Yahoo Finance Associated Press Steps In The Merde By Calling 'The French' A 'Dehumanizing' Phrase
After a deluge of mockery, The Associated Press Stylebook has apparently determined that using the phrase “The French” is not demeaning or “dehumanizing” after all.
A tweeted guideline for the AP Stylebook warned Thursday against using the “often dehumanizing” combination of the word “the” with group identifiers.
The AP Stylebook is a kind of bible for journalists and editors at countless publications and online media sites that spells out the appropriate way to use language in journalism.
“We recommend avoiding general and often dehumanizing ‘the’ labels such as the poor, the mentally ill, the French, the disabled, the college-educated,” advised the since-deleted tweet. “Instead, use wording such as people with mental illnesses. And use these descriptions only when clearly relevant.”
This AP Stylebook tweet suggested that saying "The French" is dehumanizing.
The AP’s tweet really stirred up the merde on Twitter.
I believe the correct AP label is “the/those fucking French”
— Jon Stewart (@jonstewart) January 26, 2023
Don't say "the French" say "people with mental illnesses." https://t.co/kxpCFS0hzl
— Caleb Howe (@CalebHowe) January 26, 2023
Not one French person, alive now or in the entire history of the world, believes being lumped in with "The French" is dehumanizing.
— Chris Arnade 🐢🐱🚌 (@Chris_arnade) January 26, 2023
broke: the French
woke: people experiencing Frenchness
bespoke: Eurodivergent https://t.co/vfXVhzKc0N— the g̸l̶i̵t̸c̶h̷ in the system 🌸 (@nyxnivis) January 26, 2023
Even the French Embassy mocked the tweet, saying it would apparently have to refer to itself from now on as “Embassy of Frenchness in the U.S.”
I guess this is us now... https://t.co/YFybgfI2ABpic.twitter.com/LrKvgjiw1X
— French Embassy U.S. (@franceintheus) January 26, 2023
The AP eventually called its original tweet “inappropriate” and issued a replacement that didn’t refer to “the [miffed] French.”
The use of “the French” in this tweet by @AP was inappropriate and has caused unintended offense. An updated tweet is upcoming.
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 27, 2023
We recommend avoiding general and often dehumanizing “the” labels such as the poor, the mentally ill, the disabled, the college-educated. Instead, use wording such as people with mental illnesses. And use these descriptions only when clearly relevant.
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 27, 2023
