Time Magazine holds poll to ban a word in 2015. "Feminist" leading the poll [Final Update]

[VanQ]

Update 3: It appears that the poll has been taken down early just as the word bossy began to see a rise in popularity. Time's Editor had this to say

TIME apologizes for the execution of this poll; the word 'feminist' should not have been included in a list of words to ban. While we meant to invite debate about some ways the word was used this year, that nuance was lost, and we regret that its inclusion has become a distraction from the important debate over equality and justice.

-Nancy Gibbs

Feminist remained strong in first place at 45% of the votes and Bae in second at 13% right until the end however, Bossy had seen a rise to 5% of the votes shortly before the poll was taken down. Could this have been due to frustrated feminists complaining to the editor? I'll update if I ever find out.

Update 2: 48 hours into the poll and Feminist remains in the lead with 47% of the votes. Bae remains at 13% and Bossy has taken a giant leap forward to 3%.

Update:As of 12 hours from the original posting of this thread, Feminist continued to dominate the lead going as far as 51% of the votes but has now dropped down to 49%. Bae has been steady at 13% for 24 hours and Bossy remains barely past the start line at 2%.

So Time Magazine is holding its annual "Which Word Should Be Banned" poll and at the time of writing, the word Feminist is leading the pack with 48% of the votes. Meanwhile, Bossy is trailing behind with 2% of the votes.


The full list of words and reasons they're on the list plus your chance to cast a vote is here: http://time.com/3576870/worst-words-poll-2014/

Spoiler

bae: Yes, this term of endearment has been around for years, but suddenly it?s everywhere. You can?t turn around without encountering someone?s bae or some bae meal or some bae bae. The cool factor is being smothered. It?s time to start using something

basic: You get it. Girls need a word for other girls who name-drop D-listers in their fake Louboutins, going around thinking they?re a Carrie, even though they?re really a Miranda ? if Miranda had a less remarkable hair color and worked at TJ Maxx. But basic has become basic. Bad bitches can do better.

bossy: You are leaning in all over the place. If Sheryl wants a word banned, then we best get banning.

disrupt: Silicon Valley types may be changing sleepy industries, but this word is more worn out than startup names that sound and look like six-year-olds came up with them. You just might strangle the next ?disrupt0r? you meet with his hoodie drawstrings.

feminist: You have nothing against feminism itself, but when did it become a thing that every celebrity had to state their position on whether this word applies to them, like some politician declaring a party? Let?s stick to the issues and quit throwing this label around like ticker tape at a Susan B. Anthony parade.

I can?t even: ? finish a sentence, apparently. Nobody is this speechless.

influencer: This kind of business jargon makes you want to pivot yourself into a gorge. Stop throwing trumped up labels on people with a bunch of Twitter followers or five friends who might sign up for something if they do.

kale: You haven?t been so tired of having a single thing talked about and trumpeted and pushed in your face since people started signing up for Twitter. You even saw kids selling dried kale chips on the street the other day instead of running a lemonade stand. Kale chips, people! This is America!

literally: You continue to hate it when people use literally to mean figuratively, even if the word just won?t be separated from that usage. The least you can do is cast a vote against everyone who has ever ?literally? lost their mind, because they are metaphorically driving you bananas.

om nom nom nom: If people could stop posting pictures of their brunches like their fancy toast slices were newborn babies, then maybe you would be spared this overdone onomatopoeia. You get it. Food is delicious. Restaurants serve bacon. Moving on.

obvi: You hate this particular unnecessary, cloying word-shortening about as much as you hate perf, whatevs, adorbs, natch, totes and amaze (when used in place of amazing). If truncation is cool, then you?d like to buy a ticket to the hottest place on earth, please.

said no one ever: ?A joke like this stays fresh no matter how many times you hear it,? said no one ever.

sorry not sorry: #sorrynotsorryyoureoverthisnonapology

turnt: Parents in Middle America may still be struggling to understand what this word means, but everybody else knows all too well ? including writers at SNL, who portrayed the state of being turnt as a remedy to an unsatisfying sex life. It?s time for turnt to turn down.

yaaasssss: Nooooooooo mmooooorrrreeeeee. If only for poor Lady Gaga?s sake.

So, opinions? Which word are you gonna vote to ban? I personally voted for "bae" only because my sister says it all the time and it bugs me.

EDIT: Edited in the list of words for people who can't access the Time website.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

That's a really stupid inclusion in this poll.

Their issue isn't even with the word 'feminist' itself, but how everyone uses it. "Let's stick to the issues" - right, and how do you do that if no one is allowed to use a word that signifies a broad spectrum of those issues? "The first rule of feminism is you don't talk about feminism"??

Just dumb. Only going to provoke more endless internet wars as tumblr, twitter, 4 chan and reddit rally everyone to vote in this poll to prove something.

Besides, surely the answer is 'obvi'.

 

[Vault101]

there has been heavy speculation that this is due to 4chan

Spoiler: what's there to say really?

[img/]https://31.media.tumblr.com/e25f728cc4d3963068b4ac19266e4fb6/tumblr_inline_n8so3sRqn71qalcat.gif[/img]

it does actually frighten me a little that people could be like that...or be influenced by 4chan (or hell...gamer gate) in this way

 

[VanQ]

there has been heavy speculation that this is due to 4chan

Spoiler: what's there to say really?

