1 Although it is becoming closer to real life with every passing day.

Cardiff Metropolitan University have clamped down on free speech by banning 'sexist' words such as 'forefathers', 'mankind' and 'sportsmanship', as part of a campaign to 'embrace cultural diversity'. Students and staff could face disciplinary procedures if they fail to follow the official language policy.To give you some examples of the words and phrases which have been banned:Instead of 'heterosexual' or 'homosexual', the official policy suggests using 'same sex' and 'other sex' relationships'.'Mankind' should be replaced with 'humanity'.'Workmanlike' should be replaced with 'efficient'.'Christian' name should be replaced with 'forename'. Instead of 'polio victim' students should use the term 'polio survivor'. To make an obvious observation, in decades-gone-by polio killed thousands of people each year, so when talking in a historical context the term 'polio survivor' seems rather inappropriate.Readers of George Orwell's 1984 will know that in his classic work, the language of Oceania was 'Newspeak', a controlled language of restricted vocabulary which was created to limit freedom of thought, self-expression, and free will. George Orwell's 1984 was of course a work of fiction, but apparently Cardiff Metropolitan University appear to have mistaken it for an instruction manual.Communication should be about communicating. If Cardiff Metropolitan University are worried about people getting offended, then I've got bad news for them. People will always be offended over trivial things.The answer to people getting offended isn't to replace words every few years, and then once people start getting offended by these new words, to then replace these replacement words with other new words, and then repeat this cycle for eternity.The answer is for people to toughen up, and regain a sense of priority. There are some horrific things in the word which are genuinely upsetting, but anyone who gets upset over the use of the word 'forefathers' rather than 'ancestors'needs to examine their life. They need to appreciate how lucky they are that the biggest problem they have in their life is the fact that they can't cope with the word 'forefathers'.Here is the full list of banned words and phrases, along with the suggested alternatives:Best man for the job – Best person for the jobBusinessman/woman – Businessperson, manager, executiveChairman/woman – Chair, chairperson, convenor, headCharwoman, cleaning lady – CleanerCraftsman/woman – Craftsperson, craft workerDelivery man – Delivery clerk, courierDear Sirs – Dear Sir/Madam (or Madam/Sir)Fireman – Fire-fighterForefathers – Ancestors, forebearsForeman/woman – Supervisor, head jurorGentleman’s agreement – Unwritten agreement, agreement based on trustGirls (for adults) – WomenHeadmaster/mistress – Head teacherHousewife – Shopper, consumer, homemakerLayman – Lay personMan or mankind – Humanity, humankind, human race, peopleMan (verb), eg. man the desk – Operate, staff, work atMan in the street, common man – Average/ordinary/typical citizen/personMan-hour – Work-hour, labor timeMan-made – Artificial, manufactured, syntheticManpower – Human resources, labor force, staff, personnel, workers, workforceMiss/Mrs – Ms unless a specific preference has been stated.Policeman/woman – Police OfficerRight-hand man – Chief assistantSalesman/girl/woman – Sales assistant/agent/clerk/representative/staff/workerSpokesman/woman – Spokesperson, representativeSportsmanship – Fairmess, good humor, sense of fair playSteward/stewardess – Airline staff, flight attendant, cabin crewTax man – Tax officer/inspectorWaitress – Waiter, serverWoman doctor (or feminine forms of nouns, eg. actress, poetess) – Doctor (actor, poet, etc)Working man, working mother/wife – Wage-earner/taxpayer/workerWorkman – Worker/operative/trades personWorkmanlike – Efficient/proficient/skillful/thorough- - - - - - - - - -Footnote: The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide for 2016 ranked Cardiff Metropolitan University as 103 out of 127 universities.