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https://nordictimes.com/culture/pixar-launches-non-binary-cartoon-character/

Culture

Pixar launches ‘non-binary’ cartoon character

Cultural revolution in the West

Published 25 June 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Left: Non-binary Lake. Right: Main characters Wade and Ember.
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In recent years, Disney and Pixar have made great efforts to include non-Europeans and sexual minorities in their films. For the first time, the new Elemental features a so-called “non-binary” character – and the voice actor playing the role does not identify as male or female.

Elemental premieres in Sweden on July 7 and is set in a city inhabited by earth, wind, fire or water elemental figures. The film focuses on the fire elemental Ember and her newfound friend, the water elemental Wade. The main theme throughout is that ethnocentrism, discrimination and prejudice are negative – and that ‘magic can happen between opposites’.

Notably, Wade has a younger sibling named Lake, who identifies as “non-binary” and uses they and them as pronouns. The character is voice acted by Ava Hauser, who herself identifies as something other than male or female.

“BIG ANNOUNCEMENT I got to play Pixar’s first nonbinary character! Meet Lake! I voice Lake in the new movie #Elemental! declares the actor on Twitter and is accompanied by the film’s animator Alyssa Ragni, who announces that she too is “non-binary”.

“To any of my non-binary mutuals, happy pride month, Pixar made a character for y’all in their new movie, Elemental. It makes sense to have a water character be non-binary cuz they’re fluid, they can be whatever they want, be able to change any part of themselves”, comments another twitter user.

The film studio has announced that it is investing significant resources in becoming more ‘inclusive’ and increasing its focus on the representation of what it considers to be marginalized groups. In addition to a very large number of films dominated by non-European characters, they have also released films with overweight heroines and LGBTQ main characters.

However, not everyone is happy that Disney/Pixar has repeatedly taken a clear position on identity politics. Critics argue that the company is trying to shove a political agenda down the throats of its audience, which is largely made up of impressionable children and young people.

It can also be noted that despite, or because of, the politically correct efforts, Elemental has so far performed extremely poorly in the US and has already been described as one of Pixar’s biggest flops ever.

The names reproduced above are from the original English-language version and are usually changed in the Swedish dubbing.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

'Non-binary' is a term related to the postmodernist notion of a gender identification as something other than male or female.

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https://nordictimes.com/world/books-published-before-2008-are-being-cancelled-in-canada/

World

Canadian school district cancels books published before 2008

Cultural revolution in the West

Published 8 December 2024
– By Editorial Staff
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Schools in Ontario are removing books published before 2008 to make school libraries more “inclusive”. Among the removed books are the Harry Potter series and The Diary of Anne Frank.

This year, Canada’s Minister of Education issued a directive to make school library collections more inclusive. The Peel District School Board (PDSB), one of Ontario’s largest school districts, responded by distributing guidelines to schools.

“The Board shall evaluate books, media and all other resources currently in use for teaching and learning English, History and Social Sciences for the purpose of utilizing resources that are inclusive and culturally responsive, relevant and reflective of students, and the Board’s broader school communities”, the directive reads.

Books published before 2008 were to be reviewed and removed as necessary.

When Takata, a student at Erindale Secondary School, returned after summer break this fall, half of the library’s books were gone.

– This year, I came into my school library and there are rows and rows of empty shelves with absolutely no books, she told CBS.

Anne Frank removed

Takata is one of many students and parents concerned about the extensive book removals. Critics argue that some libraries have removed books solely because they were published before 2008. Takata believes students should have been asked which books should be saved.

– No one asked for our opinions. I feel that taking away books without anyone’s knowledge is considered censorship, she said.

Books removed from the library include the entire Harry Potter series and The Hunger Games. Additionally, The Diary of Anne Frank and the children’s classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar have been removed from other schools, according to teachers.

“Causes Harm”

The new book removal process involves several steps, where quality is defined as “resources that promote anti-racism, cultural responsiveness and inclusivity”. Books are to be removed if they “cause harm”, either due to poor condition posing a health risk or because they are “not inclusive, culturally responsive, relevant, or accurate”.

All libraries remove books to some extent every year, but Takata worries that the new, more extreme directives deviate from the norm and risk erasing important history.

– I think authors who wrote about Japanese internment camps will be erased, and the entire historical development of Japanese Canadians will be removed. That worries me a lot, she said.

“Rolled Out Incorrectly”

The group Libraries Not Landfills, formed in response to the new directives to protect school library collections, shares Takata’s concerns. The group, which supports traditional book weeding, consists of parents, retired teachers, and other community members.

