UN agency plays language police with new rules against gendered language

09/17/2024 / By Ramon Tomey

An agency under the United Nations has assumed the role of language police by issuing guidance against “gendered language” – zooming in on the word “man.”

According to InfoWars, the Switzerland-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) “is cracking down on the use of so-called masculine terminology in its communications and documentation.” Instead of “masculine terms,” the WIPO, which is in charge of trademarks and patents worldwide, is suggesting politically correct gender-neutral terms.

Under the WIPO’s guidance, words such as “lumberjack” and “cavemen” will no longer be used. The proposed replacements are “wood chopper” and “cave dwellers.” Even the phrase “brotherhood of man” is set to be replaced by “humankind.”

The Daily Mail also gave other examples in a separate report. The WIPO suggests that the term “man’s best friend” be replaced by “a faithful dog.” The term “man on the street” ought to be replaced with either “ordinary citizen” or “typical person,” while the adjective “sportsmanlike” should be avoided in favor of “fair.”

Moreover, WIPO staffers are urged to ditch the term “Englishman” and instead use “English person” or “English national.” The term “midwife” isn’t spared, as the agency’s guidance recommends the alternative “birth attendant.” Despite this, the guidance ultimately acknowledged that midwife “may still be the preferable term, depending on the context.” (Related: CDC goes “woke,” says Americans need to use more “inclusive” language when talking about health.)

According to the Mail, the guidance signed off by WIPO Director-General Daren Tang is “not prescriptive and common sense and clarity of text should always prevail.” Moreover, it was “designed to be a straightforward awareness-raising exercise for our colleagues on how to use language that resonates with the widest possible audience, which may include avoiding terms that are linked to one specific gender when other neutral, more-inclusive words are available.”

WIPO guidance described as ORWELLIAN

The WIPO’s guidance argued that “masculine-specific” terms risk giving the impression that “women are not represented in certain groups or do not possess certain skills.” But critics have decried the guidance as an Orwellian attempt to police language.

Toby Young, founder and general secretary of the London-based Free Speech Union, warned: “This is precisely what George Orwell warned us about. Banning certain words and phrases to advance a dogmatic political ideology is a hallmark of totalitarianism.”

Graham Barnfield, assistant news editor at the European Conservative, also put in his two cents. He described the politically correct suggestions as “a series of stretched neologisms, with all the charm of something thrown together by committee – if not by a veterinarian trying to reassemble animals amid a butcher’s shop window display.” He also noted that despite widespread mockery, the WIPO’s process of “eliminating ‘problematic’ words also has a sinister side.”

According to Barnfield, “when WIPO suggests its staff use ‘birth attendant’ as an alternative to ‘midwife,’ it’s as if it intends to erase the history of a mostly female occupation that had to fight the restrictions of a male-dominated medical profession.

“Yet when applied, they will work against both clarity and common sense. There’s very little in reality – or ‘lived experience’ in the jargon – to encourage people outside of WIPO to adopt its language, even businesses working with patents and trademarks. Faced with public bemusement, the logical next step is for the agency to take a more aggressive approach to enforcing the guidelines.

“It would be better if the English language was left to change by itself, evolving organically through use and custom, as it has done throughout its history. The WIPO needs to stop imposing its rules and recognize instead that ‘an Englishman’s home is his castle,’ or to use the new UN-friendly jargon, ‘an English national’s home is their castle.'”

Head over to PoliticalCorrectness.news for similar stories.

Watch Dr. Pam Popper recounting how serious pushback ended politically correct speech at California’s Stanford University.

This video is from the Wellness Forum Health channel on Brighteon.com.