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Stanford University Welcomes the Use of ‘American’ After Uproar Over ‘Harmful Language’ Guide

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Stanford University Welcomes the Use of ‘American’ After Uproar Over ‘Harmful Language’ Guide
Cyclists ride by Hoover Tower on the Stanford University campus in Stanford, Calif., on March 12, 2019. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Frank Fang
By Frank Fang
12/28/2022Updated: 12/29/2022
0:00

Stanford University seems to have backpedaled on its controversial “harmful language” guide, acknowledging that it was wrong to have included the word “American.”

The language guide, published in mid-December, is a Stanford project officially known as the Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative (EHLI). The guide places certain phrases and words into 10 “harmful language” sections, including “ableist,” “culturally appropriative,” “gender-based,” “imprecise language,” and “institutionalized racism.”

“The purpose of this [EHLI] website is to educate people about the possible impact of the words we use,” the language guide said. “Our ‘suggested alternatives’ are in line with those used by peer institutions and within the technology community.”

There was an immediate backlash against the guide, particularly over its advice on how people should replace the word “American” with “U.S. citizen,” one of the suggested changes in the “imprecise language” section.

“[American] often refers to people from the United States only, thereby insinuating that the US is the most important country in the Americas,” the guide explains, noting that the Americas are actually comprised of 42 countries.

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Some other recommendations in the guide included replacing the word “Hispanic” with “Latinx, “grandfather” with “legacy,” and “immigrant” with “person who has immigrated.”

“White paper,” which falls under the “institutionalized racism” section, should be replaced by “position paper,” according to the guide. It argued that assigning value connotations based on color, in this case where white means good, is an act that is “subconsciously racialized.”

‘Absolutely Welcomed’

Steve Gallagher, chief information officer at Stanford University, released a statement on Dec. 20, saying that the EHLI website “does not represent university policy.”

“It also does not represent mandates or requirements. The website was created by, and intended for discussion within, the IT community at Stanford,” Gallagher continued. “It provides ‘suggested alternatives’ for various terms, and reasons why those terms could be problematic in certain uses.”

Gallagher pointed out the university had made an error by targeting the term “American.”

“To be very clear, not only is the use of the term ‘American’ not banned at Stanford, it is absolutely welcomed,” he said. “The intent of this particular entry on the EHLI website was to provide perspective on how the term may be imprecise in some specific uses, and to show that in some cases the alternate term ‘US citizen’ may be more precise and appropriate.”

“But, we clearly missed the mark in this presentation,” Gallagher admitted.

Gallagher concluded his statement by saying that the language guide “is undergoing continual review.”

“We value the input we have been hearing, from a variety of perspectives, and will be reviewing it thoroughly and making adjustments to the guide,” he said.

Currently, the language guide is accessible only to people with an internal login.

‘Proud to Be an American’

Some Republican lawmakers have taken to Twitter to criticize the university’s effort to change the English language.
“The radical left is attempting to destroy our country and erase our history,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) wrote on Dec. 20. “Now, Stanford University is seeking to ban the word ‘American.’”
“Stanford University published an index of forbidden words. One of the words they are trying to eliminate is ‘American.’ ARE YOU SERIOUS?” Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) wrote on Dec. 20.

“I am proud to be an American,” Weber added. “I’ve had enough of the woke liberals trying to destroy America as we know it.”

“If Stanford thinks the word American is harmful, what are they doing with American taxpayer dollars?” Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) wrote on Dec. 21.
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Twitter’s new chief, Elon Musk, also questioned Stanford University’s motivation.

“This has gone too far, to say the least! @Stanford, what is your explanation for this madness?” Musk tweeted on Dec. 20.

Opposition

There is also opposition against the language guide inside the university.

Dr. Jay Bjattacharya, a professor of health policy at Stanford’s School of Medicine, said he opposed the elimination of the word “American” and added that universities shouldn’t carry out “word policing.”

“I remember how proud I was when I became a naturalized American citizen. I’m still proud to be an American, and I don’t care that @Stanford disapproves of my using the term,” Bhattacharya wrote in a tweet on Dec. 19.
“The problem is the @stanford provenance of the list,” he added in a separate tweet.

“Universities are the wrong place for word policing. There are better ways, more effective & more consistent with liberal norms, to teach students respect and compassion for others than a clumsy list of proscribed words.”

Frank Fang
Frank Fang
journalist
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers U.S., China, and Taiwan news. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
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