How to celebrate Ten Plus Years of Blogging? Two hundred and eighty blog posts (2014-2024) and counting. The way I figure my word count, 280×500, equals roughly 140,000 words. All my own! (No AI. Not that there was any when I started.) Okay, the count has slowed down some from those first few years, but I now have incentive to do better.
Going forward with this blog, I can think about the 240 or so words that I should perhaps consider not using, as per an official government document. In case you’re wondering, here they are:
• activism • activists • advocacy • advocate • advocates • barrier • barriers • biased • biased toward • biases • biases towards • bipoc • black and latinx • community diversity • community equity • cultural differences • cultural heritage • culturally responsive • disabilities • disability
• discriminated • discrimination • discriminatory • diverse backgrounds • diverse communities • diverse community • diverse group • diverse groups • diversified • diversify • diversifying • diversity and inclusion • diversity equity • enhance the diversity • enhancing diversity • equal opportunity • equality • equitable • equity • ethnicity • excluded • female • females • fostering inclusivity
• genders • hate speech • hispanic minority • historically • implicit bias • implicit biases • inclusion • inclusive • inclusiveness • inclusivity • increase diversity • increase the diversity • indigenous community • inequalities • inequality
• inequitable • inequities • institutional • lgbt • marginalize • marginalized • minorities • minority • multicultural • polarization • political • prejudice • privileges • promoting diversity • race and ethnicity • racial • racial diversity • racial inequality • racial justice • racially • racism • sense of belonging • sexual preferences • social justice • sociocultural • socioeconomic • status • stereotypes • systemic • trauma • under appreciated
• under represented • under served • underrepresentation • underrepresented • underserved • undervalued • victim • women • women and underrepresented
(Source: https://gizmodo.com/the-list-of-trumps-forbidden-words-that-will-get-yourpaper-flagged-at-nsf-2000559661) [NSF, National Science Foundation.]
One thing is for sure, I’m not going over my past 140,000 words to see if they would clear this new hurtle. The original purpose for this blog was to explore the challenges of writing my first novel, which was based on my living in a small town with an historic legacy. Fortunately, Bishop Hill, Illinois, Sweden, Swedes, and what not are not included on this list or any other lists of official sanctions … yet. I should be good for a while longer.