Purdue University has an online writing and grammar resource that tells students to avoid using words with ‘man’ in them because such terms are sexist. But based on the reporting at Campus Reform, I don’t think they’ve quite got the hang of it.
Hence, instead of writing “mankind,” the OWL suggests that students write “humanity,” people,” or “human beings.”
So mankind is inappropriate, but humanity and human being are acceptable?
I don’t they’re doing it right.
The guide also takes issue with the word “man-made,” saying that it should be replaced with alternatives like “synthetic,” “manufactured,” or “machine-made.”
Manufactured?
You know this is quite a challenge and Purdue is clearly not up to it.
There are many words in the human language with man in them. We can’t possibly limit ourselves to the handful in a handout from Purdue. We need to manage and manipulate this mandate in a more commanding manner so as not to appear inhumane. Perhaps the humanities mandarins in Manhattan can manipulate a romantic manuscript and maneuver the managers into accepting the manifest as a permanent almanac that addresses this maniacal problem. You know, to avoid any future reprimand? If they don’t mangle it, they can store it on the mantle next to the manacles and mangoes and that odd statue of a manatee.
Man.
