12 Comments
User's avatar
Benjamin Dreyer's avatar

Thank you for the vastly entertaining column, as always, Nancy, and for the shoutout. I’m glad you enjoyed Shy. I think it’s one of the best theater memoirs ever!

Expand full comment
Benjamin Dreyer's avatar

And not to spoil the fun for anyone who hasn't read it yet (but should!), the amazing narrative thing that happens in the final pages took my breath away.

Expand full comment
Nancy Friedman's avatar

Can’t wait!

Expand full comment
Leila P.'s avatar

It is disappointing but no surprise that the current illiterate US administration is trying to ban a third of the normal English language. I, for one, will take note of this and use these words as often as I can. Signed, a woman.

Expand full comment
Carol Kino's avatar

"Woman" seems to be permitted, yet "women" is not. Maybe they just don't want to deal with more than one of us at a time.

Expand full comment
Leila P.'s avatar

I totally missed that. Maybe we should adapt the word womans when referring to us in plural. Because fuck them.

Expand full comment
Carol Kino's avatar

The weird thing is that the White House declaration on gender uses the word "women"--so is that now illegal, too? But thankfully "pussy" is still allowed, presumably, so maybe the NIH can include those and the humans who possess them when funding grants in future.

Expand full comment
Michael Vnuk's avatar

How can they write voter legislation requiring more proof of identity if they can't use the word 'identity'? Why would 'immigrants' be disallowed and not 'immigrant'? And aren't they trying to encourage 'immigrants' from certain countries, anyway? ('We want immigrants, sorry, more than one immigrant from ...') If 'polarization' is verboten, there's always the alternative spelling 'polarisation'. If 'minority' is out, what does that mean for the 'Minority Leader' and Minority Whip' and other similar titles in the actual Congress? Will people still be able to 'diversify their investment portfolio' or build up 'equity' in their home? I see that 'at risk' is forbidden, yet Karoline Leavitt is quoted recently in the Signalgate fiasco as saying 'And they would never do anything intentionally to put their lives at risk.'

Expand full comment
Anthony Shore's avatar

Thank you for the (l)ink! I'm savoring the idiocy of banning a word like "status." If they actually had projects to manage, they'd become unmanageable.

Expand full comment
Nancy Friedman's avatar

The idiocy and the irony!

Expand full comment
Lu Chekowsky's avatar

Appreciate your support and reshare! What great company to be in. Gonna check out the other folks you've added here in your roundup.

Expand full comment
Mason Colby's avatar

They have made damn sure "sense of belonging" is gone from my vocabulary! :)

Expand full comment