Look Who it Was Random video

So, About That Banned Words Poll...

4,567 views · Published 13 November 2014 · 10:08 · Indexed 9 October 2026

Channel: Sensei Aishitemasu · 2014 · People & Blogs

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Hey Guys!

This is a short vid about the ridiculous TIME Magazine poll that came out yesterday, titled, 'Which Word Should Be Banned in 2015?' While it included only two tech/business terms ('influencer' and 'disrupt'), many people have pointed out the racist, sexist nature of the vast majority of the list, which mainly targeted African-American Vernacular English slang words like 'bae' and 'turnt' along with words mostly popularized and utilized by young females, like 'I can't even,' 'sorry not sorry,' and 'obvi.' TIME has also been criticized for including the word 'feminist' on the list.

The author tried to give an explanation on her Twitter account, where she claimed the word 'feminist' was included based off of trends in the media, and not due to any hatred of the women's rights movement. Yet I can't help but wonder, why is the popularity of the word 'feminist' a bad thing? People want to talk about feminism, yay! As long as there is inequality between the sexes (which there is) we should continue to talk about it and work towards changing things. Not to mention that if trendiness is all that's necessary to get on the list, why wasn't a word like, 'Ebola,' which surely has had more mentions this year than 'feminism,' included?

I also want to add that TIME's previous hit lists have generally included many words appropriated from Black people into mainstream culture (like 'YOLO,' 'twerk,' and 'swag') and this is a clear indicator of the vicious and parasitic nature of appropriation, wherein white people Columbus something from Black culture, run it into the ground, then claim it's 'dead' and 'vote it off the island.' The lists also typically include phrases reaped from youth culture (and especially youth internet culture), like 'OMG' and other internet-cetric abbreviations.

The fact that prominent words in Black, youth, or female culture are seen as 'annoying' or 'overly trendy' and in need of being banned year after year (this is TIME's fourth year creating the list) is extremely problematic and indicative of the rampant racism, sexism, and ageism/classism/elitism in our society. Just because Black people, young people, and women use a word doesn't mean it's stupid or ridiculous. 

TIME Magazine can literally suck it, obvi. Sorry not sorry.

Thanks for watching.

Links:

'Which Word Should Be Banned in 2015?'
http://time.com/3576870/worst-words-poll-2014/

'Feminist, Bae, Turnt: Time’s ‘Worst Words’ List Is Sexist and Racist:'
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/13/feminist-bae-turnt-time-s-worst-words-list-is-sexist-and-racist.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+thedailybeast/articles+(The+Daily+Beast+-+Latest+Articles)

'Time Magazine Asks “Is Feminist the Worst Word of 2014?” in New Poll. We Have an Answer For Them:'
http://www.themarysue.com/time-magazine-feminist/

'Time Magazine Suggests 'Feminist' Should Be A Banned Word In 2015 - The World Is Not Happy About It:'
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/11/13/times-magaizine-feminist-ban-reaction_n_6150358.html

'4Chan Is Why 'Feminist' Is Winning the TIME Poll of Words to Ban'
http://jezebel.com/4chan-is-why-feminist-is-winning-the-time-poll-of-words-1657927072

Katy Steinmetz:
https://twitter.com/katysteinmetz/with_replies

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