Sexist Language Definition and Examples

Sexist Language Definition and Examples Sexist language refers to words and phrases that demean, ignore, or stereotype members of either sex or that needlessly call attention to gender. Its a form of  biased language. On the surface level, eliminating sexist language from your writing can be just a matter of word choice or making sure your pronouns arent all he and him. Sentence-Level Revisions Look at your pronouns. Have you used he and him throughout the piece? To revise this out, you can use he or she, or maybe, if context permits, pluralize your references to use the cleaner they and their instead of he or she and his or her in one sentence, as it could become awkward, wordy, and cumbersome. For example, When a person sells a car, he or she needs to locate his or her title paperwork could be more smoothly done by revising to plural: When selling a car, people need to locate their title paperwork.   You can also try and revise out pronouns to be articles. You could locate the title paperwork in the example sentence instead of their paperwork and not lose any meaning.  If  you would like practice recognizing and eliminating sexism from writing, see this  exercise in eliminating gender-biased language. Looking for Bias On a deeper level, youll want to look at details of the piece youre writing to make sure that it doesnt somehow portray all scientists as men, for example. In A Canadian Writers Reference, Diana Hacker wrote, The following practices, while they may not result from conscious sexism, reflect stereotypical thinking: referring to nurses as women and doctors as men, using different conventions when naming or identifying women and men, or assuming that all of ones readers are men. Some job titles have already been revised out of sexist usage in our everyday vernacular. Youll probably more often hear the phrase flight attendant nowadays  rather than the now antiquated-sounding stewardess and hear  police officer rather than policeman. And people dont use male nurse anymore, now that nurses of both genders are a common sight in medical settings. Youll want to look at the undercurrents in your writing. If youre writing fiction, youll look at things like, for instance, are the female characters (or male) portrayed as complex people, or are they used just as plot devices, flat as cardboard stand-ups? Examples and Observations Ensuring parity is an important topic. Here are some examples of the many sides  of the issue, including one where satire helps make the point:   Questions and criticisms of sexist language have emerged because of a concern that language is a powerful medium through which the world is both reflected and constructed....Some have claimed that the use of generics (such as mankind to refer to both men and women) reinforces a binary that sees the male and masculine as the norm and the female and feminine as the not norm...(Allyson Jule, A Beginners Guide to Language and Gender. Multilingual Matters, 2008) Language in Context The language as sexist prong of language and gender studies has faded in the last two decades....It was soon realized that a word could not unproblematically be derided as sexist since it could in principle be reclaimed by a given speech community (queer probably being the most famous actual example).( Lia Litosseliti, Jane Sunderland, eds. Gender Identity and Discourse Analysis. Johns Benjamin Publishing Company, 2002).   Sexist Language in The Office Michael: Okay, so what I want to engage us in today is a hardcore discussion about womens problems and issues and situations. Magazines and TV shows and movies portray women as skinny, tall goddesses. Well, look around. Are women like that? No. No, they are not. [Points to Pam] Even the hot ones arent really that skinny. So what does that say? That says that you women are up against it. And it is criminal. Society doesnt care. Society sucks. I dont even consider myself a part of society, FYI, because I am so angry over all of this....Karen: What youre saying is extremely misogynistic.Michael: Yes! Thank you. That was not necessary, but I appreciate it. And it proves my point: women can do anything.Karen: Im saying that youre being sexist.Michael: No, Im being misogynistic. That is insane, Im not being sexist.Karen: Thats...its the same thing.(Steve Carell and Rashida Jones, Womens Appreciation. The Office, 2007)

