1 of 32

Writing About Uncomfortable Topics

like Sex, Race, Class, Disability, One’s Self

2 of 32

Agenda

LKG Introduction (lkatoegessesse@antioch.edu)
How this workshop came to be
Define Taboo & analyze common reasons we avoid discussing & writing about taboo topics
Discuss own experiences/histories with trying to write about these topics
Review some tips for difficult tackling assignments
We’ll share the slides (& resource links) with everyone afterwards

3 of 32

How this Workshop Came to Be

When they receive their course syllabi, psychology students consistently come to the Teaching and Learning Center screaming “HELP!”

Some popular assignments that cause this reaction:

Cultural Autobiography
Sexual Autobiography
Childhood/Generational Trauma
Parental Influence
Analysis of the “isms”

4 of 32

How this Workshop Came to Be

2020
In general, 2020 was the year where we couldn’t look away (unless we were trying REALLY hard to); all of these issues rightfully seeped into our classes whether or not they were a thematic/subject match. Students became nervous and uncomfortable about how to juggle some of these complexities in their writing.
While some of 2020 was good, LOTS of 2020 made us nervous.

5 of 32

6 of 32

So many topics frequently discussed

were considered taboo.

What does it mean for something to be taboo?

7 of 32

Merriam Webster defines taboo as

Def:

banned on grounds of morality or taste

a prohibition imposed by social custom or as a protective measure

something that is not acceptable to say, mention, or do

a prohibition against touching, saying, or doing something for fear of immediate harm from a supernatural force

8 of 32

Common topics that are considered Taboo

Religion
Politics
Work (income, positions/titles, promotions or demotions)
Money (wealth or poverty;income)
Health (disability, mental illness, physical illness)
Sex, Relationships (success or problems)
Gender
Age (after a certain point)
Parenting

9 of 32

But why? Why are these topics considered taboo?

Someone flat out told us we couldn’t talk about these things
Rules based on familial history and value systems, codes of respect, politeness, acceptable behavior, etc.
The church or religious doctrine told us it was immoral or inappropriate to publicly discuss these things
Fear judgements will be made about us/our identity/our experiences and histories
Fear of getting the topic and its complexities wrong (also fear of judgement)

10 of 32

Tips for Writing About Taboo Topics

11 of 32

Tips

For all assignments like this:

Breathe & Trust the Process (assignments have purpose)

College experience is one of inquiry; you’re supposed to be uncomfortable at points throughout this experience; your thinking and your thinking systems are supposed to be challenged; expect this consistently throughout your experience otherwise “What’s the point?”

12 of 32

Tips

Take responsibility for your work inside and outside of the classroom; the world is changing, languaging is constantly evolving; stay abreast of these movements and shifts; accept that things will change by the time you catch up; accept that people who are members of certain groups might disagree on the language to use--IT’S ALL PART OF THE PROCESS; do your best (but also know which words/phrases are ABSOLUTELY unacceptable)

Assume a wide audience; think about the effect of your language and the terms you use. Do they imply judgement? Are they even slightly likely to offend? If so, CHANGE THEM.

13 of 32

Tips

Focus on people rather than on a categorization/aspect of their identity/“human-oriented language”

“people with mental illness” vs. “the mentally ill”
“enslaved people” vs. “slaves”
Avoid making generalizations about groups of people: Don’t use “the + ___s” for a group

Be as specific as possible and refer to specific groups, i.e, Koreans instead of Asians, Nigerians instead of Africans; Show respect and capitalize racial and ethnic groups; Know the way these groups generally prefer to be recognized: So Indigenous people vs. Indian, Black/African American vs. Negro, Inuit vs. Eskimo

Avoid widely frowned upon terms and phrases like colored people, handicapped, low-class, “I have Black friends”, “I’m colorblind”, etc. Integrate these changes in your everyday life

14 of 32

Tips

Avoid negatively-charged language/phrases:

Try to say “uses a wheelchair” rather than “confined to a wheelchair”
“Diagnosed with bipolar disorder” vs. “suffers from bipolar disorder”
“Person with a physical disability” vs. “physically challenged”

Avoid questionable modifiers and adjectives and stereotypes:

“...admitted intelligent Black students” vs. “...admitted Black students”
“...the kind Canadians” | “...the hard-working Mexicans”
“Immigrants are so hard-working…all they want to do is be American”

Be HONEST with yourself, to your growth, to the assignment requirements/Expect to be uncomfortable (i.e., “colored people in my tutoring session vs. gypped )

15 of 32

Let’s Talk

What has been your experience with writing about these taboo topics?
What topics are particularly hard for you to face on the page?
How did you step up to the challenge? What resources did you use?
How did you feel once the assignment was complete?
What guidance/feedback did you receive from your professor?
What do you do if you share your writing with someone close to you and their reaction is to shame you?
What do you do if you feel like the place of your birth/your family of origin lacks culture/exposure?

