Shared defaults, written down

“Discovered” often erases Indigenous presence and agency. Prefer language that names arrival, contact, or colonization.

Prefer: encountered · arrived in · first documented by [who] among [people already living there]

Treats the Americas as empty or newly real only upon European arrival.

Prefer: the Americas · Turtle Island (when appropriate) · Abya Yala

Reinforces a Eurocentric map of history as the default timeline.

Prefer: Europe, Africa, and Asia · Afro-Eurasia · name the regions

Cold War hierarchy that ranks countries as behind a Western “first.”

Prefer: name the specific countries or regions · countries subjected to colonial extraction (when that relationship is the point) · imperial core / periphery (when using that analytical framework) · low- and middle-income countries (only when income is the measure)

Implies Western nations are the developmental default.

Prefer: name the specific countries · wealthy former colonial powers (when historically accurate) · imperial core (when using that analytical framework) · high-income countries (only when income is the measure)

Implies a single Western path of “development.” Use more precise economic or geographic terms when possible.

Prefer: name the countries and the specific change being discussed · countries shaped by colonial extraction (when relevant) · low- and middle-income countries (only when income is the measure)

Ranks societies against a Western industrial ideal.

Prefer: name the place · describe the specific infrastructure or resource gap · describe the extraction or power relationship when that is the point · low-income (only when income is the measure)

Historically used to rank cultures and justify colonization.

Prefer: complex · organized · describe the specific practice or society

Dehumanizing colonial hierarchy language.

Prefer: describe the specific harm or difference without ranking cultures

Positions non-Western or Indigenous societies as less advanced.

Prefer: early · ancestral · foundational · describe the specific technology or practice

Colonial slur used to justify violence against Indigenous and African peoples.

Prefer: describe the specific behavior without dehumanizing groups

Often applied loosely to Indigenous or African peoples in ways that flatten political complexity. Prefer the community’s own terms when known.

Prefer: nation · people · community

Othering framing that treats people or cultures as curiosities relative to a Western norm.

Prefer: distinctive · unfamiliar to [audience] · name the culture or place

Outdated othering term for Asian people; fine for rugs/design in some contexts, not for humans.

Prefer: Asian · name the specific ethnicity or country

The Inuit Circumpolar Council asks institutions to use Inuit, but communities are distinct and some people or organizations retain regional usage. Check identity rather than replacing mechanically.

Prefer: Inuit (when referring to Inuit) · Yup’ik / Iñupiat / the specific community’s name · ask or follow community self-identification

A powwow is a specific Indigenous gathering; using it for any meeting is appropriation.

Prefer: meeting · huddle · sync · gathering

Trivializes Indigenous spiritual concepts.

Prefer: favorite · kindred vibe · I’m drawn to

Misuses sacred Northwest Coast cultural forms as a workplace ranking joke.

Prefer: lowest priority · least senior · bottom of the hierarchy

Settler-colonial frontier metaphor that casts outsiders as threat.

Prefer: rally together · close ranks · coordinate a response

Racist stereotype about Indigenous people; historically inverted who broke agreements.

Prefer: took back a gift · changed the terms

Guru carries sacred significance in Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions, but also has broader teacher/expert usage in Indic contexts. A precision heads-up, not a universal prohibition.

Prefer: expert · guide · specialist · mentor

Often excludes fluent multilingual people and centers colonial language hierarchies.

Prefer: fluent in English · strong written/spoken English · professional proficiency in…

Often used to exclude fluent speakers and privilege a colonial language default.

Prefer: fluent in English · professional proficiency in… · strong written and spoken English

Settler framing that treats inhabited places as empty and unused before colonization.

Prefer: name who already lived there · uncultivated by settlers · land already stewarded by…

Colonial nickname for Africa that coded the continent as unknown or inferior.

Prefer: Africa · name the country or region

Using colonization as a cute synonym for “expand into” can trivialize historical violence. Keep when discussing actual colonialism.

