On the website for Stockport College in northwest England, an article about the school's "very caring" tutorial system and its many study groups carries the headline "Individualism Reigns." Which is almost as funny as the article describing the school's recent Diversity Day celebration, featuring "clowns of a mature age."
And now Stockport, a "college for higher and further education," has surpassed itself in foolishness. English newspapers reported last week that Stockport has banned the use of some 40 words and expressions. Adhering to the ban will henceforth be "a condition of service and admission" for employees and students both.
What's been banned, exactly? Prohibited phrases include "slaving over a hot stove, which minimises the horror and oppression of the slave trade." Nor can you use the sexist term "history"; the judgmental words "normal couple"; and "crazy," "mad," and "manic" -- terms "offensive to some with mental health problems." Also, you're not allowed to say "lady" or "gentleman" because of their "class implications." "Cripple" and "queer" are verboten unless they are "reclaimed" by the differently abled and oriented.
In other Limey news, the manager of a jobs program run by England's ministry of education and employment tried to block publication of a help wanted ad for someone "hard-working and enthusiastic." Such requirements, he thought, were discriminatory.