OR IS THE PAIN THE POINT,
WHETHER DEI, THEY DON’T HAVE
GOOD ANSWERS FOR.
>> Todd: NOW TO THIS, MICHIGAN
STATE UNIVERSITY TAKING ON
BIGOTED PHRASES AS PART OF
INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE GUIDE.
SOME POTENTIALLY OFFENSIVE WORDS
INCLUDE AMERICA, WE’RE TALKING
ABOUT THE UNITED STATES AND
TERRORISTS WHEN REFERRING TO
RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS.
CHRISTMAS TREES, BUNNIES,
OVERWEIGHT AND NUTS.
MITCH
MICHIGAN STATE SAYS THE WORDS
MAY BE RACIST, SEXIST OR ABLIST
IN NATURE.
CAMPUS REFORM CORRESPONDENT AT
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY JOINS
ME NOW.
THIS IS NUTS, WHAT IS GOING ON?
>> MICHIGAN STATE HAS DONE THIS
BEFORE, UNIVERSITIES PUT OUT
INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE GUIDES,
HARMLESS LANGUAGE GUIDES AND
MICHIGAN STATE HAS GONE TOO FAR.
CHRISTMAS TREE, BUNNY, JUST
WORDS THAT ARE EVERYDAY LANGUAGE
AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS
OSTRACIZING THE EVERYDAY
AMERICAN AND DEEMING IT HARMFUL.
>> Todd: WAIT, THERE ARE MORE
TERMS AND WORDS, CAKE WALK, TIPPING POINTS, RULE OF THUMB,
TIPPING POINTS, RULE OF THUMB,
FOUNDER AND BONKERS.
I WOULD SAY THIS LIST IS
BONKERS, AS WELL.
PEOPLE WITH BE JOS,
RESPONSIBILITIES, DON’T SIT
AROUND COMING UP WITH RIDICULOUS
LISTS LIKE THIS, WHO IS PUSHING
THIS?
>> YEAH, THE SCHOOL CLAIMS TO BE
TRYING TO PUSH THIS IN THE NAME
OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND
INCLUSION, BUT IT IS VERY CLEAR
THIS IS JUST ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO
ENSURE IDEOLOGY ON CAMPUS,
INCLUDING MANY TERMS THAT ARE
TRADITIONALLY ASSOCIATED WITH
CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS, I DON’T FEEL
THAT AS A CHRISTIAN OR
CONSERVATIVE THAT THE SCHOOL IS
WORRIED ABOUT MAKING SURE MY
VIEWS ARE INCLUDED, I’M A
PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST AND FOLLOWING
ROE, MICHIGAN STATE EXPRESSED
DEEP CONCERN.
IT WAS HORRIFYING, THEY CLAIM TO
BE INCLUSIVE AND USH
APPROXIMATING FOR DIVERSE
THOUGHT, THEY TAKE CLEAR
POSITIONS AND THIS IS A
POLITICAL PUSH AGAIN.
>> Todd: YOUR DIVERSE THOUGHT IS
IRRELEVANT TO THE CAMPUS OF
MICHIGAN STATE AND MANY, IF NOT
MOST, OTHER COLLEGES BECAUSE
THAT IS NOT WHAT A UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE SYSTEM IS SUPPOSED TO
BE.
WITH THIS GUIDE AS GUIDE FOR
YOUR CAMPUS, WILL THERE BE ANY
WORDS LEFT?
>> YEAH, THAT IS MY QUESTION, AS
WELL.
THIS IS RIDICULOUS STANDARD TO
LIVE BY.
THE LIST CONTINUES TO GROW AND
GROW.
EVERYDAY AMERICANS ARE USING, IN
MY MIND, PROFESSORS WOULD BE
WORRIED ABOUT THE SOCIAL SHAME
THAT COMES WITH USING THE WORDS
THEY ARE USED TO USING AND
PROFESSORS WILL DRAFT E-MAILS
AND WORD THINGS SO AS NOT TO
OFFEND SOMEONE.
STUDENTS
STUDENTS SHOULD BE SPENDING TIME
FOCUSING ON LEARNING, THIS
ULTRA-HYPERSENSITIVE CULTURE IS
HARMFUL FORUN STEREOS,
ESPECIALLY IN EDUCATION, WHERE
WE SHOULD HAVE FREE USE OF
LANGUAGE AND HONEST
CONVERSATIONS, NOT WORRIED ABOUT
OFFENDING PEOPLE WITH STANDARD
LANGUAGE WE’VE USED FOREVER.
>> Todd: MY BACKGROUND AS A
LAWYER AND I SPEND TIME WHEN YOU
WRITE A DOCUMENT, EVERY WORD
NEEDS TO BE PRECISE, THERE ARE
LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS TO THE
DOCUMENT.
A LETTER TAKES A LONG TIME TO
CRAFT, YOU ARE GOING OVER
LANGUAGE.
IF EVERYBODY DOES THAT IN NORMAL
CONVERSATION AND NORMAL E-MAIL
WRITING, NOTHING WILL GET DONE,
IT WILL BE INSANE.
LAST QUESTION, AUDREY, WHY?
WHY DOES THE LEFT SEEM SO EAGER
TO DESTROY FREE SPEECH?
>> WELL, ULTIMATELY, YOU CAN
NEVER BE CERTAIN OF EVERY
INDIVIDUAL’S INTENTIONS, BUT IN
MY MIND, IT DOES SEEM CLEAR
PLACES OF HIGHER EDUCATION ARE
BEING USED TO PUSH THIS
PROGRESSIVE IDEOLOGY AND PLACES
THAT SHOULD BE OPEN TO
CONVERSATION ARE NOW PLACES THAT
SEEM MOST SHUT DOWN, AT LEAST
FOR ME AS A CHRISTIAN, I CAN
ONLY ASSUME SOME MIGHT HAVE TO
DO WITH THE HISTORY OF
CHRISTIANITY OPPOSITION TO
IDEOLOGIES, BUT AGAIN WE ARE
GETTING INTO A DIFFERENT
TERRITORY, NOT WITH EXTREME
CHRISTIAN OR CONSERVATIVE
LANGUAGE, MORE EVERYDAY
LANGUAGE, LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE,
CAMPUS REFORM REPORTED THE
UNIVERSITY WAS DEEMING SIMILAR
WORDS HARMFUL, WORDS LIKE POLICE
OR PICNIC AS HARMFUL.
I THINK THEY ARE GETTING TO A
POINT WHERE THEY HAVE GONE TOO
FAR AND NEED TO WALK IT BACK,
THEY SHOULD HAVE WALKED IT BACK
A LONG TIME AGO, IT IS
RIDICULOUS AT THIS POINT.
>> Todd: ALL THE BOOKS IN MY OWN
HOME THAT NEED TO BE BANNED
BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN THE WORD
BUNNY AND MOST BOOKS ARE FROM MY
TWO-YEAR-OLD.
I WILL HAVE TO TELL THE LITTLE
ONE, WE GOT TO GET RID OF THE
BOOKS, THEY REFERENCE BUNNIES
AND MICHIGAN STATE DOESN’T WANT