• The article discusses the use of etiquette in elite educational institutions, such as Carne and Harvard, and how it has changed over time.
• It compares the traditionalist religious schools to the Fancy-Pants Prep Schools, which primarily serve an elite demographic.
• It notes that many of these institutions have gone all-in on DEI rhetoric, despite their exclusive nature.
• It uses the example of eating an apple to illustrate the arbitrary folkways of the British elite.
• It references philosopher Liam Kofi Bright’s essay on culture wars as white psychodrama and how etiquette work is not enough to achieve real change in material conditions.
• It mentions a recent memo from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work about replacing the term “field” with “practicum” as part of an effort to be more inclusive.
• USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work recently announced they would replace the term “field” with “practicum” in order to be more inclusive and anti-racist.
• This change was met with criticism from right-wing circles and USC administrators.
• The author argues that language is always changing and that it is important to consider who is included and excluded by the language we use.
• They also point out that elite educational institutions often have their own codes of manners and language that are used to maintain an elite class and exclude those who are not up to date.
Published January 18, 2023
Visit Slow Boring to read Matthew Yglesias’s original post Who is included by “inclusive” language?