Prefer: expand into · enter · open in · build presence in

Often used for mixed or unknown groups, centering male as default.

Prefer: everyone · folks · team · y’all · friends

Male-default language for all people.

Prefer: humankind · humanity · people

Male-default framing of labor.

Prefer: workforce · staffing · labor · people power

Male-default unit of labor time.

Prefer: person-hours · work hours · staff hours

Male-default for human-created things.

Prefer: human-made · synthetic · artificial · manufactured

Excludes non-binary people; singular “they” is widely accepted.

Prefer: they · the person · rewrite to avoid pronouns

Binary address that excludes non-binary people.

Prefer: everyone · honored guests · friends · colleagues

Assumes only two genders or a strict opposite-sex binary.

Prefer: all genders · another gender · people of different genders

Prefer gender-neutral role titles when gender is irrelevant.

Prefer: chair · chairperson · chair of the board

Role titles can be gender-neutral without losing meaning.

Prefer: police officer

Role titles can be gender-neutral without losing meaning.

Prefer: firefighter

Role titles can be gender-neutral without losing meaning.

Prefer: mail carrier · postal worker

Role titles can be gender-neutral without losing meaning.

Prefer: salesperson · sales representative

Role titles can be gender-neutral without losing meaning.

Prefer: member of Congress · representative · congressperson

Role titles can be gender-neutral without losing meaning.

Prefer: flight attendant

Role titles can be gender-neutral without losing meaning.

Prefer: server

Role titles can be gender-neutral without losing meaning.

Prefer: businessperson · executive · entrepreneur

Male-default academic year label; many schools use first-year.

Prefer: first-year · first-year student

Not all pregnant people identify as women. Context matters—use the most accurate group term.

Prefer: pregnant people · pregnant patients · people who are pregnant

Common mixed-group address that still centers male as default.

Prefer: you all · y’all · everyone · folks

A smear that equates feminism with Nazism. Almost never neutral in product or brand copy.

Prefer: drop the slur · name the specific disagreement · feminist / advocate for gender equity (when accurate)

Treats femininity as weakness or incompetence. Common in sports, gaming, and “tough” brand voice.

Prefer: drop the comparison · describe the skill or behavior directly

Equates courage and competence with masculinity; punishes anyone who doesn’t perform it.

Prefer: be direct · take ownership · name the concrete action you want

Sexualizes or domesticates a coworker relationship; often lands especially badly for women.

Prefer: close collaborator · work partner · colleague you pair with often

A gendered insult used to police assertive women. Soft-flagged around animal breeding and quoted lyrics.

Prefer: drop the slur · assertive / direct / firm (when that’s the trait) · name the behavior without the gendered dig

Often applied to women and girls for the same behavior praised as leadership in men. Soft-flagged.

Prefer: decisive · direct · takes charge · name the specific leadership behavior

A classic dig at women who speak up; focuses on tone instead of substance. Soft-flagged for literal sound descriptions.

Prefer: forceful · urgent · pointed · describe the argument, not the voice

Historically used to dismiss women’s emotions and authority. Soft-flagged for comedy/medical history uses.

Prefer: upset · alarmed · intense · overwhelmed · name the concrete concern

Marking gender on a role often othering when gender isn’t the point. Soft-flagged — keep when the topic is specifically women in that field.

Prefer: founder / engineer / doctor (drop “female” when irrelevant) · women founders (when the gender focus is intentional)

Calling adult women “girls” in workplace copy can sound diminishing. Soft-flagged.

Prefer: the team · our colleagues · the women on the team · everyone in marketing

Often a gendered dig at women who state needs. Soft-flagged for literal product/ops use.

Prefer: specific about requirements · needs clearer specs · name the actual request or constraint

Often flattens women’s leadership into a trendy brand; many women reject it as patronizing. Soft-flagged.

Prefer: founder · CEO · leader · describe the work without the meme label

A stock way to dismiss women’s judgment. Prefer naming the concrete behavior or disagreement.

