See also: "crippling costs," "crippling anxiety," and the like #AmEditing#IntentionalLanguage

Hearing a different take on 👇: "racist/terrible/bad people age badly." It feels like punching down, because people saying this aren't hurting those regressive/horrible (usually powerful) people they describe, but do hurt people who or whose loved ones show all signs of age, etc. #IntentionalLanguage

anti-Semitism ---> antisemitism (Merriam-Webster's gets this one incorrect!) Asian-American ---> Asian American good idea to check what does and doesn't need a hyphen in conscious language guides if you care about #IntentionalLanguage#AmEditing

In general greetings, instead of gendering people ("ladies and gentlemen"), try "Thanks for calling" or "Thank you all for being here." Other alternatives to "ladies and gentlemen" are "folks," "beloveds," "people," "everyone," or a specific group you may be addressing. #IntentionalLanguage

"Vance is an abortion hawk. And with his chin, no wonder he grew a beard." "Trump is racist. And so fat and lazy." "Giuliani is a stooge. No wonder he's aging badly." Some libs think these are fun. But with looks-based insults you're only hurting others who share your views. #IntentionalLanguage

"Sam is on the warpath" ---> "Sam is ready to fight" Terms like "on the warpath," "low on the totem pole," and others contribute to negative and incorrect ideas about Indigenous peoples of the Americas and obscure the real history and present. #AmEditing#IntentionalLanguage

"The amount of disinformation can be paralyzing" ---> "The amount of disinformation often freezes us into inaction." Using disabilities as a synonym for negative states and things continues the stigmatization of disabilities. #AmEditing#IntentionalLanguage

CW: fat-shaming More than usual, there's cis women saying stuff like "oh I'm hungrier lately, but I don't want to get fat" or "I want to eat that Popsicle, but then I have to work it off." Eat what you want if you're hungry! And realize your words could be hurting others. #IntentionalLanguage

"You're an idiot" ---> You're a blunderbuss/dunderhead/fool/ jerk/dipshit ... or, name the behavior/problem, like, that's racist/ableist/sexist/unhelpful #AmEditing#IntentionalLanguage

"We are a nation of immigrants" ---> "Our nation was founded by immigrants" (or something else that conveys your message) The first sentence erases the Indigenous peoples of the US and the descendants of enslaved people. #editing#IntentionalLanguage