Wednesday, September 21, 1C33
Daily Nebrsskan
J
?KAPPA ALPHA THETA
Language la the most powerful tool we have. It b
with language that people are educated and edu
cate others. But Just as language is cogent, it is
equally manipulative. With a keen command of lan
guage comes the ability to plant ideas in the sub-
Janet Ward
conscious minds of people. One has only to look at
commercial advertisements to see how we can be
induced to buy a certain product, or to vote for a
certain candidate.
Nowhere i3 this manipulative power more evident
" than in the nature of sexist language.
For years words like man, he, brotherhood and
founding fathers have been labeled generic words,
meant to encompass all humanity.
But psychological and historical research has
produced evidence to the contrary. For most peo
ple, these so-called generic terms seldom, if ever,
convey a female image.
These masculine images are implanted during
childhood. When asked to draw pictures of specific
generic professions, school children gave unsettling,
but not surprising results. The pictures of salesmen,
mailmen and chairmen of the board were almost
exclusively pictures of males. When illustrating the
phrase "man in society," the pictures were of a male
in a crowd of people.
All through our lives we have been told women are
a part of mankind. Most historians use the word
man in ways that obscure women's contributions to
civilization. The list of text books with titles like "The
Condition of Man" and "Man and the Universe"
seems to be endless. i vv
1 Discriminatory language starts in children's
books and continues throughout our entire educa
tion. Even in a liberal college atmosphere, most
books are written, purposely or otherwise, to imply
that men are superior or more important than
women. Every year, subliminally introduced, dis
torted and sexist views of women are reinforced in
young minds.
Yet, peopl? trying to explore and change the sex
ist nature of our language are increasingly met with
accusations of triviality, if not nonsense.
Those who object to these changes are overlook
ing the power of words and their far-reaching
effects on perception and identity.
Sexist language is like a dioxin. It builds and
builds, and the damage being done is potentially
irreparable. Women can't break out of stereotypical
roles and enter into new fields if our language
doesn't charge to fit our changing culture.
George Orwell once remarked "silly words and
expressions have often disappeared not through my
evolutionary process but because of the conscious
effort of a minority." It would seem that together
men and women could promote conscious actions
to speed up the elimination of sexist language.
We will never be truly equal until our language
recognizes women as people, not as an appendage of
men, not a subspecies of man. In the words of Anne
Barrett, " 'Baby has not come a long way until she
ceases to be called one." ,
presents
PLANTASIA
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Editorial
Policy
0
Phone:
473-0973 Lincoln
449-8633 Omaha
tEAVf HtlTON
(DOWNTOWN)
4:30 a.m.
7:05 a.m.
9:45 a.m.
1:59 P.m.
3:45 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
8:40 p.m.
UAVI
coco $
4:45
7:15
10:00
2:05
4:05
cmfY
ARRIVAL
5:50
8:30
11:15,
3:15
. 5:15
7:45
9:50
DfPAXT
EPPUT
5:55
10:15
12:25.
4:45
6:45
8:45
10:03
ARRIVE
C0C0S
ll:30
1:35
6:00
8:00
10:00
11:15
j RvImJ Schtxiul JulyS. 1983
BASIC ONE-WAY RATE IN EITHER DIRECTION:
I R0UND-TRIP( Musi be purchosed os such ) :
RESERVATIONS R2QU!f
. Call 473-0973 8 hours in advance.
CASH ONLY ACCEPTED
ARRIVE
HILTON
7:C0
11:45
1:45
6:20
8:15
10:15
11:30.
. S12.00
S20.GO
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- American Cancer j
Unsigned editorials re
present official policy of
the fall .1983 Daily Ne
braskan. They are writ
ten by thi3 semester's edi
tor in chief, Larry Sparks.
Other staff members
will write editorials
throughout the sera- .
ester. They will carry the
authors name alter the
final sentence.
Editorials do not ne
cessarily reflect the views
of the university, its
employees or the NU
Board of Regents. ; '
The DaHy NebraskaiTs .
publishers are the
resents, 'who established "
the UNL Publications
Board to supervise the
daily ' production' of the "
newspaper.
According to policy set : '
by the regents, the con-" '';
tent of the Vzily Nebras
kan lies solely in the
hands of its student'
editors. t
Letter
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f -' ( .. -Vt C
II..- - - " y
Sspt 21 & 22
Nebraska Union
I Centennial Room
10 am-5 pm
Exotic Tropical Foliage
Sponsored By
GREENFINGERS
GREENHOUSE
Invaluable
Assistance
Provided By
Beta Thsta Pi
o n n
jii m' M J
You know, tne excitement is bu!!d:ng at the State
Fdrsrounds Trsck. The horses will scon be nearing the
post, 2nd the buffet in the Clubhouse is fi"ed with
delicious specialties, cool ones are being poured in the
Gutshcuss and the grandstand. Your friends are getting
together for an afternoon at the track.
; what are your plans?
U:e one of the attached coupons for 50c off your general
cdrn':::on ticket on Wednesday, use the other ticket for
draws cn Sunday.two beers for the price of one.
So what are you wafting for? Dont miss all the excitement
Oct away from it all st the State Fairgrounds Track.
with Fall Racing at the State Fairgrounds Track Lincoln.
1
The Dally Nebraskan
welcomes brief letters to ; .
the editor from dl readers
and bttrested others.
Letters will be selected
for pul!ler.tier.3 cn the
t-i3 cf c!ex::;', cil.zZty,
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