USC is removing the word “field” from the curriculum
twitter.com
twitter.com
But it doesn’t matter what I think because I’m not descended from a race of people who were enslaved and worked in the fields.
Those academics who might have a closer relationship with that identity are reasonably allowed to take umbrage. Even if I never meet someone who feels this way it’s fine with me.
The best part of it is the solution is simple and painless.
We had a similar situation when people started phasing out the phrase “master/slave” in computing.
There’s no reason why either one should make someone upset or combative. It’s offensive to someone who deserves to be offended if they wish.
That’s enough.
Guilt over one's identity doesn't help the actually disadvantaged or vague, supposedly offended.
Except it's not painless, it's a meaningless distraction, and doesn't accomplish anything other than reinforcing arbitrary language changes based on fads and extremist purity tests that have nothing to do with righting the wrongs of actual discrimination.
> It’s a bit of a stretch to think “field work” would be used as a double entendre to evoke the meaning of a slave working in a field.
Sounds tricky.
I would put it to you that this says more about them than anyone else, what the word means or implies to anyone is in the mind of the beholder.
How about 'train'? I heard that they used them in the holocaust.