# Brandeis University considers 'picnic' to be oppressive language **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 25, 2021, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016 "2021-06-25T19:26:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/1 "2021-06-25T19:26:13Z")
> **[University warns against using 'oppressive' language such as ‘picnic,'...](https://www.yahoo.com/news/university-warns-against-using-oppressive-171700004.html)** > > A Massachusetts university compiled a growing list of words and phrases it considers “oppressive” and discouraged people from using them. > The word “picnic” also made the list because it is “often associated with lynchings of Black people in the United States, during which White spectators were said to have watched while eating, referring to them as picnics or other terms involving racial slurs against Black people.” At the risk of displaying my White Privilege, I think this is ludicrous. While many people at lynchings – and legal hangings – did eat a picnic lunch, and did consider such things ‘entertainment’, I never, ever associated picnics with lynchings. I don’t know anyone who linked the two. It seems to me that Brandeis University is going out of their way to ‘find’ words that might be offensive to people. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/2 "2021-06-25T19:29:59Z")
Snopes debunks the false etymology of picnic here (an article from 20 years ago, suggesting that this is not a new misconception) > **[Did the Word 'Picnic' Originate with Lynchings?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/picnic-origin/)** > > Specious etymologies seem to be all the rage of late, and a dubious claim about the origin of the word 'picnic' fits that trend. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/3 "2021-06-25T19:38:02Z")
‘Trigger warning’ is now considered offensive language. 🤣 [![](https://www.grunge.com/img/gallery/what-happens-when-a-snake-tries-to-eat-itself/intro-1569786946.jpg) ](https://www.grunge.com/img/gallery/what-happens-when-a-snake-tries-to-eat-itself/intro-1569786946.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/4 "2021-06-25T19:44:35Z")
That sort of logical response didn’t help with “niggardly.” ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/5 "2021-06-25T19:45:05Z")
There’s a huge difference between being **involved** in something and _tangentially related_ to something. We strongly disapprove of people hanging nooses on a black person’s door, for instance, because the noose is a tool of lynching. But the picnics weren’t related to lynching - you might as well say “black men were transported on horseback to the lynchings - so let’s ban horseback riding.” And as the OP points out, if it weren’t for Brandeis trying to _ **make** _ this word offensive, how many people in America would have ever even have thought of “picnic” as offensive? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/6 "2021-06-25T19:53:02Z")
Okay… I simply had to look deeper into this lunacy. This is the [Brandeis University PARC](https://www.brandeis.edu/parc/support/index.html) website. They are the school’s Prevention, Advocacy Resource Center whose function is as quoted: > ## Support & Information > > Whether you have experienced violence, you aren’t sure how to feel about an experience you had, or you are worried about a friend — PARC is here to help you. > > Below you will find a few different topics with more information about your options or next steps to help you get started. Please remember, someone from PARC is always available to help you process this information or answer questions that aren’t addressed here. Silly as the “guidance” summarized in the article may seem, I don’t think that what they are advocating is official Brandeis University policy for all students and staff. I very much doubt that 95% of students attending this school will have ever heard of this office, let alone take time to become familiar with its advocacy. These folks may offer some much needed support services to those who have the misfortune to seek it out, but they are hardly the campus language police. Overwhelmingly, I believe they will go unnoticed by most faculty, staff and student body. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/7 "2021-06-25T19:54:40Z")
As a side note, I know this board takes a dim view of complaints about “political correctness.” But consider that, for many voters, this sort of speech-police nonsense is _ **exactly** _ what people have in mind when they think of the term “PC.” Every time something ludicrous like this happens, a candidate like Trump picks up some votes. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/8 "2021-06-25T19:54:42Z")
I tried to find an objective news source to read about this, because without knowing more it seems absurd. However, the only coverage I can find is right-wing and/or goofy - New York Post, Daily Mail, etc. I smell an overblown rat here. It reminds me of when Fox News said that Gretchen Whitmer was encouraging death against Trump because they confused “86” with “deep six.” ETA: @QuickSilver posted while I was refreshing my memory on the 86 v deep-six tempest in a teapot. What they say tends to support my theory, I think. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/9 "2021-06-25T19:56:40Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Overwhelmingly, I believe they will go unnoticed by most faculty, staff and student body. I’d be inclined to think the same, except that previous seemingly absurd suggestions - such as removing the word ‘master’ from computing applications - have since become mainstream. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/10 "2021-06-25T19:57:11Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I tried to find an objective news source to read about this I missed that the article was from a Conservative paper. