The World Is a Stage
To Evolve or Devolve, That Is the Question
Language, and more specifically words, have the power to enslave or free us. They can tether us to old ways of thinking or free us to envision new ways of thinking. I am not talking political correctness or ‘cancel culture,’ which are subtractive terms, I am talking about inclusivity: specifically, the inclusion of all persons within our sociocultural milieu.
Society and culture are evolving; therefore, our use of language must evolve too. If we continue to use outdated signifiers (words), it will be difficult for outdated ideas to change because there is an incongruence between what society and culture actually are—and our dated views: Our perceptions are reinforced by dated language signifiers.
For example, I have updated a famous quote to be more inclusive and in line with our evolved, sociocultural reality.
‘All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts…. ‘
All the world’s a stage, And all the people merely players. They have their exits and entrances, and one person in their time plays many parts….
Although a great classic, the original supports an androcentric (male-centred) view of society and culture. This use of gendered language is archaic (outdated) and not germane (relevant) to our evolved sociocultural zeitgeist (spirit of the age, or our collective ideals).
A quick example: as a child, I remember being shocked when I encountered a female police officer for the first time. How could she be a policeman? My young mind was indoctrinated with an androcentric bias.
With reference to my above example, androcentric language has a cumulative effect much like some poisons. You may be okay at first, but the effects are coming with time. I want my children free from the shackles of outdated linguistic jailors.
I do not suggest changing our past cultural treasures but presenting them alongside more contemporary versions with nuanced explanations as to how language, as a system of sociocultural signifiers, changes over time, and why we must consciously be aware of these changes.
Some say that 'ignorance is bliss:' I say it is a prison, an anathema (accursed), and our emancipation (freedom) grows with knowledge. To remain in that prison, shackled by stagnant language, is to deny the potential for personal, societal, and cultural growth. The pursuit of enlightened thinking requires us to critically examine and, where necessary, revise the linguistic frameworks that underpin our understanding of the world.
Some may argue against change, but I prefer to live in an age of enlightened thinking. Do we still want women perceived as men's chattel (individual property)? Do we still want slaves, or our children to work in factories at eight years old? Change is necessary, without it we atrophy (wither) socioculturally.
Scientia libertas est! (Knowledge is freedom!)
Libertas est Scientia! (Freedom is knowledge!)
The following list is a sample of words that are androcentric and their inclusive counterparts. Interestingly, I have Microsoft word set to notice non-inclusive language and it missed a few of the words on the list: specifically, craftsman, sportsmanship, and man up.
Manpower → Workforce or Human resources
Mankind → Humankind or Humanity
Man-made → Human-made or Artificial
Chairman → Chair, Chairperson, or Chairwoman (if gender-specific)
Spokesman → Spokesperson
Fireman → Firefighter
Policeman → Police officer
Manhandle → Handle roughly
Congressman → Congressperson or Representative
Man hours → Person hours or Work hours
Businessman → Businessperson or Entrepreneur
Craftsman → Craftsperson or Artisan
Sportsmanship → Fair play or Sportspersonship
Man up → Toughen up or be resilient
Those who do not evolve with time are enslaved to labour in its often-ugly past!
Qui non evolvunt cum tempore, serviunt saepe turpis- simo praeterito!