In The Language Police, Diane Ravitch lifted the veil on the way "bias committees" at major publishing houses sanitize and censor the information presented in student tests and textbooks. One of the more interesting revelations was found in a glossary Ravitch created of words and terms that are routinely deleted from texts and tests in the name of cultural sensitivity, including such items as "landlord, cowboy, brotherhood, yacht, cult, and primitive." Ravitch also invited readers to pass along their own examples of "language policing," which they have now done in spades, revealing still more disturbing examples of what can happen when publishers kowtow to pressure groups. One textbook writer sent in the guidelines used by Harcourt/Steck/Vaughn to remove photographs that might be considered offensive, such as "pictures of women with big hair or sleeveless blouses and men with dreadlocks or medallions." Even worse are the state guidelines for language sensitivity in New York, which maintain that while "we may not always understand why a certain word hurts, we don't have to. It's enough that someone says 'That language doesn't respect me.'" This approach, Ravitch argues, is grounded in a belief that says, "If any word or phrase is likely to give anyone offense, no matter how far-fetched, it should be deleted." Such a broad definition of bias has, of course, led to the sanitization and bowdlerization of history and literature. Even the benign word "penmanship," where the "three offensive letters m-a-n . . . are in the middle of the word," is off limits. If you want to learn just how bad history textbooks have gotten, stay tuned. In a few weeks, Fordham will release its own review of widely used U.S. and world history textbooks led by none other than Dr. Ravitch.
"You can't say that," by Diane Ravitch, Wall Street Journal, February 13, 2004 (subscription required)
"Teachers, not Texas have the best eye for textbooks," by Diane Ravitch, Austin-American Statesman February 18, 2004 (registration required)