Members of the European Commission will have to learn to watch their tongues. EU Equal Opportunities Commissioner Helena Dalli issued an internal guide on inclusive communication at the end of October. This bans numerous expressions considered stigmatising for gender, sexual identity, ethnic origin or culture, as the Italian daily Il Giornale reported on Sunday November 28. The recommendations aim to “reflect diversity” and combat “stereotypes deeply rooted in individual and collective behaviour”.
In general, the report suggests that no one should be identified on the basis of their particularity or in a way that is not offensive. For example, the use of the masculine form “by default” should be prohibited and the salutation “Dear Sir or Madam” should be replaced by “Dear Colleague”. Gender-specific terms such as “workmen” should also not be used. As the document is written in English, some recommendations are not applicable to other languages. The text also provides that one should never ” imply ” a person’s sexual orientation or even their gender identity.Similarly, it considers that a reference to elements of Christian culture “assumes that all people are Christians”. It therefore recommends deleting the reference to Christmas and speaking instead of “holidays”.Christian names such as “Mary” or “John” should be banned, according to the Commission.
Even the expression “colonising of Mars” is considered negative, as it would be reminiscent of colonialism, and should be preferred to “sending people to Mars”. The report also advocates a form of positive discrimination. It suggests not convening working groups where only one gender is represented and thinking about inviting people from different ethnicities to events and photo shoots. Helena Dalli has already been criticised for the polemical campaign “Freedom with the Hijab” and the participation of Islamist associations in the campaign.
Utter rubbish!