Why ‘Racistly’ Is an Adverb to Add to Your Vocabulary Now
We can’t get it right if we call it wrong
SNOOZE FLASH — the Associated Press (AP) has updated its 2019 Stylebook with guidance for the media to follow about race and racism, but it’s not a news flash that the AP didn’t go far enough.
Their point was to instruct journalists to uncover and specify what’s racist and racism without using euphemisms in their news reports. Good luck!
After decades of dastardliness and damage, the AP has finally decided, way too late, in 2019, to listen to Black People and People of Color who have long led the charge against terms like “racially charged.”
The ridiculousness of insulting words like “racially tinged” has gone on for too long. Has racism ever merely tinged anything?
The AP now says people should use the words racist and racism when those words apply. I don’t disagree. But a preview of the AP’s updated style still leaves several terms untouched that people should also turn down now.
Dr. Ibram Kendi, an antiracism expert, responded with a tweet to suggest the term ‘racial bias’ and similar euphemisms be next for the list.