Observing Tomb Sweeping Day in China

Observing Tomb Sweeping Day in China Tomb Sweeping Day (æ ¸â€¦Ã¦ËœÅ½Ã¨Å â€š, QÄ «ngmà ­ng jià ©) is a one-day Chinese holiday that has been celebrated in China for centuries. The day is meant to commemorate and pay respect to a person’s ancestors. Thus, on Tomb Sweeping Day, families visit and clean the gravesite of their ancestors to show their respect. In addition to visiting cemeteries, people also go for walks in the countryside, plant willows, and fly kites. Those who cannot travel back to their ancestors’ gravesites may opt to pay their respects at martyrs parks to pay homage to revolutionary martyrs. When Is Tomb Sweeping Day? Tomb Sweeping Day is held 107 days after the start of winter and is celebrated on April 4 or April 5, depending on the lunar calendar. Tomb Sweeping Day is a national holiday in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan with most people having the day off from work or school to allow time to travel to ancestral gravesites. Origins Tomb Sweeping Day is based on the Hanshi Festival, which is also known as the Cold Food Festival and Smoke-Banning Festival. While the Hanshi Festival is no longer celebrated today, it has gradually been absorbed into Tomb Sweeping Day festivities. The Hanshi Festival commemorated Jie Zitui, a loyal court official from the Spring and Autumn Period. Jie was a loyal minister to Chong Er. During a civil war, Prince Chong Er and Jie fled and were in exile for 19 years. According to legend, Jie was so loyal during the duo’s exile that he even made broth out of the flesh of his leg to feed the prince when they were short of food. When Chong Er later became king, he rewarded those who helped him when times were tough; however, he overlooked Jie. Many advised Jie to remind Chong Er that he, too, should be repaid for his loyalty. Instead, Jie packed his bags and relocated to the mountainside. When Chong Er discovered his oversight, he was ashamed. He went to look for Jie in the mountains. The conditions were harsh and he was unable to find Jie. Someone suggested that Chong Er set fire to the forest to force Jie out. After the king set fire to the forest, Jie didn’t appear. When the fire was extinguished, Jie was found dead with his mother on his back. He was under a willow tree and a letter written in blood was found in a hole in the tree. The letter read: Giving meat and heart to my lord, hoping my lord will always be upright. An invisible ghost under a willow Is better than a loyal minister beside my lord. If my lord has a place in his heart for me, please make self-reflection when remembering me. I have a clear conscious in the nether world, being pure and bright in my offices year after year. To commemorate Jie’s death, Chong Er created the Hanshi Festival and ordered that no fire could be set on this day. Meaning, only cold food could be eaten. One year later, Chong Er went back to the willow tree to hold a memorial ceremony and found the willow tree in bloom again. The willow was named ‘Pure Bright White’ and the Hanshi Festival became known as ‘Pure Brightness Festival.’ Pure Brightness is a fitting name for the festival because the weather is usually bright and clear in early April. How Is Tomb Sweeping Day Celebrated? Tomb Sweeping Day is celebrated with families reuniting and traveling to their ancestors’ gravesites to pay their respects. First, weeds are removed from the gravesite and the tombstone is cleaned and swept. Any necessary repairs to the gravesite are also made. New earth is added and willow branches are placed atop the gravesite. Next, joss sticks are placed by the grave. The sticks are then lit and an offering of food and paper money is placed at the tomb. Paper money is burned while family members show their respect by bowing to their ancestors. Fresh flowers are placed at the tomb and some families also plant willow trees. In ancient times, five-colored paper was placed underneath a stone on the grave to signify that someone had visited the grave and that it had not been abandoned. As cremation is gaining popularity, families continue the tradition by making offerings at ancestral altars or by placing wreaths and flowers at martyrs’ shrines. Due to hectic work schedules and the long distance some families must travel, some families opt to mark the festival earlier or later in April over a long weekend or assign a few family members to make the trip on behalf of the entire family. Once the family has paid their respects at the gravesite, some families will have a picnic at the gravesite. Then, they take advantage of the usually good weather to take a walk in the countryside, known as è ¸ Ã© â€™ (TqÄ «ng), hence another name for the festival - Taqing Festival. Some people wear a willow twig on their heads to keep ghosts away. Another custom includes picking shepherd’s purse flower. Women also pick herbs and make dumplings with them and they also wear the shepherd’s purse flower in their hair. Other traditional activities on Tomb Sweeping Day include playing tug-of-war and swinging on swings. It is also a good time for sowing and other agricultural activities, including planting willow trees.