November 2021 | Page 25

Jottings to the change which resulted in one case of the offending word being replaced by the phrase , “ You must be the spouse or partner ( including same-sex partner ) or the pregnant woman .”
Back in Westminster , the Ministry of Defence has claimed that , “ not all women are biologically female .” A new Inclusive Language Guide warns members of the Armed Forces that using the words “ woman ” and “ female ” interchangeably “ erases ” members of the trans community .
It also advises against the use of the word “ manpower ” in favour of the gender neutral “ workforce ” or “ staff .” Unsurprisingly , the document includes a link to the website of the aforementioned Stonewall for “ further reading and resources .”
Similarly , sociology students at Aston University in Birmingham have been advised to find replacements for words that could be seen to reinforce prejudices . The document listing the words was reportedly leaked to the press by a student who was , tellingly , too afraid of reprisals to complain .
Offending words listed include immigrants , third world , tribe , civilised and , in some contexts , native , all because of their colonialist or racist overtones . Sexist terms to be avoided ( and their woke alternatives ) include one-man show ( one person show ), old masters ( classical arts or artists ), forefathers ( ancestors ), seminal ( classical or formative ) and masterful ( domineering ).
Primark has been accused of “ cancelling motherhood ” following the launch of its new line of pregnancy clothing . It ’ s called the “ parenthood collection ” and the blurb advertising it successfully fails to use the words maternity , women and mothers . The retailer later relented a little when it advertised the range using the woke-ist phrase heard during October - “ maternity capsule wardrobe .”
But it was high street rivals John Lewis who generated most ire last month with a new TV commercial for its insurance services which features a young boy dancing in mother ’ s make-up , clothes and jewellery . His sister is seen sitting quietly painting in a corner while her brother throws a pair of high-heeled shoes at a lamp , knocks over a jar of liquid and stands on a table to throw glitter around .
The first screening of the ad on October 14 generated immediate accusations of
“ sexism , agenda pushing , appropriating trans culture and sexualising children ” by Twitter users . Or to put it another way , the woke commercial seemed to upset the very people at which it was aimed .
Woke Watch 3 : students
A philosophy professor at the University of Sussex has been subjected to a student-led campaign for suggesting that “ sex is an immutable biological fact .” The offence committed by Professor Kathleen Stock , an expert in gender and sexual orientation , was to say that she believes that gender identity is not more important than biological sex , “ particularly when it comes to law and policy ,” and that people cannot change their biological sex .
She has faced a torrent of abuse on social media and been branded a “ terf ” ( transexclusionary radical feminist ) for opposing the “ transwomen are women ” philosophy . Students at the University branded her a “ transphobe ” and erected posters denouncing her and calling for her to lose her job .
Professor Stock has since been advised to teach her students online over fears for
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