Remember the Wellcome Trust and “womxn”? From two days ago? With so much to laugh at in the list of 100 Narcissistic Non-negotiable Demands yesterday it’s easy to lose track.
It got a lot of [cough] disagreement so it explained its reasons.
We’ve had some questions about why we’re using the word womxn for this event. We’re using it because we feel that it is important to create a space/venue that includes diverse perspectives. It was agreed during our conversations with collaborators as the programme developed.
— Wellcome Collection (@ExploreWellcome) October 9, 2018
I’m kidding, of course. “We’re using it because we feel that it is important to create a space/venue that includes diverse perspectives” explains nothing. For one thing why didn’t they include even more diverse perspectives by changing not just one pitiful letter but all the letters? Why not change “women” to “rbsnx”? But more seriously, what do they even think they’re talking about? Why do they think changing the spelling of the word that names half the population (while not doing that to the word that names the other, dominant half of the population) does anything to include diverse perspectives? What makes them think the word “women” excludes diverse perspectives? Are they even adults?
Replies were scorching.
https://twitter.com/ThrupennyBit/status/1049777579312513024
https://twitter.com/tkingdot/status/1049775842006577153
https://twitter.com/ckingwriter/status/1049938302470623232
https://twitter.com/KathaPollitt/status/1049993116999213056
So an hour ago they fixxxed it.
We invite challenges to our thinking and we listen to our audience, which is why we’ve taken the decision to remove the word womxn from our website and communications about the Daylighting event. We’re sorry that we made the wrong call. pic.twitter.com/0ukSBfQabA
— Wellcome Collection (@ExploreWellcome) October 10, 2018
I still want to know why “with the intention of being inclusive” is their explanation. I still want to know exactly why the word “women” is seen as exclusionary. I still want to know why this weird covert handwaving campaign to shove women aside is so popular with people who see themselves as woke.
Comments
10 responses to “They had some questions”
I’m still trying to figure out how to pronounce it.
Wuh-mix-en?
Wuh-minks?
Surely it can’t be just pronounced the same as “women,” otherwise how will people know how woke I am? Is there a secret signal I can make while saying it? (Does it have an American Sign Language version? My feminism will include hearing impaired womxn or it is bullshit!)
Sorry, I see that Acolyte of Sagan made the same point in an earlier thread.
Yes, but the ASL sign can easily be mistaken for someone playing Twister.
No problem, Screechy Monkey, some things bear repeating as often as possible.
I pinched the idea from a character in a P.G. Wodehouse story. His name began with a double-eff (I think, but it’s been a while) and he knew whether people pronounced it with a double- or single-f.
Maybe it’s like Haman at Purim, where everybody uses their noisemakers to drown out the name. Then it doesn’t matter how you pronounce it.
I think that ‘woMAN and woMEN would do, but you have to whisper the first syllable and really HOLLER the emphasis on the second.
Just to clarify my #6, I did mean to specify that use of ‘woMAN/MEN‘ would do for transwomen, not the genuine articles. Something about a whispered ‘wo’ and yelled MAN tickles me which I’m sure makes me a bad person.
Nobody thought, ‘gee an ‘x’ in the middle of the word would be oh so inclusive.’ Having been caught in a stupid, woman-erasing, gesture, words like ‘inclusion,’ and (of course) ‘diversity,’ are tossed out as a kind of radar chaff. Having kowtowed to the ‘many fine people’ of the trans fringe, just cast a screen of pixie dust and head for the exit.
Shouldn’t that be ‘pxxxx dxst’?
Pxxxe Dxst would be an awesome porn star name.