Offense taken

I just can't understand how so many people can so calmly accept the media's continued use of blatently sexist and homophobic language. Today's example is a piece by business columnist Al Lewis in The Denver Post. The column, which poked fun at Douglas Bruce, a Colorado legislator who has since been censured for kicking a Rocky Mountain News photographer, had the following headline:

Girlyman Bruce deserves the boot

The headline writer got the word "girlyman" from the column, in which Lewis refers to Bruce as "a girlyman who kicks and won't say he's sorry."

As if that wasn't bad enough, the lead (or introduction) of the story reads as follows:

Douglas Bruce kicks like a little girl.

Later in the column, Lewis asks of Bruce:

"What's he going to do next? Bite? Pinch? Pull hair?

How do I hate this? Let me count the ways, term by sexist term.

First, saying someone "kicks like a girl" sounds like something I used to hear when I was young, 30 years ago. Whenever somebody tried to put down another kid by saying he "threw like a girl," I got upset, probably because I was a girl who could throw better than most boys. But seriously, the use of this put-down only serves to reinforce the tired stereotype that girls are not meant to be athletes.

Second, my 2-year-old son bites and kicks. So why not call Bruce a 2-year-old or a toddler? Or as one of my editing students suggested, why not say he had a temper tantrum. Or better yet, why not say he kicks like a little boy? Now that would be a breakthrough.

Third, the term "girlyman" is not just a tired remnant of an old "Saturday Night Live" skit. And it's not just a reference to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's ridiculously self-mocking repetition of the term. It is a slap in the face to women and gay men. What is wrong with being "girly"? What's wrong with being a girl? Apparently there's something wrong with it, or else people wouldn't feel the need to use feminizing terms as put-downs.

Probably the worst thing you can say about a man is that he is not manly. And what are the most unmanly things out there? Girls and gay men. So there you go. You hear it on the playground. And from what I've been told, you hear it from college students. And I know you hear it in bars and professional settings and even family dinner tables. That's the problem.

Interestingly enough, when I contacted Al Lewis about this, here's what he told me:

I wanted to take this issue down to the pre-school level where it belongs.

I guess he did. But is that really the way to go? When a columnist for a large metro daily newspaper uses sexist language, he's simply reinforcing what's said on the playground and in the dorm room and in the bar. I try to teach my students that as journalists -- whether in public relations, advertising or news -- they have the power to tell people what's important. And that power carries with it a responsibility. How can I teach my students to be responsible when professionals break all the rules? But then again, I also teach my students to ask follow-up questions, follow AP style and write concisely. Most professional journalists don't follow those rules, either.

But this problem is bigger than journalism. The problem is a society where offensive language is ignored and sexism and homophobia are tolerated. One example of this is the fact that my students almost unanimously agreed that Lewis had every right to use these words. These are journalism students in a junior-level editing class. Some said that the author was going for effect. Yes, that's true. But as other students countered, he could have gotten the effect with other words. Some reasoned that because it was a column, Lewis had the right to say whatever he wanted. That's true. They also agreed that if it had been a news story, the editor would have the right to change the wording.

But here's my take: Shouldn't a columnist, who gets to share his opinions with the world for a living, be held to a higher standard? Just because something isn't against the law does not mean it's OK to do. And just because a professional writer does it doesn't mean you should follow along like a sheep.

I guess it comes down to your own ethical values. I'm no ethics expert, but I do know that I wouldn't want to hear my son using the words Lewis used in his column.

I wasn't the only reader offended by the column. You can read some interesting comments about the column, and see Lewis' take, at his blog.

And I'd love to see your comments on this subject. Thanks for reading.