Prefer: name the specific concern · strong reaction / upset (if accurate) · drop the gendered stereotype

A gendered way to dismiss someone’s concerns as overblown. Soft-flagged.

Prefer: raising a concern · name the concrete issue · drop the dig

A misogynistic stereotype about women’s motives in relationships or work. Soft-flagged.

Prefer: drop the stereotype · describe the financial conflict plainly

Uses psychiatric disability as intensifier or insult.

Prefer: wild · intense · unbelievable · chaotic · surprising

Historically tied to physical disability; weak as a synonym for “bad.”

Prefer: weak · uninspired · disappointing · flat

Historically linked to speech disability; often used to demean intelligence.

Prefer: unhelpful · ill-considered · confusing · not useful

Often demeans intelligence; can land harder on people with cognitive disabilities. Context matters.

Prefer: unhelpful · ill-considered · poorly designed · confusing

Uses blindness/deafness as metaphors for ignorance.

Prefer: unaware of · ignoring · overlooking · not listening to · went unheard

Uses disability as metaphor for damage or severity.

Prefer: hampered by · severely limited · devastating · severe

Frames a mobility aid as confinement rather than access.

Prefer: wheelchair user · person who uses a wheelchair

Assumes misery; many prefer neutral “has” or “lives with.” Keep when someone is describing their own suffering, or when clinical/palliative writing is naming distress.

Prefer: has · lives with · was diagnosed with

Outdated in many style guides; prefer “disabled people” or specific access language.

Prefer: disabled people · people with disabilities · accessible

Vague and often othering; many prefer naming the disability or support needed.

Prefer: children with disabilities · disabled people

Slur against people with intellectual disabilities.

Prefer: unhelpful · ill-considered · describe the specific problem

Ableist insult rooted in spastic cerebral palsy.

Prefer: clumsy · scattered · overexcited

Uses mental health as a metaphor for correctness.

Prefer: quick check · confidence check · smoke test · sense check

Trivializes a clinical condition when used for “likes things tidy.”

Prefer: particular · detail-oriented · I like things organized

Often used for “moody” or “inconsistent,” which stigmatizes bipolar disorder.

Prefer: inconsistent · volatile · unpredictable

Pairs “white/black” with good/bad. Prefer functional terms.

Prefer: allowlist / denylist · permit list / block list

Evokes slavery; many style guides recommend primary/replica or similar.

Prefer: primary/replica · main/secondary · leader/follower

Often codes light skin as the neutral default.

Prefer: beige · taupe · name the actual shade · skin-tone inclusive palette

Treats non-white cultures as a single exotic other.

Prefer: name the cuisine, culture, or style

Dehumanizing. People aren’t illegal; status descriptions can stay precise without slur.

Prefer: undocumented immigrant · person without legal status · asylum seeker (when accurate)

Often used to demean Black and working-class aesthetics or spaces.

Prefer: under-resourced · describe the specific condition

Term has roots in Jim Crow voter-suppression “grandfather clauses.”

Prefer: legacy-exempt · exempt under prior rules · preexisting exception

Outdated racial label in the US (distinct from South African “Coloured” identity).

Prefer: Black · people of color (when accurate) · name the specific group

Finance/legal metaphor that racializes a firewall concept.

Prefer: ethical wall · information barrier · firewall

Alludes to selling enslaved people further into the Deep South.

Prefer: betrayed · abandoned · undermined

Historically referred to segregated cheap seats; often used to dismiss critics.

Prefer: critics · hecklers · the cheap seats (literal)

Historically used to police Black people for not showing deference.

Prefer: assertive · confident · outspoken

Often racially coded when applied to Black people; describe the specific behavior instead.

Prefer: describe the specific harm or crime

Mocks Chinese Pidgin English stereotypes.

Prefer: I can’t do that · that won’t work · I’m unable to

Mocks Chinese Pidgin English; many still use it casually—context varies.

Prefer: it’s been a while · good to see you again

Often reads as clinical or pathologizing outside formal/legal contexts.

