Brandeis University Tells Students Not To Say Words Such As ‘Picnic,’ ‘Trigger Warning,’ And ‘Crazy’ Calling Them ‘Oppressive’

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  • Brandeis University has warned its students and faculty not to say certain words, and the list is something else.
  • ‘Picnic’ and ‘mental illness’ are just two of the phrases the university doesn’t want students to use anymore.
  • Check out more from BroBible here.

Brandeis University is urging its students and faculty to stop using certain words and phrases and the list is absolutely crazy. The list is so crazy, in fact, that the word ‘crazy’ is one of the words the university is trying to delete from its language.

The private university in Waltham, Mass. posted the list of words and phrases on its official website via its Prevention, Advocacy and Resource Center (PARC). A campus counseling service has deemed these certain words and phrases links to violence and power to “reinforce systems of oppression.”

“As a community, we can strive to remove language that may hurt those who have experienced violence from our everyday use,” the PARC says.

Some of the most absurd words and phrases on the list include killing it, trigger warning, and rule of thumb, all of which fit under the ‘violent language’ tab.

Related: Penn State Cancels Class Labels Including ‘Freshmen, Junior, Upperclassmen’ Because They’re ‘Male-Specific’

When it comes to ‘identity-based language,’ crazy, insane, wild, lame, long time no see, and no can do all made the list. According to their list, phrases like long time no see and no can do “originate from stereotypes making fun of non-native English speakers, particularly applied to indigenous people and Asians.”

The Oppressive Language List claims the word picnic “has been associated with lynchings of black people in the United States.” In July of 2020, however, Reuters fact check found the claim that the word ‘picnic’ originates from the racist, extrajudicial killings of African Americans to be false.

Brandeis offers possible alternatives for each word and phrase as well. Instead of saying ‘trigger warning’ students and faculty should say either ‘content note’ or ‘drop-in.’ Instead of saying crazy, insane, or wild, people should say ‘uncool’ or ‘disappointing.’

According to the Google machine, undergrad tuition and fees to attend Brandeis University are over $57,000.

Mark Harris avatar
Mark is an associate editor and the resident golf guy here at BroBible. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris. You can reach him at Mark@BroBible.com.