UN ‘gender neutral’ language code under fire
As international agencies scramble to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, the UN tells Aussies to ditch expressions like “boys and girls” for “y’all”.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Listen to your favourite podcasts on Jabra headphones with a DT subscription
- Minister rejects reports China targeting dairy, wine, fruit
The United Nations has come under fire for issuing a bizarre new woke dictionary in the middle of a global pandemic, saying English speakers should say “owner” instead of “landlord” and scrap the term “maiden name” for “family name”.
The Australian arm of the global organisation UN Women Australia has also begun policing language - even going so far as telling Aussies they need to use the Americanism “y’all” instead of “boys and girls”.
The UN, which was given $95 million from Australian taxpayers in January, has issued instructions on “gender neutral language” claiming we should not use the terms boyfriend and girlfriend.
MORE NEWS
Who is winning the battle of World War C
‘Deeply offensive’: PM weighs in on ALP senator’s Hitler slur
Virus experts say COVID-19 vaccine progress is ‘incredible’
The non-specific word “partner” should be used instead.
And forget about talking to your husband or wife, the UN – which came under fire this week from US officials for sneaking in abortion services as “essential” under a global pandemic plan, says we should use “partner”.
It also wants us to scrap “businessman” in favour of the bland word “representative”, saying it will “create a more equal world”.
Here in Australia, UN Women Australia, a registered charity with a $3.2 million income last financial year, has also jumped on the language bandwagon – claiming we should reject “the binary of male and female”.
“Instead of using phrases like “ladies and gentlemen” or “boys and girls”, swap in a gender-neutral term like “folks,” “children,” or “y’all,” UN Women Australia advised in March.
It also wants us to use a plethora of two-letter and three letter words to denote sex, or sign off on emails, including xe/zem, zie/hir and ey/em.
Upper House MP Mark Latham says the average Aussie looks at the language policing – and the importing of Americanisms and “thinks it’s ludicrous”.
“I’d tell them – ‘y’all crazy’,” Mr Latham said. “You’d walk the streets and pubs and clubs of Australia for a million years and you’ll never hear anyone saying ‘y’all’.
“My advice to them is that if they want to use ‘y’all” I’d strongly advice them to go and live in the United States, go to Alabama.”
He said with the pandemic, the tide had turned, with people focused on jobs and health.
“These committees should be closed down,” he said. “There’s a cost saving to the government, to allow us to focus on the things that actually matter.”
The Institute of Public Affairs, which campaigns on free speech, slammed the UN’s dictionary.
“The UN’s ridiculous attempt to curtail free speech by dictating which words we can and cannot use is a fundamental attack on the very human rights it purports to defend,” scholar Dr Bella D’Abrera said.
“It is clear that the UN is more interested in social engineering than it is in maintaining international peace and security.
“This is the kind of identity-politics lunacy which has been fomenting in our universities and is now creeping into our school curriculum.”
UN Women controversially includes representatives of countries with appalling women’s rights such as Congo, Lebanon and Nigeria on its executive board.
Earlier this week, US officials condemned the UN for “cynically” including abortion services as “essential” under the global pandemic response plan, on the same level as food, water and sanitation.
The crisis document called for abortion-inducing drugs and abortion supplies and for the promotion of abortion in local country settings, US aid administrator John Barsa said.