APRIL FOOLS.

The compilers of Michigan State's "Inclusive Guide," which apparently works under the imperative that excluding words is the way to achieve inclusion.

Don’t use the shorthand “POC” for people of color, “BIPOC” for Black, Indigenous and people of color or “QTBIPOC” for queer, transgender, Black, Indigenous and people of color unless in a direct quote; when used, explain it. These are vague terms that may unintentionally leave out race and ethnicity groups or create hierarchy. In some cases, other wording may be appropriate, e.g., “students from various racial and ethnic backgrounds,” “diverse groups,” “various heritages” or “different cultures.” Identify if you are writing about students, staff, faculty, staff, alums, etc.

Oh, in that excerpt they weren't referring to pickling spice. "For example, one recommendation to use alum(s) or graduate(s) instead of the gendered term alumni does not apply to office or group names, such as the Alumni Office or MSU Black Alumni."

As has been the case with politically correct euphemism, the whole idea is to hint at things without naming things.  "In alignment with strategic efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion, the Inclusive Guide provides best practices for communications in gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, global identity and disability."  So it has always been. Remember the calls for contributions and applications back when the affirmative action office didn't have mission creep, referring to "issues relating to diversity?"  You couldn't name things then, and you still can't name things now, about the best you can do is "align around."

On the other hand, if you know the discourse practice of professionals, you get a dispensation to use it.  For now.

The purpose of the guide is to inform general communications and does not apply to academic, medical, legal or other specialized fields. Some terminology, like obesity, is specific to a disease, thus, recommendations to use alternative options do not apply to technical applications.

As I noted last week, the vagueness of these recommendations could be the point, or perhaps there's more make-work for the diversity deanlets to come.  "Currently, MSU’s guide does not include recommendations around socioeconomic status, age, body type, veteran status, parent identity and incarcerated people, or land acknowledgment and land-grant identity and demographics, which may be included in the future."  There's that deliberate vagueness again, "recommendations around."  And the compilers of these suggestions have never twigged to the possibility that people can emulate Antonio orating by Caesar's corpse, and mocking the very meaning of the words, e.g.  "Fat kids are now 'students of size.'"

It's beyond parody, though, when the woke worship-words of ten to thirty years ago are now on the Index, and there it is.  "'Minoritized' or 'marginalized' can remove agency and reaffirm deficit language, avoid using unless in a quotation."  Some other deanlet will have to go through the archives of the Diversity Weenies' ukases and consign entire documents to the memory hole.

It's also, as we have come to expect, no longer polite to wish people a Merry Christmas. "In winter and spring, avoid references to majority religious imagery and language, such as the word 'merry' or 'Christmas trees,' 'wreaths,' 'holly,' 'bells,' 'gifts,' 'reindeer,' 'bunnies,' 'eggs' and 'chicks.' Use terms like 'wishing you a wonderful winter/spring break' or 'best wishes for the new year.'"  It's bonkers, even if the diversity deanlets would prefer you didn't say so.  "'The origins of seemingly innocuous idioms or words may be racist, sexist or ableist in nature,' the guide claims, citing phrases like 'cake walk,' 'tipping point,' 'bonkers,' and 'rule of thumb' as examples of potentially harmful language."  I wonder if that "rule of thumb" perpetuates a long-discredited feminist legend.

Our universities are being run by terminally stupid people.

Cold Spring Shops headquarters is on land that was in Wisconsin Territory before Illinois became a state. We recognize the labor applied by those settlers marking the trails that contemporary Illinoisans use to visit Lake Geneva, the Dells, and Door County, and to watch their teams get owned in Green Bay.