On a ratioed Twitter post, the UN came out with politically correct name changes for people to stop using gendered language that could offend transgender and non-binary individuals.
Although the hispanic world has adopted the suffix ‘-x’ instead of a noun ending in ‘-o’ or ‘-a’ to avoid gendering the language, the UN attempted to follow suit and promote a new lexicon where people’s feelings will be spared.
Part of the word change involved calling “landlord” a more tyrannical “owner.” Several people took to Twitter to mock the preferred neologism, using examples of “owner” replacing “landlord” in a sentence.
For a brief, off the cuff, example: “my owner asked me to pay more rent this month.”
The new wording may, of course, cause controversy when the legacy of slavery still plays a role in mainstream political consciousness.
In the tweet, the UN explains: “What you say matters. Help create a more equal world by using gender-neutral language if you’re unsure about someone’s gender or are referring to a group.”
What you say matters.
Help create a more equal world by using gender-neutral language if you're unsure about someone's gender or are referring to a group. https://t.co/QQRFPY4VRn #GenerationEquality via@UN_Women pic.twitter.com/koxoAZZuxq
— United Nations (@UN) May 18, 2020
The other proposed rephrasings also drew mockery from social media user. “Partner” was flatly laughed at, and Russia Today even wrote about the erasure of the classic “husband” and “wife” in favor of “spouse.”
In the Russia Today article, they explain the etymology of the problematic words:
The word “husband” derives from the Old Norse husbondi, which translates literally as “house-dweller.” Not the most oppressive-sounding thing in the world. However, even if we go with the less politically correct origins of the word, with “master of the house” as one of them, the word “husband” has been around for so long that any male-dominant connotations have long since vanished.
As for the word “wife,” this is believed to come from the Old English “wif”, which simply means “woman, female, lady.” Again, as with the term “husband,” the etymological roots of “wife” reveal very little that should trigger the virtue-signaling crowd.
Responding to the initial tweet, author Rollo Tomassi said: “What if I speak Spanish, French, Italian or any Latin-root language where literally EVERY word is gendered? Androgyny is homogeny. F*** you I won’t do what you tell me.”
“The language I choose to use is protected under the @UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights article 19 so I’ll continue to use whatever language I choose whilst ignoring your insignificant woke ramblings,” remarked another.
The language I choose to use is protected under the @UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights article 19 so I'll continue to use whatever language I choose whilst ignoring your insignificant woke ramblings. 😊 pic.twitter.com/mPNQ6lXdpp
— Daniel Casey (@DanielCasey7) May 18, 2020
In recent years, there has been an increasing push to steer the narratives surrounding words to either soften their meaning or as a metapolitical shift to normalize taboo practices, such as pedophiles and their repackaging as “MAPs” or “minor attracted persons.”