Prefer: gay · lesbian · queer (if reclaimed/self-ID) · LGBTQ+ people

Implies orientation is chosen. Prefer “sexual orientation.”

Prefer: sexual orientation · orientation

Reduces identity to a voluntary lifestyle choice.

Prefer: lives · identity · LGBTQ+ people · trans people

Pronouns aren’t a preference; they are the correct ones to use.

Prefer: pronouns · personal pronouns

Outdated forms. Use “transgender” as an adjective: “a transgender person.”

Prefer: transgender · trans person · transgender people

Often used to invalidate trans people. Prefer “assigned male/female at birth” when medically relevant.

Prefer: assigned male at birth · assigned female at birth · cis man / cis woman (when accurate)

Outdated; gender-affirming care is broader than a single “change.”

Prefer: gender-affirming surgery · transition-related care · gender confirmation surgery

Slur against transgender people.

Prefer: trans person · transgender person

Outdated and often offensive; prefer intersex when accurate.

Prefer: intersex · intersex person

GLAAD and many style guides prefer “trans woman” / “trans man” — “trans” as an adjective, not a fused noun. Soft when the closed form is used neutrally.

Prefer: trans woman · trans man · transgender woman / man

Dehumanizing anti-trans slur; never use it.

Prefer: trans woman · transgender woman

Common in anti-trans rhetoric to deny that someone is a woman or man. Prefer “trans woman,” “trans man,” or “trans person.”

Prefer: trans woman · trans man · trans person · transgender people

Often used as a campaign slogan to exclude trans women rather than a neutral dictionary gloss. Soft-flagged — say what policy you mean.

Prefer: women (when that is accurate and inclusive of your intent) · name the specific policy (sports, shelters, healthcare)

A contested, poorly evidenced framing often used to dismiss trans youth. Prefer clinical language from established medical bodies.

Prefer: gender dysphoria (with clinical sources) · gender-affirming care for youth (if that’s the topic) · cite peer-reviewed guidance, not ROGD blogs

Casts being transgender as a trend or infection. Soft when “social contagion” is used in unrelated epidemiology.

Prefer: peer influence / social factors (if studying them carefully) · gender dysphoria with clinical sources · avoid contagion metaphors for identity

Activist slang that frames transition as something done to people (especially kids) rather than care or self-determination.

Prefer: gender-affirming care · transition / social transition · name the specific medical or school policy

Inflammatory framing of gender-affirming care. Soft when discussing documented FGM or court-ordered chemical castration in other contexts.

Prefer: gender-affirming surgery / care · puberty blockers / hormone therapy (clinical terms) · name the specific procedure or medication

Often a campaign slogan casting trans inclusion as elimination of women. Soft — you can discuss sex discrimination without this frame.

Prefer: name the specific policy conflict · women’s rights and trans rights (both matter) · avoid zero-sum erasure framing

Reduces trans women to men in costume and frames their presence as threat. Prefer precise policy language if you have a safety concern.

Prefer: trans women · name the facility policy you mean · do not use costume framing for trans people

Dismisses transgender identity as confusion rather than a real identity or clinical diagnosis.

Prefer: trans / transgender · gender dysphoria (clinical, when accurate) · use the person’s stated identity

Shames poverty and working-class people.

Prefer: describe material conditions without contempt

Can shame thrift rooted in economic necessity.

Prefer: frugal · budget-conscious · cost-aware

Racialized classist stereotype used to shame public assistance.

Prefer: person receiving benefits · describe the policy issue

Often a coded stand-in for Black or poor urban communities. Be specific when you can.

Prefer: name the neighborhood · under-invested urban area · specific city district

Turns a varied group of people into a condition. Preferences differ, so use people-first or community-preferred language.

Prefer: people experiencing homelessness · homeless people (when community-preferred) · people without stable housing

Work described as unskilled still requires learned abilities and effort. Name the training, wage, or role distinction you mean.

Prefer: entry-level work · lower-wage work (when accurate) · work not requiring formal credentials · name the role

Can flatten workers into a deficit label. Describe the credential or training requirement instead.