[img/]https://31.media.tumblr.com/e25f728cc4d3963068b4ac19266e4fb6/tumblr_inline_n8so3sRqn71qalcat.gif[/img]

it does actually frighten me a little that people could be like that...or be influenced by 4chan (or hell...gamer gate) in this way

That the word is leading the pack? For sure, wouldn't be surprised.

That the word is on the list? I doubt it. It's more likely that it's because of the whole "This is what a feminist looks like" t-shirt thing where several politicians donned them because they were popular, while probably not having a clue or care about feminism.

 

[Fijiman]

I voted for "I can't even" because it annoys the living hell out of me.

 

[MerlinCross]

What no "reckt"? It's a term I see a lot more online and it's really annoying to me. For those that don't know Reckt = Wrecked.

 

[DefunctTheory]

'What word should we ban' is a stupid question, and TIME should have known that if you put a stupid answer in for a stupid question, then that stupid answer is going to win.

I voted for feminist, by the way. Suck it, TIME.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I can't even...

Feminist is literally a basic word in discourse on gender issues, and to ban it would literally disrupt the discourse. Whoever wants to ban such a basic word as "feminist" must be literally bossy.

"I made it past elementary school and want to ban the word 'feminist'."-said no one ever

...Yeah, I'm literally out of ways to continue this while still making some sense.

 

[Skatologist]

Banning words in popular use seems... backwards. It also kind of erases all of the feminists still doing work around the world, where most first worlders can agree that at least they are doing something productive and admirable. Maybe I'm just more in tune with feminism to know a lot of its subsets like radical, libertarian, anarchic, socialist, seperatist, post modern, environmental, and what seems like at least a few dozen others and not get bothered by it when someone says they are/are not one because what it means to them personally.

I wonder if the OP will update if the word stops leading, BTW, not that it's likely, just if.

Oh, and I guess the second question in the UN chat appears here on page one, good thing I didn't put any money on that bet. >

'What word should we ban' is a stupid question, and TIME should have known that if you put a stupid answer in for a stupid question, then that stupid answer is going to win.

Basically this ^

Also, not surprised if this were pulled by one of the chans. I just wonder how they seem to have so much hate for something they almost are glad they don't understand in the slightest that they would pull this kind of stuff off and feel proud of it. I can see it now "Feminists no longer exist! We win!"

Also voted for "yaaasssss" because grammar mistakes, amirite?

 

[Zontar]

I'm surprised "Bossy" isn't more popular. Wasn't there a campaign to do just that a few months back?

Anyway I'm not surprised in the least at the results, and not only because of 4chan. In western society, the traditional definition of feminism has become accepted on a level so widespread most assume it's the default position of both the commoner and politicians alike. It's become something that is meaningless in its most basic form. It's gotten to the point where, in most 1st world nations, the goals have been achieved and there's no real threat of those who want to change the laws back of doing so without committing political suicide.

It's a blank term that the only people going out into the streets to promote these days are radicals who don't actually fit the definition of the term. This seems more a reaction to the 'Feminists' you see out on the street who more often then not aren't feminists by definition (and disowned by leaders of the old feminist movements of the 60s and 70s) and not the 'for equality for all' brand of feminists most people claim to be part of. Radicalization seems to be the biggest problem, that and the fact there isn't much opposition to it from moderate feminists that's advertised.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

It's good to know that there's nothing important in the world happening and Time has... well, time to put together a facile poll like this.

Also, I wonder how many mouth-breathers think this is a poll to ban the concept of feminism. "Man, if we win, then I get to bang, like, all the chicks!"

 

[one squirrel]

Oh, the irony, it's so delicious.

 

[Longing]

There's nothing I like more than people who get uppity about the language evolving, especially if the words in question come from minorities.

you should've at least put men's rights activism on there, make you seem less like a fucking jackass time.

 

[Elfgore]

I actually would not ban a good portion of those words. They help me identify the idiots. If "sorry, not sorry" was banned, my job would be a lot harder. My word would be bae though. Just say fucking babe/baby/whateverthefuckelsethereis. I've never heard "bae" come out in a way that didn't sound awkward or forced as hell.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I don't believe in banning or censoring language. I'm not voting anything. Even silly aberrations like obvi. First time I hear of it.

 

[VanQ]

I wonder if the OP will update if the word stops leading, BTW, not that it's likely, just if.

Yes, Skatologist. I intend to do exactly that. I'll be following this like a horse race and keeping the OP updated as appropriate.

 

[The Lunatic]

Well, I can understand the frustration.

People are shoe-horning gender politics into a lot of things these days, it's not surprising to see people grow weary of the extremists.

Bae is pretty horrendous though. My vote is on that.

Either way, it's a dumb poll and more social commentary than anything actually meaningful.

Although, it is amusing to hear people blaming "4chan" as if it's some hivemind or something.


Guys, it's an image board. Calm down. It'd be like people holding "The Escapists" responsible for random trolls.

 

[Zontar]

Anybody remember last month when some angry GGers found a poll about who the worst person ever was and they bombed it with a bunch of suggestions like Zoe Quinn and Anita Sarkeesian.

Didn't that poll end up having Moot be 1st, 2nd and 6th place?

 

[VanQ]

Anybody remember last month when some angry GGers found a poll about who the worst person ever was and they bombed it with a bunch of suggestions like Zoe Quinn and Anita Sarkeesian.

Didn't that poll end up having Moot be 1st, 2nd and 6th place?

Yes, it did. It was fucking hilarious. He was once on the Times list of most influential people of all time thanks to 4chan's support and after the way he has handled himself lately it was 4chan that got him on that list. 3 times. Don't fuck with anon, even if you're moot.