Seattle Officials: Word ‘Cross’ Too Offensive for Use

by Chris Banescu –
All government employees in the city of Seattle have been informed that the word “cross” and the letters “T” and ‘t’, universal symbols for a Christian cross, are patently offensive and are banned from use in all official documents and communications. Encouraged by the enthusiastic support from liberal, progressive, and leftist organizations for originally banning the words “citizen” (offensive since many people are residents, not citizens) and “brown bag” (offensive to people of brown skin), Seattle’s Office of Civil Rights is expanding the list of banned discriminatory and hateful language.

As reported earlier by KOMO-TV, FoxNews, and other media organizations, city workers in Seattle were previously “advised that the terms “citizen” and “brown bag” are potentially offensive and may no longer be used in official documents and discussions.” This did not concern Elliott Bronstein official spokesman for the city’s Office of Civil Rights. “Luckily, we’ve got options,” Bronstein wrote in a memo obtained by KOMO-TV. “For ‘citizens,’ how about ‘residents?’” According to that same memo, city employees should use the terms “lunch-and-learn” or “sack lunch” instead of “brown bag.”

The Voice Blog has obtained copies of the latest memos expanding the city’s policies prohibiting the usage of offensive language in all government functions. Here are the official press releases from Seattle’s Office for Civil Rights, with additional Memos included.

Dear citizens residents of Seattle, starting next Monday the word “cross” shall be removed from all official city publications. All previous press releases, official documents, memos, forms, publications, pamphlets, websites content, and any other city communications containing this intolerant word shall be immediately destroyed.

All city employees comrades are henceforth forbidden from speaking this offensive word in any discussions and cannot use it any written communication whether printed or via electronic means. We agree with the complaint filed by The Atheists of the World Who Hate Only Christians group who consider the word “cross” to be extremely offensive to atheists. The city’s Office of Civil Rights, as guardian and protector of the public good, agrees and has now banned usage of “cross” phraseology in all city government communications. Please cease and desist all usage of the word “cross.”

Banned Phrases and Words:
“Crosswalk”
“Crossing the street”
“Railroad crossing”
“Crossword Puzzle”
“Cross-references”
“Crisscross”
“Cross-stitch”

Acceptable Substitute Phrases and Words:
“Marked-path on road”
“Traveling through the street”
“Railroad area where train travels”
“At-right-angles-word Puzzle”
“Multiply-linked-references”
“Crissthrough”
“Trans-stitch”

Yours truly,
– Elliott Bronstein, Seattle’s Office for Civil Rights

– Memo #1 – Proceed with caution on usage of word “trans-stitch.” We’ve just received a memo from the LGBT for Intolerance Legal Fund that said word is also problematic and potentially offensive. We recommend using “xxx-stitch.”

– Memo #2 – Please disregard prior memo and discontinue usage of “xxx-stitch” word. We’ve been warned by the Pathetic Smut Producers Association of Hollywood legal counsel that said term is offensive to the pornography industry. Going forward use “two stitches forming an X” in place of “cross-stitch.”

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Dear citizens, residents of Seattle, it was brought to our attention by the Atheists of the World Who Hate Only Christians group that the letter “T” is just as offensive and hateful since it’s a universal symbol for a cross.

Therefore, effective immediately all city employees comrades must hereby stop using the letter “T” either in lower or upper case form. Please replace it with the letter “L” which is a much more inclusive replacement (as evidenced by the words Liberal, Left, Leftism, and Lenin) and a significantly less offensive letter of the capitalist alphabet.

You are hereby ordered to remove, destroy, or block said intolerant letter from all keyboards on all computers, tablets, smartphones, and any other mobile devices. Failure to comply with this reasonable policy will result in the immediate firing of all offending individuals.

Lhank you for your collaboralion in lhis crilical maller and immedialely cease lhe use of lhis inloleranl leller.

Yours lruly,
– Ellioll Bronslein, Seallle’s Office for Civil Righls

– Memo #3 – Disregard Memo #2 immediately. We’ve just been informed that the letter “X” is also a symbol for a cross. Like the letter “T” is it hereby banned. Use instead the more politically correct “two stitches that travel over each other” definition.

– Memo #4 – Disregard Memo #3 also. Il violaled lhe ban on leller “T” issued previously. Lhe proper non-offensive official phrasing shall be “lwo slilches lhat lravel over each olher.” Lhank you!

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Here’s the original (real) story from FoxNews. Yes, I know, it sounds insane. Tragically, that’s the kind of Orwellian society our once great America is being transformed into by too many delusional individuals with too much unaccountable power and influence.

August 02, 2013 – FoxNews.com

Government workers in the city of Seattle have been advised that the terms “citizen” and “brown bag” are potentially offensive and may no longer be used in official documents and discussions.

KOMO-TV reports that the city’s Office of Civil Rights instructed city workers in a recent internal memo to avoid using the words because some may find them offensive.

“Luckily, we’ve got options,” Elliott Bronstein of the Office for Civil Rights wrote in the memo obtained by the station. “For ‘citizens,’ how about ‘residents?'”

In an interview with Seattle’s KIRO Radio, Bronstein said the term “brown bag” has been used historically as a way to judge skin color.

“For a lot of particularly African-American community members, the phrase brown bag does bring up associations with the past when a brown bag was actually used, I understand, to determine if people’s skin color was light enough to allow admission to an event or to come into a party that was being held in a private home,” Bronstein said.

According to the memo, city employees should use the terms “lunch-and-learn” or “sack lunch” instead of “brown bag.”

Bronstein told KIRO Radio the word “citizen” should be avoided because many people who live in Seattle are residents, not citizens.

“They are legal residents of the United States and they are residents of Seattle. They pay taxes and if we use a term like citizens in common use, then it doesn’t include a lot of folks,” Bronstein said.

Seattle, however, isn’t the only city with an eye on potentially disruptive words.

The New York Post reported in March 2012 that the city’s Department of Education avoids references to words like “dinosaurs,” “birthdays,” “Halloween” and dozens of other topics on city-issued tests because they could evoke “unpleasant emotions” among the students.

Dinosaurs, for example, conjures the topic of evolution, which could rile fundamentalists and birthdays are not celebrated by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Halloween, meanwhile, suggests an affiliation to Paganism.

Officials said such exclusions are normal procedure, insisting it’s not censorship.

“This is standard language that has been used by test publishers for many years and allows our students to complete practice exams without distraction,” a Department of Education spokeswoman told the newspaper last year.

HT: FoxNews.com

HT: KOMO-TV.