This piece has created a lot of reaction, as you might imagine. Some positive, but mostly negative from what I’ve seen. And I’ve got thoughts, too. I get the point being made in the piece, but I reject the list, because it’s reductive and patronizing and it denies English it’s rightful place as the world’s melting pot for language absorption and innovation.
But mostly, I’m fearful of this notion, in the wrong hands, being taken too far. For example, even the de-escalated language examples above are problematic when viewed through the same lens with sharper, and sharper focus: