EDUCATION MARCHES ON – AT 12:52 P.M. ET:   There isn't a day that goes by without a story like this.  Today's children may turn out to be the worst educated in modern history.  It's bad in the U.S., but it's worse in Britain and Europe.  From Heatstreet: 

Cardiff University in the UK has told students and staff to avoid gendered words like “sportsmanship” and “manpower,” also saying that “first name” or “forename” is preferable to “Christian name.”

The inclusive-language guidelines, which have been in place for a few years but were first reported by the Telegraph Thursday, are an effort to “promote fairness and equality through raising awareness about potentially discriminatory vocabulary.”

Cardiff takes the policy one step further than similar ones recently rolled out at other Western schools: Most colleges say their inclusive-language guidelines are merely recommendations. But at Cardiff, students who use banned words and phrases could face discipline under the university’s bullying and harassment policy, while employees may also face repercussions, the Daily Mail reported.

The Welsh school’s guidelines offer a litany of advice, warning students and staff to avoid gendered language. It specifically mentions dozens of words to avoid, also offering broad guidelines about how to talk about disabled or transgender people.

“Don’t be too anxious about the use of language, though,” the policy says. “Blind people do use terms like ‘see you later’ and being too careful can make conversation painful for both parties.”

COMMENT:  We hope each day that this kind of madness will soon end, that it's just a trend that will exhaust itself.  I'm not so sure.  The West generally has become remarkably immature, and convinced of its own inferiority.  The colleges of today are producing the teachers of tomorrow.  Only a concerted backlash by more mature, more reasoned people – and there is a backlash building – can reverse the catastrophic trends that we see building.

March 5, 2017