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/11 "2021-06-25T19:57:34Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I tried to find an objective news source to read about this, because without knowing more it seems absurd. However, the only coverage I can find is right-wing and/or goofy - New York Post, Daily Mail, etc. It’s actually part of the Brandeis University PARC website [Oppressive Language List](https://www.brandeis.edu/parc/accountability/oppressivelanguagelist.html). Also note: > This list is meant to be a tool to share information and suggestions about potentially oppressive language. Use of the suggested alternatives is not a university expectation or requirement. The language you choose to use or not use is entirely up to you. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/12 "2021-06-25T19:58:51Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > It’s actually part of the Brandeis University PARC website [Oppressive Language List](https://www.brandeis.edu/parc/accountability/oppressivelanguagelist.html). Oh, I don’t doubt but what there is a kernel of truth to it. Just overblown. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/13 "2021-06-25T20:04:38Z")
> [@DemonTree](#): > > I’d be inclined to think the same, except that previous seemingly absurd suggestions - such as removing the word ‘master’ from computing applications - have since become mainstream. Way to miss the point. The word “master”, in computing applications, is never used alone. It’s used when there are two devices, which each have a term to distinguish them, and the other term is “slave”. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/14 "2021-06-25T20:05:46Z")
I have the same feeling of an inverse Poe. The PARC website linked above does appear to be legit, but the contents look like a Conservative straw-man of PC run amok. So either there is some “more woke than thou” competition among the liberals of that organization who have gone overboard to forbid anything that could ever possibly be interpreted to be offensive to anyone, or they have been infiltrated by right wingers with the goal of making diversity look bad. ETA: Possibility number three is that whoever made this list needed to justify their existance and so just threw out anything they could think of to pad the list so that it looked like they did a lot of work. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/15 "2021-06-25T20:07:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Way to miss the point. The word “master”, in computing applications, is never used alone. It’s used when there are two devices, which each have a term to distinguish them, and the other term is “slave”. It wasn’t me that missed the point. There was never any such thing as a ‘slave password’. > **Primary Password is replacing Master Password.** Firefox is removing terminology from the browser that has been identified as derogatory or exclusionary. [Learn more](https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/primary-password-replacing-master-password) about why we’re making this change. > **[Use a Primary Password to protect stored logins and passwords | Firefox Help](https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/use-primary-password-protect-stored-logins)** > > Setting a primary (formerly "master") password in Firefox is helpful if your share your computer with others. We'll explain how it works. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/16 "2021-06-25T20:11:42Z")
Also in Real Estate, stupidly applied to Master Bedroom and Master Bath which never had anything to do with Slavery or the word Slave. The Master/Slave terminology for Hard drives I’ll concede might be past due for change. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/17 "2021-06-25T20:11:44Z")
> [@DemonTree](#): > > I’d be inclined to think the same, except that previous seemingly absurd suggestions - such as removing the word ‘master’ from computing applications - have since become mainstream. I’m dating myself but I was taught Master/Slave processing in my B.Comp.Sci. days. At some point in my career the terminology switched to Parent/Child and it seemed reasonable. It was many years ago now and I don’t remember any specific controversy or confusion among fellow IT professionals. In fact, and this is just a personal observation, the change came with some small sense of relief from the previous terminology that always seemed a bit loaded. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/18 "2021-06-25T20:18:48Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Also in Real Estate, stupidly applied to Master Bedroom and Master Bath which never had anything to do with Slavery or the word Slave. This stuff is impossible to parody. I think for each little change the arguments in favour seem more compelling than those against, but that allows these ‘woker than thou’ people to push through changes that 99% of people consider unnecessary if not unreasonable. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/19 "2021-06-25T20:19:43Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > So either there is some “more woke than thou” competition among the liberals of that organization who have gone overboard to forbid anything that could ever possibly be interpreted to be offensive to anyone, or they have been infiltrated by right wingers with the goal of making diversity look bad. You mean these are conservatives dressed up as liberals to infiltrate the Progressive University? C’mon now. Be better than that. Nothing is being forbidden, per the text quoted above from their very own website. This is just us libs shooting ourselves in our own foot again and we should have a Come to Jesus conversation with our fellow progressives about this kind of recurring nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016/20 "2021-06-25T20:39:10Z")
The entirety of American culture seems possessed by the demons of stupidity. I have been meaning to start a Pit thread along the lines of **Now the Leftists are nuts too,** but of course that would lead to endless screaming. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brandeis-university-considers-picnic-to-be-oppressive-language/945016.md?page=2)