City officials urge ban on 'potentially offensive' language (Seattle)

KOMO TV (Seattle) ^ | 8/2/2013

[llevrok]

SEATTLE - An internal memo at Seattle City Hall is causing quite a stir. It suggests government workers no longer use the terms "citizen," or "brown bag."

According to the Office for Civil Rights, the terms are potentially offensive and other words should be used.

"Luckily, we've got options," Elliott Bronstein of the Office for Civil Rights wrote in the memo. "For 'citizens,' how about 'residents?'" Bronstein wrote.

The Office of Civil Rights says Seattle serves all residents, whether they're United States citizens or not.

And while city leaders publicize "brown bag" lunch meetings as a way to designate a bring-your-own lunch time event, the term has a sorted history.

"It used to be a way people could judge skin color," Bronstein said in a phone interview.

Does the public find it offensive? Most people agree it's not.

But the City of Seattle isn't alone. State lawmakers have voted to remove gender specific words in official records.

Freshman are now "first-years," journeymen are "journey-level," and penmanship is simply "handwriting."

To offend or not to offend, turns out to be a very sensitive question.

So what is a person supposed to say instead of brown bag? According to the memo, people should try "lunch-and-learn" or "sack lunch."

[llevrok]

I drink my coffee with out cream or milk. So how in the heck am I supposed to order it?

[KarlInOhio]

I drink my coffee with out cream or milk. So how in the heck am I supposed to order it?

Straight...no, that won't work either.

[C210N]

In case anybody is worried about it, no need to fret... Kreepy Ass Cracka (and it's related Kreepy Ass Cracker) are still in the lexicon.

... as long as not in cursive.

[llevrok]

WA state ping

“It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words,” Orwell wrote in his novel.

[Mr. K]

HAH! you just made me spit coffee all over my keyboard!

[Gay State Conservative]

Fortunately this memo doesn't categorize words like “cracker” as potentially offensive.

[ColdOne]

What is wrong with these people?

[EEGator]

Use the “N” word ending in “a”, not “er”.

[Dead Corpse]

Was looking for the “sarcasm” or “parody” tags...

Free speech? What do you think this is? A free Country or something?

[dfwgator]

[wbill]

I think that it's excellent that the public sector in Seattle has evolved to the degree that all of its officials have nothing to do but contemplate hidden racial meanings in the phrase "Brown Bag Lunch".

Truly, it must be a Utopia for its citizens, er, residents.

[dfwgator]

I drink my coffee with out cream or milk. So how in the heck am I supposed to order it?

[Tzimisce]

Yeah!

Screw you little people and your little 1st Amendment.

We’re your government and you’ll do what we say and like it.

[Beagle8U]

“I drink my coffee with out cream or milk. So how in the heck am I supposed to order it?”

Neat?

[Publius]

Now you know why I left Seattle for a little Revolutionary War fishing village in coastal Georgia.

[reg45]

Good! We will now be spared those hideous studies called "white papers". </sarcasm>

[Baynative]

The very first time I heard talk of PC expressions during a corporate training class the immediate thought that came to mind was when you control speech you can control thought.

[jazusamo]

Why am I not surprised this is coming from libtards in Seattle. Oh, sorry if that’s offensive.

[headsonpikes]

And while city leaders publicize “brown bag” lunch meetings as a way to designate a bring-your-own lunch time event, the term has a sorted history.

“It used to be a way people could judge skin color,” Bronstein said in a phone interview.

**********************************************************************************

That would be “a sordid history”, probably.

Is it true, though? Was people’s skin color actually compared to brown paper bags for discriminatory purposes?

It sounds apocryphal to me.

[Izzy Dunne]

the term has a sorted history.

Proofreader wanted; inquire within.