Trigger Warning - Saying Trigger Warning is Offensive or Harmful

A list of blacklisted words, including the word blacklisted

Content Warning: This website contains language that is offensive or harmful. Please engage with this website at your own pace.

Stanford University has been undertaking a multi-phase, multi-year project to eliminate harmful language. To do this they have created a list of words that shouldn’t be used with a suggested alternative.

The list started with the content warning above, just in case reading a word did some permanent damage to the poor, fragile students reading it.

After much derision, the list, which was publicly available was put behind a password protected wall but you can find a copy here.

I’ve highlighted some of the insane (sorry can’t use that word), blacklisted (sorry can’t use that word either) words below.

If you are bored, try making the longest sentence you can from banned words.

Ableist

Don’t use the following words because it furthers the belief that people with disabilities are abnormal.

• Blind review/study (use anonymous or masked);

• Crazy (use surprising/wild);

• Walk-in (use drop-in, open office)

Culturally Appropriative

Don’t use these words because they lack respect or appreciation for particular cultures.

• Brave (n) (Do not use EVER!) - this equates the indigenous male as being less than a man;

• On the warpath (use mad, on the offensive) - this refers to the route taken by indigenous people heading towards battle;

• Tribe (use friends, network, family, support system) - this equates indigenous people with savages.

Gender-Based

Don’t use these exclusionary words, they’re not helpful.

• Fireman (use firefighter);

• Gentlemen (use everyone) - lumps a group of people using masculine language and/or into gender binary groups;

• Guys (use folks, people, everyone) - this reinforces male-dominated language;

• He (use person’s name or “they”) - always ask pronouns first;

• Ladies (use everyone);

• Man (verb) (use staff);

• Mankind (use people, humankind, human beings);

• She (use person’s name or “they”).

Imprecise Language

Stop saying what you’re not trying to say. Oh you were trying to say that - get out of my University you scumbag.

• American (use US Citizen) - This term often refers to people from the United States only, thereby insinuating that the US is the most important country in the Americas (which is actually made up of 42 countries);

• Hispanic (use Latinx, country of origin) - Although widely used to describe people from Spanish-speaking countries outside of Spain, its roots lie in Spain's colonization of South American countries. Instead of referring to someone as Hispanic because of their name or appearance, ask them how they identify themselves first;

• Indian summer (use late summer) - This term infers that Indigenous people are chronically late. While it may be innocently used to describe a beautiful time of year, it could have an unintended negative impact on those who hear it;

• Karen (use demanding or entitled White woman) - Are all Karen’s white and what if I’m called Karen?

• Survivor (use person who has experiences) - Using person-first language helps to not define people by just one of their experiences;

Institutionalized Racism

Just don’t say any colours ok, you ignorant racist.

• Black mark (use something that is held against one) - you said black;

• Black sheep (use outcast) - you said black again you racist;

• Blackbox (use hidden, mystery box, opaque box, flight recorder) - its orange now anyway, you racist;

• Master (adj) (use primary, main) - haven’t you mastered how to stop being racist yet, you racist?

• White hat hacker (use ethical hacker) - White = good, You = racist;

• Whitespace (use empty space) - But the space is white? Please see above White = good, You = racist.

Person-First

Stop making assumptions

• Convict (use person who is/was incarcerated);

• Homeless person (use person without housing).

Violent

These may be upsetting

• Killing two birds with one stone (use accomplish two things at once) - I’m sure killing two unvaccinated people with one stone would be acceptable if Covid numbers were high;

• Trigger warning (use content note) - The phrase can cause stress about what's to follow. Additionally, one can never know what may or may not trigger a particular person;

The decline of elite western universities continues.