San Francisco School Officials' Attempt to Ban the Word 'Chief' Foiled by a Faux PasBy Alex Parker
May 30, 2022
In San Francisco, they’re chiefly concerned about language.
Therefore, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Unified School District will stop using the word “chief” in job descriptions.
The reason: respect for American Indians.
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It’s a curious move, as “chief” originated in 14th-century France.
From etymonline.com:
chief (n.)
c. 1300, “head, leader, captain; the principal or most important part of anything;” from Old French chief “leader, ruler, head” of something, “capital city” (10c., Modern French chef), from Vulgar Latin *capum, from Latin caput “head,” also “leader, chief person; summit; capital city” (from PIE root *kaput- “head”). Meaning “head of a clan” is from 1570s; later extended to headmen of Native American tribes (by 1713; William Penn, 1680s, called them kings). Commander-in-chief is attested from 1660s.
So English speakers employed an old French word to refer to heads of things. In an unrelated story, it was noticed that tribes had heads. Fast-forward to modern times, when those in power decide that the word primarily describes tribal principals; and, therefore, it must be cast out.
And somehow, nixing a non-negative allusion to someone constitutes consideration — not erasure.
The best I can tell, our cultural commanders are quick to think on behalf of all but the palest Americans. For instance, they tell minorities what they love or hate to be called. They’re currently doing so with the promotion of “Latinx,” a term used by only three percent of actual Hispanics as of 2020. They’ve done the same with “Native Americans,” a title pushed despite its erroneous use of “native” (similar to the error of “‘Indigenous’ People”).
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Source:
https://redstate.com/alexparker/2022/05/30/california-school-officials-ban-a-word-on-account-of-american-indians-but-their-effort-is-foiled-by-a-faux-pas-n572122