Prefer: workers in roles requiring less formal training · entry-level workers · name the occupation

Can define people entirely by hardship and invite pity rather than describe material conditions precisely.

Prefer: people living in poverty · low-income households · communities facing economic hardship

Can stigmatize residents and erase the specific housing, infrastructure, or policy conditions involved.

Prefer: informal settlement (when accurate) · under-resourced neighborhood · name the specific housing conditions

Frames receiving public assistance as a personal failing. Name the program or economic circumstance.

Prefer: receives public assistance · uses [program name] · household receiving benefits

Ranks people beneath an assumed social norm and can carry racialized stereotypes.

Prefer: low-income communities · economically marginalized people · name the specific group or condition

Can flatten older adults into a monolith. Prefer “older adults” when possible. Caregiving and clinical copy often uses this neutrally — soft-flagged.

Prefer: older adults · older people · elders (community-specific)

Dismisses people by generation rather than engaging the idea.

Prefer: I disagree because… · that framing overlooks…

Often used as an ageist insult rather than a precise clinical description.

Prefer: describe the specific cognitive concern · person with dementia (when accurate)

Ages people as inherently tech-fluent or obsolete; skills are learned, not born.

Prefer: experienced with… · proficient in… · familiar with digital tools

Often codes age discrimination in job ads. Ask for the actual stamina or schedule needs.

Prefer: high-energy role · fast-paced environment · describe the schedule or physical demands

Can reduce older adults to age as a defining trait or use age as a dismissive category. Does not flag ordinary phrases like “the old ways.”

Prefer: older adults · older people

Frames aging as decline and people past an arbitrary age as no longer capable or relevant.

Prefer: experienced · later in their career · describe the specific concern

Often substitutes an age stereotype for an actual requirement or individual preference.

Prefer: name the specific requirement · ask about the person’s preference or ability · remove the age assumption

A valid medical specialty term that can become demeaning when used as a synonym for obsolete or incapable.

Prefer: older adult · geriatric medicine (in clinical context) · describe what seems outdated

Frames population aging and older people as an overwhelming natural disaster or social burden.

Prefer: population aging · growth in the older-adult population · demographic change

Can dismiss a broad age group instead of naming a specific behavior, trend, or evidence. Supportive uses like “supporting our young people today” are skipped.

Prefer:

Treats visible aging as a flaw to defeat. Describe the product’s concrete effect without making age the problem.

Prefer: hydrating · supports skin elasticity · reduces the appearance of fine lines · name the specific effect

A conspiracy frame that casts social justice and multiculturalism as a secret plot — often with antisemitic undertones. Prefer naming the specific policy you mean.

Prefer: name the specific policy or critique · describe the concrete disagreement · avoid conspiracy framing

A white-nationalist conspiracy theory about demographic change. Demographic data can be discussed without this frame.

Prefer: demographic change · migration trends · cite specific data without conspiracy framing

A Nazi slogan tying ethnicity to land. Almost never neutral in public copy.

Prefer: remove the slogan · describe land stewardship without racial purity framing

Triple parentheses are used by white supremacists to mark people or institutions as Jewish. If that isn’t your intent, don’t use the markup.

Prefer: remove the triple parentheses · name the person or organization plainly

Combines white-supremacist “14 words” and “88” (HH). Numbers alone can be coincidental — soft-flagged so you can check context.

Prefer: avoid the number combo in usernames and copy if unintended · use a different numeric ID

Can mean trade policy — or a coded antisemitic / nativist smear about “elites.” Soft-flagged: say what you actually mean.

Prefer: multinational corporations · trade policy you oppose · name the institution or practice

Sometimes ordinary geography or history — sometimes a euphemism for ethnonationalism or anti-Muslim / anti-LGBTQ politics. Soft-flagged so you can be specific. Bare “our way of life” in cultural or community copy is not flagged.

