University removes ‘Harmful Language’ list following backlash
Stanford’s newspaper provides a recap of the “harmful language” debacle at Stanford. In December ‘22, it was revealed that the Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative, an effort co-sponsored by the Stanford CIO Council and the People of Color in Technology (POC-IT) affinity group, published a guide to harmful language “with the intent of identifying and suggesting alternatives to discriminatory terms used in IT.” The list “was met with widespread backlash…with criticism kicking into high gear after the Wall Street Journal published an article signed by its editorial board ridiculing entries in the list such as ‘American,’ ‘master’ and ‘blind study.’”
The site was taken down, with a response from CIO. “Amid media backlash, Gallagher released a statement on Dec. 20 clarifying that the website does not represent university policy and was intended for discussion within the IT community at Stanford and why certain terms “could be problematic in certain uses.”
Related:
Rethinking Stanford’s approach to eliminating ‘harmful’ language (FIRE, 12/29/22)
Stanford Guide to Acceptable Words (WSJ, 12/19/22)
Big Brother is Watching You: Stanford’s New ‘Harmful Language’ Guide (Stanford Review, 12/19/22)
