Guardian eradicates women

[ASmallMovie]

The Guardian, a once fantastic champion of women’s rights, managed to write an entire article about periods without using the words ‘girls’ or ‘women’, presumably lest they offend.

Utterly depressing.

The original speech by Jacinda Ardern talks about ‘girls’ missing school due to period poverty, but this article avoids the apparently now offensive word ‘girl’ and refers to ‘9 to 18-year-olds’.

How the fuck can the Guardian editor and all its reporters be okay with this?

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/26/new-zealand-supermarket-chain-countdown-becomes-first-to-use-period-label-on-menstrual-products

Girls it’s girls not just some random 9-18years staying of school

GIRLS

Makes me so fucking cross as well

When did women and girls become the words that can’t be said

Now to be fair, the original statement is actually just as gender neutral and talking about young people. But it is tagged with 'women'.
www.beehive.govt.nz/release/free-period-products-schools-combat-poverty

Related current thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3950056-gender-neutral-language-for-endometriosis-support-organisations

Yes it is a direct quote according to the govt statement.
“We know that nearly 95,000 nine-to-18-year-olds may stay at home during their periods due to not being able to afford period products,” Ardern said. “By making them freely available, we support these young people to continue learning at school.”

Even so, it's clear that in Guardianland you can't talk about girls and periods. Meanwhile someone like Yaniv is "woman with male genitalia".

Wanttobeamum - I can categorically assure your that I’m not ‘seeking to be offended’. I am offended.

The earlier article, from June 3rd, about the same subject, uses the word ‘girls’ at least 4 times.

In this article - and I assume because of the fallout from JKR’s piece - they have avoided the use of the words ‘girl’ or ‘women’, hence The Guardian is making the active decision to eradicate the use of the words ‘girls’ and ‘women’.

How Katherine Viner or any of their reporters are happy with this is beyond me.

@CaraDune got it. Thanks.

The original article linked above also says "children and young people" and "students" throughout.

Even the Minister for Women uses them. What's the point in her job title then?

In this article - and I assume because of the fallout from JKR’s piece - they have avoided the use of the words ‘girl’ or ‘women’, hence The Guardian is making the active decision to eradicate the use of the words ‘girls’ and ‘women’

I don't think it's anything to do with JKR, the Guardian has been doing this for ages. They sometimes slip and forget to use Newspeak.

@WantToBeMum

I think you're seeking out to be offended here. The article reads well. It refers to the products not the people using them. It doesn't refer to menstruators as some have said, unless I missed that part. It does refer, correctly, to shoppers. My dad used to buy these products for me when I was young, what's the problem.

Genuine question.

Can you tell me which group of people in the world are systematically subject to oppression across every single measure, due to shared characteristics? Paid less? Killed more? Raped more? Enslaved more? What terms do you use? How can you define them?

What can you do to seek to redress the structural, systemic disadvantage they suffer, if you can't use accurate and non-dehumanising language that determines who they are?

And why is it, do you think, that nobody objects to the word, "man", when referring to the prostate-owning ejaculators?

"Gillette - the best a beard grower can get"

"Viagra - for those times when the ejaculator in your life needs a little help."

"5 warning signs prostate-havers need to look out for."

"Why are young penis havers not doing so well in school these days?"

"The mental health crisis facing today's sperm producers."

I think headline writers and the advertising industry need to get on board with this sort of inclusive language.

I'll believe this isn't blatant misogyny the day Penis News carries an article on "10 ways gay men can stimulate their boyfriend's clitoris."

They're okay with it because we are just a subset of humanity.

Agree this is why when they make a gender neutral toilet it’s always the women’s that becomes the gender neutral and the men’s stays exclusively for men 🤷🏽‍♀️

I just don't think you can deny that "menstruators" is a term with a specific biological meaning

It's a made up word which doesn't appear in the dictionary.

I'm not going around saying women should be called menstruators, but when differentiating between women who do and don't menstruate, it's a useful shorthand in that specific context.

The problem is that if you are trying to analyse the effect on equality, (which this article does) you create a false distinction between women who do and don't menstruate.

If I have missed large amounts of school because of periods, that doesn't suddenly become irrelevant because I become pregnant, or even when I go through menopause.

It creates a false impression that periods are a niche phenomenon that could happen to anyone, when most women menstruate.

By avoiding the term 'women' they are also swapping one taboo for another. They are endorsing the idea that biological sex, specifically female biological sex is shameful and distressing.

They don't have the same qualms about the male sex.

‘Women’ isn’t being avoided because it’s shameful and distressing, it’s being avoided because it’s transphobic.

Its a made up word which doesn't appear in the dictionary.

This! With bells on.

Women - a word present in the dictionary, in common usage etc is only fine to use when saying that a TW is a W.

But stupid made up words.... All good.

‘Women’ isn’t being avoided because it’s shameful and distressing, it’s being avoided because it’s transphobic.

Sorry, the word 'woman' is transphobic?

@noblegiraffe

‘Women’ isn’t being avoided because it’s shameful and distressing, it’s being avoided because it’s transphobic.

Are you serious or was that a sentence that needed an emoji after it?

Sorry, the word 'woman' is transphobic?

In this context some people think it is.

I think JK Rowling amply demonstrated the issue with referring to the word woman, especially when related to menstrustion.

Basically any use of the word will invite a pile-on because it will be transphobic in some way.

I'd rather be called a middle aged woman than a post-menstruator

@bishopgiggles

I know I'm against the grain here but I think when talking about periods it's fine to say 'menstruators' etc as it is in the context of talking about a specific group - people who menstruate. I can't get up in arms about wanting to call trans men women when they'd prefer to be called trans men.

We're not talking about all girls or women either so I think in this context it is factual and a concise way of referring to the relevant group.

If an article was using 'menstruators' to refer to women in general then that'd be insulting and incorrect.

Language shifts are one of the tools used for social engineering. Excluding a reference to who does the thing being described creates confusion on the part of those who do not already know what menstruation is or who does it. Responsible journalists would not refer to spelunkers or prostatitisers because it assumes the reader has knowledge not generally held.

They advocates of pap smears created the same problem when they recommended cervix owners get tested. Who owns a cervix? If you did not already know you had one how could you know they meant you.
It doesn't matter how factual or concise a journalist is if your reader is not in possession of the requisite information to understand what the eff you are on about. Journalism 101.

@noblegiraffe

I think JK Rowling amply demonstrated the issue with referring to the word woman, especially when related to menstrustion.

Basically any use of the word will invite a pile-on because it will be transphobic in some way.

But the word man appears to be acceptable? Why? Genuine question?

@noblegiraffe

I think JK Rowling amply demonstrated the issue with referring to the word woman, especially when related to menstrustion.

Basically any use of the word will invite a pile-on because it will be transphobic in some way.

Can I just clarify, are you commenting that it's scandalous how 'some people say the word woman is transphobic'? Or are you claiming 'the word woman is transphobic'?

Ignore second?