What Are Some Inclusive Language Examples?

Estimated read time:  • November 29, 2022

THE CONTEXT
Our language is full of words and expressions with problematic implications and histories, but we often don't even realize it.

THE PUZZLE
People frequently want a definitive list of words or expressions to avoid. Is it possible to create such a list? If not, how can we be more inclusive in our language anyway?

Even if you’re not a big Star Wars fan, maybe you’ve seen the actor, Diego Luna. He’s in the new Star Wars series, Andor. I haven’t seen it, but someone was trying to describe Diego Luna to me the other day. How would you describe his style of facial hair?

Right before the holiday break, my wife and I were out to dinner with some friends. Our drinks had just arrived and conversation was rolling—easy Friday evening talk that can feel so novel since the pandemic: work updates, travel plans, TV reports. Our friend Kevin said we had to watch that show Andor with our kids. His wife Angela said, “I love the main actor. What’s his name? The guy with the Fu Manchu mustache?”

Neither my wife nor I had heard that mustache characterization before, but the second it was in the air, I looked at her. She looked at me. She grabbed her beer, always a bit conflict avoidant. I gave a quizzical look and said something to the group like, “I’m not sure about that description; it doesn’t sound like something people should be saying.”

Angela, who is generally aware and considerate, held her ground. “No, that’s what you call it! Fu Manchu is the name of a character with that type of mustache.” She then turned the tables on me. “Maybe you’re showing some bias by thinking there’s something wrong with it!”

We did some brief googling and discussing. Then we talked about other potentially problematic words. A different friend mentioned, “picnic.” Our group was mixed on whether the word has a racist origin story. Later I did some research, and it seems that the origin is not problematic, but people think it is, which might be a good enough reason to avoid it.

Problematic words and expressions have been especially on my mind these days. A client and I were talking about inclusive language. They wished for some sort of a list that they might use as a definitive guide. I was saying that words, people, and history are complicated and so, such a list would be potentially ambiguous and unhelpful. They took that information in, considered it for a good two minutes, and then asked again for a list.

I said I would put something together, but not framed as a definitive list. It would just be a start, to give people an idea about the range of ways we might consider our language. Even that still feels a little uncomfortable because I don't want to give people the impression that a definitive list is really possible.

Many words and expressions are rooted in ideas and histories related to racism, sexism, ableism, or some other ism. As such, they are best avoided and replaced by alternative expressions. Others have implications that may cause exclusion, and can be rephrased or avoided. While by no means exhaustive, here are some examples of different types of words and expressions to consider. I’m not going to explain them all here but do some googling and see what you find.

How We Can Be More Inclusive With Language

[1] Avoid words rooted in racism, sexism, and other isms even if the original meaning has been largely lost.

• Uppity
• Peanut gallery
• Rule of thumb
• Gyp
• Sold me down the river
• Eenie Meenie Miney Moe song
• Off the reservation
• Grandfathered in
• “No can do”
• Indian giver
• “Man up”
• And of course, I’m not writing out the words that we already know are obviously problematic (N-word, R-word, B-word). Do not use these as an outsider. Avoid them even if you are quoting what someone else said or wrote.

[2] Beware of appropriating concepts from another culture. These concepts may be deep and meaningful in that culture, and it can be problematic to use them in a not serious, not accurate, or not respectful way.

• Spirit Animal
• El cheapo, no bueno, hasta la vista baby (or any other mock Spanish)
• Karma
• Powwow
• Totem Pole

[3] Avoid using language of disabilities (both apparent and non-apparent) to refer to things other than the original meaning. That might come off as disrespectfully lighthearted and not serious. Or the words may be used to make inappropriate analogies, framing disabilities as personal deficits.

• Blind spot
• Paralyzed
• “That’s so crazy”
• Depressed, (e.g.“I’m so depressed that they sold out of mint chocolate chip.”)
• PTSD (e.g. “I think I have PTSD from that terrible movie we watched last time.”)

[4] Upgrade your language to be more gender-neutral and to reflect current understandings of LGBTQIA+ inclusion.

• Instead of “ladies and gentlemen,” try “hi, everyone.”
• Instead of “you guys,” try “you all.”
• Instead of “he or she should possess these skills,” try “the candidate should possess these skills.”
• Instead of “born a male” or “born a female,” say “assigned male at birth” or “assigned female at birth.”
• Instead of homosexual, say gay or lesbian.
• Instead of “preferred pronouns,” just say “pronouns.”

[5] While not necessarily something that has to be always avoided, be aware of sports-based language and whether it may be unintentionally excluding some people. I have heard this come up in terms of gender and also regarding cross-cultural differences.

• “We had to call an audible.”
• “We’re at the 50.”
• “It’s the bottom of the 9^th.”
• “They threw me a softball.”

[6] Also be careful of using violence and war language or metaphors. Not only may they create exclusion for some, but they may be unhelpful for the conversation too, as discussions sometimes get framed as if they were a war. What if the underlying metaphor was one of collaboration instead? (This comes from the George Lakoff and Mark Johnson book Metaphors We Live By.)

• He attacked me on these points.
• I defended my position.
• We battled back and forth.
• She poked holes in my argument.

We’ve probably all had that feeling when something is said and we’re not sure if it’s going to cause hurt or exclusion. And we’ve probably all felt insecure around our own language. That’s just part of being human. I’ve even had people ask me after talks about whether it’s ok to use words like Asian or Black or Hispanic. (Yes, in most contexts.) If we normalize these kinds of “check-in” conversations, they won’t be so awkward, and we can grow together. We can ask questions that collectively investigate a particular word or phrase, and build inclusion. We can also be less defensive of particular words or expressions. If those words make people feel uncomfortable, why not just say what you need to say in a different way? That’s how I ended up feeling about the Fu Manchu mustache. Seems like that style of moustache has been harmfully used to stereotype and caricature Chinese people in racist ways over the years. I’m adding it to the list. What else would you add?