Off-the-table words & phrases
Comprehensive list of words/phrases to exclude from Alex’s Vocabulary
Purpose
This is meant to be a living document that summarizes a wide range of seemingly innocent but potentially problematic language that could offend both customers and Jellyvision employees.
Criteria
Exclusionary content listed below adheres to at least one of the following conditions:
- has historical roots in the oppression/exclusion of one or more social groups
- involve some degree of cultural appropriation
- become exclusionary depending on the social context or perception of different groups.
Slurs and other blatant remarks are not included in this summary since those terms are widely known to be offensive.
Ongoing List
| WORD OR PHRASE | OFFENSE | IMPACTED GROUP |
| Addict | Historical Oppression | Ability |
| Banged up | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| Basket Case | Social Context | Ability |
| Big Kahuna | Cultural Appropriation | Race / Ethnicity |
| Bipolar | Historical Oppression | Ability |
| Blacklist | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| Blessed | Social Context | Religion |
| Boomer | Social Context | Age |
| “Bottom of the Totem Pole” | Cultural Appropriation | Race / Ethnicity |
| Bro | Social Context | Gender |
| Bud | Social Context | Gender |
| Buggar | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| “Bun in the oven” | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| Cake walk | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| Career Woman | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| “Chatty Cathy” | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| Crazy | Historical Oppression | Ability |
| Cripple | Social Context | Ability |
| “Debbie Downer” | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| Dude | Social Context | Gender |
| Dumb | Social Context | Ability |
| “Eenie Meenie Miney Moe” | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| Elderly | Historical Oppression | Age |
| Eskimo | Cultural Appropriation | Race / Ethnicity |
| Floozy | Historical Oppression | Sexuality |
| Gals | Social Context | Gender |
| Geisha | Cultural Appropriation | Race / Ethnicity |
| Ghetto | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| God | Social Context | Religion |
| “Grandfathered In” | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| “Grow a pair” | Social Context | Gender |
| Guru | Cultural Appropriation | Race / Ethnicity |
| Guys | Social Context | Gender |
| Gyp | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| “Hey, Chief” | Cultural Appropriation | Race / Ethnicity |
| “Hip Hip Hooray” | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| “Hold down the fort” | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| Hooligan | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| Insane | Social Context | Ability |
| Jacked up | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| Knocked Up | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| Lame | Social Context | Ability |
| “Like a <insert gender>” | Social Context | Gender |
| Madhouse | Historical Oppression | Ability |
| ____man (e.g., chairman, fireman, postman, policeman) | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| Man Hours | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| Man Up | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| Master Bed or Bathroom | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| Maternity _____ | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| Millennial | Social Context | Age |
| “Negative Nancy” | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| Ninja | Cultural Appropriation | Race / Ethnicity |
| Nitty Gritty | Social Context | Race / Ethnicity |
| “No can do” | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| Normal (when comparing two groups) | Social Context | Ability |
| OCD | Historical Oppression | Ability |
| “Off the reservation” | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| “On the warpath” | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| Paddy Wagon | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| Peanut Gallery | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| Pow Wow | Cultural Appropriation | Race / Ethnicity |
| Pray / Prayer | Social Context | Religion |
| Psycho | Historical Oppression | Ability |
| Psychotic | Historical Oppression | Ability |
| Rain Dance | Cultural Appropriation | Race / Ethnicity |
| Ratchet | Cultural Appropriation | Race / Ethnicity |
| Rule of thumb | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| Sanity Check | Social Context | Ability |
| Schizo | Historical Oppression | Ability |
| “Sold down the river” | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| Spirit Animal | Cultural Appropriation | Race / Ethnicity |
| Tone Deaf | Social Context | Ability |
| Tribe | Cultural Appropriation | Race / Ethnicity |
| Uppity | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| Wear the Pants | Historical Oppression | Gender |
| Whitelist | Historical Oppression | Race / Ethnicity |
| Working Mom | Historical Oppression | Gender |