Prefer:

Conspiracy framing that treats trans people’s rights and existence as a coordinated plot. Prefer concrete policy disagreements.

Prefer: name the specific policy · trans people’s rights · gender-affirming care policy (if that’s the topic)

Often used as a false, dangerous smear against LGBTQ+ people and educators. Soft-flagged around literal child-protection language; skipped for pet/salon groomers.

Prefer: do not use as a political smear · name the specific harm or crime if one exists · educator / librarian / advocate (when accurate)

A stock anti-inclusion slogan. Soft-flagged — you can critique a business decision without the catchphrase.

Prefer: describe the specific business or creative disagreement · avoid the slogan if you don’t mean the culture-war frame

In some gaming and media circles, a dogwhistle for resentment of diversity casting or inclusive writing. Soft-flagged — ordinary marketing use is common.

Prefer: today’s viewers / players · name the specific creative choice · diverse casting (if that’s what you mean positively)

White-supremacist conspiracy claim that white people are being deliberately erased. Closely tied to Great Replacement rhetoric.

Prefer: demographic change with cited data · specific policy critique without eliminationist framing

Euphemisms for scientific racism — fixed racial hierarchies of intelligence or behavior. Soft-flagged for the bare acronym HBD.

Prefer: reject racial hierarchy framing · discuss inequality via history and policy, not racial essentialism

4chan-origin campaign slogan used to normalize white-identity politics and bait media — not a generic anti-racism message.

Prefer: oppose racism without the campaign slogan · affirm everyone’s dignity without ethnonational branding

In far-right usage, a euphemism for mass removal of immigrants and often citizens of immigrant background. Soft-flagged when voluntary-return policy is clearly meant.

Prefer: voluntary return / assisted departure (if that’s the policy) · asylum or immigration law specifics · avoid euphemisms for mass ethnic removal

Misogynistic insult policing masculinity and mocking progressive men via pseudoscience about soy. Soft-flagged.

Prefer: drop the insult · critique ideas without gendered food memes

Antisemitic conspiracy theory claiming a secret plan to destroy Europe through migration — related to Great Replacement myths.

Prefer: discuss EU migration policy with primary sources · avoid secret-plot framing

Far-right meme framing diversity and LGBTQ+ rights as civilization collapsing into absurdity. Soft-flagged.

Prefer: describe the specific policy failure or news event · avoid the meme branding if you don’t mean that frame

Can feel exclusionary in hiring copy and often imports cultural metaphors casually. (UI “wizard” steps are not flagged.)

Prefer: skilled · experienced · strong contributor

Often codes for hiring people like the existing team and can shut out difference.

Prefer: values alignment · ways of working · collaboration style

Many projects renamed default branches to avoid master/slave echoes. Optional depending on your norms.

Prefer: main branch · default branch

Can reduce someone to a demographic trait and imply they were hired instead of being qualified.

Prefer: name the person’s role and qualifications · hire from an underrepresented group (when relevant) · remove the tokenizing label

Often questions a person’s competence by attributing their job only to an inclusion policy.

Prefer: name the actual hiring concern and evidence · describe the policy without labeling the person · refer to the person by their role

Treats one accent or naming tradition as the local default and others as not belonging.

Prefer: name the language or accent when relevant · ask how to pronounce the person’s name · remove the belonging judgment

Can cast disabled, neurodivergent, LGBTQ+, or otherwise marginalized people as abnormal. Name the comparison you mean.

Prefer: most people (if supported) · people without [specific condition] · typical in this sample · name the comparison group

Can flatten distinct communities and define people only by numerical or power status.

Prefer: minoritized communities · underrepresented groups · name the specific communities

Can encode narrow cultural expectations around hair, dress, gender expression, tattoos, and class.

Prefer: follows role-specific safety requirements · meets the stated dress policy · remove appearance criteria unrelated to the job

Can invalidate chosen names, anglicized names, stage names, or names used by trans people. Ask for the specific name type needed.

Prefer: legal name (only when required) · name you go by · name on your identification · preferred display name