowboys, or Redskins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll bite. Can someone explain how to replace "he or she" or "Ladies or Gentlemen" with "Rams"? How do I use this in a sentence?

This is a Colorado State University document. They are the Rams. When you stand up in front of a group, you are supposed to say, "Hello Rams!"

I guess how lucky for them that they're not the Indians, Cowboys, or Redskins.

The irony of course is that a RAM is a very gender-specific designation! Stupid is as stupid does. Oh wait, I'm not allowed to say stupid, am I?