A United Nations agency has been slammed as “Orwellian” for its latest diktat banning the term “Englishman” in its crackdown on “gendered” language. The Mail has more.
The Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organisation – which protects trademarks and patents globally – has also vetoed masculine terms including “forefathers” and “brotherhood of man”.
Even “man’s best friend” has been blacklisted – with “a faithful dog” to be used instead. And “birth attendant” is suggested as an alternative to “midwife”.
The move comes after the British Red Cross was accused of having been “hijacked by political extremists” after clamping down on phrases such as “ladies and gentlemen” and “maiden name”.
According to the ‘Guidelines on inclusive language’ published by the UN agency – known as WIPO – using “masculine-specific” terms risks giving the impression that “women are not represented in certain groups or do not possess certain skills”.
Among the terms staff should not use are Englishman – with “English person” or “English national” given as alternatives.
“Man in the street” should be replaced by “ordinary citizen” or “typical person”, while the word “sportsmanlike” is to be avoided in favour of “fair” or “sporting”. …
Toby Young, founder of the Free Speech Union, said: “This is precisely what George Orwell warned us about.
“Banning certain words and phrases to advance a dogmatic political ideology is a hallmark of totalitarianism.”
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