I know. It's not nice to laugh at people nor is it polite to call them stupid, but what else can you do when you read something like this:
Amherst Regional High School will stop using the term 'freshman' to refer to ninth-grade students because the term is not inclusive enough for some members of the faculty there, according to the Concord Monitor.
Students in ninth grade will now be referred to as .... "ninth-graders" in all official documents and morning announcements.
ARHS Assistant Principal Marta Guevara, who pushed for the change, said the decision to move away from 'freshman' came about after a production of the The Vagina Monologues two years ago.
Guevara said the school wants to make students "aware of the possible misogynistic, oppressive or non-inclusive language."
As absurd as Ms Guevara proudly makes herself sound this is even worse:
A columnist for the Naples Daily News in Florida says the University of Miami should ditch the Hurricanes nickname because it's insensitive to folks in storm-ravaged areas.
"Hurricanes is no longer an appropriate nickname for a sports team....Even the threat of a hurricane can bring hysteria and fear," writes Tom Hanson. "The NCAA can complain about Seminoles, Utes and Illini, but how many people need to die or become homeless before someone calls Miami's moniker out of line?"
"Hurricanes should be taken seriously. They shouldn't be cheered."
Taken seriously is exactly what Mr. Hanson cannot be. We'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt and think that perhaps he was writing a parody of liberalism or political correctness, but a visit to the full editorial doesn't add much weight to that hypothesis. He appears to be writing a parody, to be sure, but it is entirely unintentional.
