Academics at an Australian university, it was reported this week, not only endorse the term “chestfeeding” – they recommend alternatives to “mother” and “father”, too. The proposals appear in Australia National University’s Gender Institute Handbook. Instead of “mother”, the authors suggest “gestational parent” – and instead of “father”, they suggest “non-birthing parent”.
Their joy at trying to change the words means they’ve missed the obvious point. That the distinction between “gestational parent” and “non-birthing parent” is the same distinction as between mother and fact – indeed, as between male and female.
Which doesn’t achieve what they’re hoping to achieve, does it?
I suppose it’s amusing to annoy people by continually changing the words used to describe things.
As someone whose hair is white, I find it just a nuisance. Indeed I still consider it to be 2021 AD.
All very well covered in ‘Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo’
‘Man-whore’
‘I prefer to be called a male madam. Wait, that didn’t come out right.’
‘don’t make me he-bitch man-slap you’
‘man-gina’
You can’t feed with a chest, you need breast tissue to lactate. Yes, either sex can have breast tissue, and with the correct hormones any breast tissue can lactate, but the fundamental biological fact is that is it *BREASTS* that lactate, not chests.
Those whom the gods wish to destroy, etc.
“Which doesn’t achieve what they’re hoping to achieve, does it?”
Unless the sole intent is to control the speech you are allowed to use. In which case we will see how it turns out, but it has always worked before.
Newspeak project going well then
Doubleplusgood!
Instead of “mother”, the authors suggest “gestational parent” – and instead of “father”, they suggest “non-birthing parent”.
Well yes, moronic.
To begin with why a “non-birthing parent” without a “birthing parent” or a “gestational parent” without a “non-gestational parent”? There’s no internal logic within this semantic fantasy.
How would a child introduce a parent to a third party? “This is Mx Bison, my non-birthing parent”. How does a parent refer to a son or daughter?
And what word should be used for the white meat on a roast chicken?
It was an Australian university – Sydney I think – that banned all mention of human evolution or “out of Africa” as a theory.
Because it upset the Natives. It seems you have to say they evolved in Australia. Separately. Not many of those at Sydney University I would think. Except perhaps sleeping it off on the grass. But I digress.
Apparently Creationism, Separate Creationism in this case, is acceptable when it is for politically correct purposes.
“non-birthing parent” has a pre-existing meaning for when the mother’s egg is implanted in somebody else’s womb. Using it to also refer to the sperm provider mixes different things into the same words. And what about the non-parental sperm provider? Technology marches on, but we already have perfectly cromulent words for these concepts.
Because it upset the Natives. It seems you have to say they evolved in Australia. Separately.
I agree with Edward VIII on this.
Are these vile fascists suggesting that men cannot gestate?
The point is to get people jumping through their hoops, and punishing those who refuse.
Their joy at trying to change the words means they’ve missed the obvious point.
You’ve missed the obvious point that they’ve already got you thinking past the sale.
“Which doesn’t achieve what they’re hoping to achieve, does it?”
Well, it does up the word count…follow the money
So much utter bollocks. So little thinking.
Seems to be a desperate combination of Nineteen Eighty-Four Newspeak and Brave New World where the terms mother and father become unsayable expletives.
This parrot…
– Is resting
– Is stunned
– Is tired and shagged out following a prolonged sqwark
– Is pining for the fjords
Completely makes up for the lack of movement and progression of decay.
@Starfish
Depends on your point of view, some would consider it
doubleplusungood.