TIME Magazine: Maybe we should ban words like ‘feminism’

On Nov. 13, TIME Magazine released its fourth annual “word banishment poll.” At the time of its initial publication, the article’s preface instructed, “If you hear that word one more time, you will definitely cringe. You may exhale pointedly … What word is this? You tell us … we’re asking readers to vote another word off the island.”

Voters nominated words and phrases such as “bae,” “basic,” “I can’t even,” “literally,” “like” and “kale.” Voters also nominated the more politically charged word “feminist.” 

National controversy and public backlash ensued, and, only a few days after its publication, the article’s preface was updated: “TIME apologizes for the execution of this poll; the word ‘feminist’ should not have been included in a list of words to ban. While we meant to invite debate about some ways the word was used this year, that nuance was lost, and we regret that its inclusion has become a distraction from the important debate over equality and justice.”

My initial response to the controversy: I literally can’t even handle another debate about gender equality. Like, it’s the 21st century! 

Then I realized that this whole word-banishing thing doesn’t mean anything at all. So go ahead. “Banish” the word. The movement will still exist. 

Despite its lack of real-world significance, I found myself agreeing with the poll — maybe the word “feminist” should be banned. 

While “banishing” a word is completely unenforceable and vague, it  holds a symbolic power. By banishing a word, we are vowing to banish the idea behind that word. 

Every year at my high school, the graduating class organized a “Shred the Word” ceremony. Every student of the graduating class wrote a derogatory, defamatory, or otherwise harmful word, including “retard,” “n*gger” or “b*tch,” on a piece of paper. Students took turns explaining to the school why this word should no longer be used. Then students ripped up the paper and threw it in a trash bin at the center of the school’s gymnasium. 

The principal ended the annual ceremony with a speech about the power of words. Words can be used to put someone down, to label someone, to cast them as other. Words isolate people or groups. Words and labels divide our society. Black, white, yellow, brown. Working class, middle class, upper class, the 1 percent. Science people and humanities people. Pro-gender equality and anti-gender equality. 

Whether you call yourself a feminist or vehemently deny all associations with feminists, you place yourself into one of two divided groups. You are a feminist, and others are misogynists. You are right, they are wrong. There is also a dichotomy of people fighting over the label, the word “feminist” and what it means to be a feminist. You have people denying that they are feminists because they do not want to align themselves with other feminists. It is the label that has sparked this odd debate over the word, not the idea or purpose of feminism. 

I am not so naive to think that by banishing the word “feminist,” we are  going  to instantly affect the discourse on gender inequality to whatever extent you believe it exists today. Instead, we will remove this obstacle of diction so we can focus on the underlying social movement. 

The public banishment of such a word does not warrant an apology. It should be a celebrated feat. By banishing the word, maybe we can stop fighting each other about whether or not one is a feminist. And, instead, maybe we can focus on the real issues facing gender equality — rather than on superficial semantics.

Write Jessica at jnc34@pitt.edu