In just the latest episode of the wokesters making a full circle progression that results in eating their own, "Latinx" is now being declared a problematic term after the same woke virtue signalers foisted it on those it's supposed to describe.
According to Salon, it's now time to stop using Latinx "if you really want to be inclusive." Huh?
Stop using "Latinx" if you really want to be inclusive https://t.co/hY8TnSxvEi
— Salon (@Salon) September 26, 2022
Latinx has become a favorite part of national Democrats' lexicon, with President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and many congressional Democrats using the term in a transparent attempt at what they think is pandering... but was really just nonsense.
Evidently, using the term Latinx "perpetuates elitism," according to Salon:
The distinct demographic differences of those who are aware of or use Latinx calls into question whether the term is inclusive or just elitist.
Individuals who self-identiy as Latinx or are aware of the term are most likely to be U.S.-born, young adults from 18 to 29 years old. They are predominately English-speakers and have some college education. In other words, the most marginalized communities do not use Latinx.
But we already knew that. As Townhall has reported numerous times before as Democrats and leftists tried to mainstream the use of Latinx, those being referred to as Latinx were not keen on using the woke term that erases part of their language and culture. A Gallup survey from July 2021 found that just four percent of Hispanic adults said "Latinx" should generally be used.
Salon continues by explaining why Latinx is now, suddenly, not inclusive:
If a term is truly inclusive, it gives equitable weight to vastly diverse experiences and knowledge; it is not meant to be a blanket identity.
Women of color, in general, are severely underrepresented in leadership positions and STEM fields. Using "Latinx" for women further obscures their contributions and identity. I have even seen some academics try to get around the nebulous nature of Latinx by writing "Latinx mothers" or "Latinx women" instead of "Latinas."
Furthermore, if the goal is to be inclusive, the "x" would be easily pronounceable and naturally applied to other parts of the Spanish language.
Some Spanish speakers would rather identify by nationality — say, "Mexicano" or "Argentino" — instead of using umbrella terms like Hispanic or Latino. But the "x" can't be easily applied to nationalities. Like Latinx, "Mexicanx" and "Argentinx" don't exactly roll off the tongue in any language. Meanwhile, gendered articles in Spanish — "los" and "las" for the plural "the" — become "lxs," while gendered pronouns -"el" and "ella" becomes "ellx."
The utility and logic of it quickly falls apart.
No kidding. Adding a woke "x" to "Latin" in order to signal woke virtue is laughably absurd and just doesn't work with the Spanish language.
So, now that Salon has decreed that Latinx is no longer inclusive, what are people to use? Well, Salon says it's time to use "Latine" — no that's not a typo omitting the "r" from latrine — because "it eliminates the gender binary in its singular and plural form" and "is not confined to an elite, English-speaking population within the U.S." Therefore, per Salon, this word "is inclusive." But Salon also argues that Latine, if it's used, should not replace Latino and Latina as woke white liberals tried to do with Latinx. Instead, it's supposed to be an addition to the gendered terms.
Or, and hear me out, we could just leave things the way they are and continue to use gendered terms within a culture that largely speaks a gendered language.
The real question now is when will Salon now stop using "Latinx" in its stories? A cursory search turns up pages and pages of stories in which Latinx is used, something that the outlet now says is problematic.