�

16 of 32

Remember

Breathe

Trust the process

Build a support system! Seek out the help from professors, tutors, people who know you are stretching and growing in this area

Do your research

BE KIND TO YOURSELF

�

17 of 32

A Few Resources

The following are resources to help you make informed decisions about language choices in your writing. Please note, you may or may not agree with all of the suggestions presented here. And remember, these sources may make a different arguments on about what language is appropriate to use.

18 of 32

A Few Resources Specific to AntiRacism & Allyship

· https://libguides.antioch.edu/racism

· https://www.dirtdmv.com/writing/white-fragility-mixtape

· https://www.bu.edu/antiracism-center/

· https://www.aljazeera.com/program/episode/2020/7/2/the-difference-between-not-racist-and-anti-racist

· https://www.raceforward.org/practice/tools/10-ways-start-conversation-about-race

19 of 32

Additional Resources from the

Santa Barbara Writing Center presentation on

“Reducing Bias in Writing:

Recognizing Language that Can Harm”

20 of 32

APA Bias-Free Language Guides

APA Website

21 of 32

Racial & Ethnic Identity

Be appropriately specific

e.g., South Asian, Southeast Asian, or East Asian

Black and African American are both acceptable terms (some people prefer one over the other)
They also differ in meaning

Hispanic vs. Latino/Latinx/Latine differ in meaning

Terms change over time

22 of 32

Racial & Ethnic Identity

In APA 7: Capitalize racial and ethnic terms

Black
White
Native American
Indigenous Peoples
etc.

Don’t hyphenate terms:

African American students
Asian Canadian participants

23 of 32

Be Cautious About Terms

“Minority”: only use when accurate

E.g., “Muslim minorities living in India.”

“Underprivileged” has better alternatives:

You might mean “socioeconomically disadvantaged”, “economically marginalized”, or “economically exploited”, depending on the context.

Don’t use “minority” or “underprivileged” as blanket terms if you really mean:

“people of color”
“underrepresented groups”

24 of 32

Sexual Orientation

Avoid inaccurate or pejorative terms:

homosexual, homosexuality, the gays, LGBT

Examples of sexual orientation terms: lesbian, gay, queer, heterosexual, straight, asexual, bisexual, pansexual, etc.

Acceptable umbrella terms:

“sexual and gender minorities” or LGBTQ, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, and LGBTQIA+

25 of 32

Gender

Gender is a social identity; a person's psychological sense of their gender
Distinct from sexual orientation (bisexual, straight, etc.)

Gender terminology:

nonbinary, female, male, agender, gender-fluid, etc.
TGNC (transgender and gender-nonconforming) people
cisgender: individuals whose sex assigned at birth aligns with their gender identity

26 of 32

Gender

Avoid:

mankind,�mailman, chairman

males/females (as nouns), transsexuals

birth sex

opposite sex/gender

Preferred:

people, human beings,�postal worker, chairperson

cisgender men/women/people, trans men/women/people, transgender men/women/people

sex assigned at birth,�assigned sex

another sex/gender

27 of 32

Gender

Example Usage in psychology:

“Approximately 60% of participants identified as cisgender women, 35% as cisgender men, 3% as transgender women, 1% as transgender men, and 1% as nonbinary.”

28 of 32

Singular They

A writer needs to create a compelling scene, so they can capture their readers’ attention.

As a gender-neutral option, it flows nicely

Instead of: “he/she”, “he or she”, “s/he”

It’s accepted by many style guides and associations: APA, MLA, Chicago Style, the National Council of English teachers, etc.

29 of 32

Singular They

Singular “they” is common in English sentences like:

A participant didn’t have to share their medical history with us in order for them to be included in the study.

Some individuals use singular “they” pronouns:

This is my friend Jay. I met them at work. They are a talented artist.

30 of 32

Gender and Pronouns

Avoid:

“he/she”, “he or she”, “s/he”

“preferred pronouns”

Instead:

singular “they”

“self-identified pronouns”, “identified pronouns”, “pronouns”

Use the self-identified pronouns of individuals

E.g., “they,” “ze,” “xe,” “she,” “he,” “hir,” etc.

If you don’t know their pronouns, use their last name

31 of 32

32 of 32

Gender and Sexual Orientation Tip

Be appropriately specific:

Don’t use “LGBTQ” to write about legislation that primarily affects transgender people

Avoid specifying gender when not relevant (e.g., “female doctor”)