– Who’s the arbiter of what’s the right material to go in the library, and who’s the arbiter of what’s wrong in our libraries? That’s unclear, said Tom Ellard, a parent and founder of the group. It’s not clear to the teachers who’ve provided us this material, and it’s not clear to me as a parent or as a taxpayer.

David Green, chair of the PDSB board, admits the new book removal process was “rolled out incorrectly” and that the goal was never to remove all books published before 2008.

– We have asked the Director [of Education] again to make sure that if that is taking place, then that is stopped, and then the proper process is followed, he said.

It remains unclear if books that may have been mistakenly removed will be returned to the affected school libraries.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/europe/bbc-nominates-man-for-list-of-inspiring-women/

Europe

BBC nominates man for list of inspiring women

Cultural revolution in the West

Published 6 December 2024
– By Editorial Staff
The BBC named Colombian biologist Brigitte Baptiste, whose research “explores the connection between biodiversity and gender identity through a queer perspective”, one of the most inspiring women of the year.
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The BBC’s decision to include a biological male in its prestigious list of the year’s most influential women is facing fierce criticism. Opposition to the nomination is based on the accelerating trend that the definition of femininity no longer has to do with biology but more with what individuals feel like identifying themselves as.

The BBC’s taxpayer-funded 100 Women list aims to recognize women of significant influence around the world. However, this year’s edition has provoked strong reactions.

Among the names included is Colombian biologist Brigitte Baptiste (born Luis Guillermo Baptiste), a biological man who now identifies as a lesbian.

The BBC describes Baptiste as a “trans woman” whose research “explores the connection between biodiversity and gender identity through a queer perspective”.

Baptiste’s research has been criticized in the past, including for claims of “transsexual palms”. A theory Baptiste presented in 2018 that questions the concept of “naturalness” in nature.

BBC: “We pride ourselves”

The BBC has faced criticism for its decisions in the past. Earlier this year, the corporation awarded Zambian professional footballer Barbra Banda the Footballer of the Year award, despite organizers excluding Banda from the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations due to borderline testosterone levels.

BBC Barbra Banda
Barbra Banda. Photo: facsimile/BBC

Fiona Crack, founder of the BBC’s 100 Women initiative, defends the choice of Baptiste and other controversial nominations.

– We pride ourselves on shining a spotlight on exceptional women – from celebrities to those whose remarkable contributions often go unrecognised, she says.

Critics say decisions like this undermine the purpose of the list, which is to highlight the achievements of biological women. Some observers also see it as an attempt to change established definitions and social norms, which they say could threaten the recognition and protection of women’s rights.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/culture/norwegian-publisher-pulls-selma-lagerlof-classic-citing-racist-content/

Culture

Norwegian publisher pulls Selma Lagerlöf classic citing racist content

Cultural revolution in the West

Published 18 November 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Selma Lagerlöf's Kristuslegender (Christ Legends) was originally published in 1904.
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Selma Lagerlöf is widely regarded as one of Sweden’s greatest writers of all time, with classics such as Gösta Berling’s Saga, Jerusalem and The Wonderful Adventures of Nils.

At the same time, Lagerlöf’s texts are considered highly problematic and inappropriate by today’s politically correct cultural elite. Now, the Norwegian publisher Verbum has announced that it will stop selling her book Christ Legends – on the grounds that it is ‘racist’.

Originally published in 1904, the short story collection Christ Legends describes how three men meet Jesus, who performs miracles and cures them of ailments.

The first man is old and becomes young again, the second is a leper but is healed by Jesus’ blessing – and the third is a black man whom Jesus transforms into “a beautiful white man”.

It is the latter description that is said to be extremely racist and unacceptable. Verbum’s publishing director Fredrik Berentsen deeply regrets that the book was not censored.

– What happened is probably that the editors in 2002 did not pay attention and thought that it was already a quality-assured text, he says, promising to stop selling the book immediately.

– The latest edition has sold 1,500 copies and nobody has complained to us about this. But it’s clearly our responsibility that this has been left behind, so we just have to regret that we have done too bad a job. But we will stop selling the remaining 400 books of the edition immediately.

“A punch in the stomach”

The reason the publisher stopped selling Lagerlöf’s classic is that parts of the Norwegian cultural establishment – including library researcher Anne Kristin Lande – condemned the book’s content.

– It goes without saying that this happened in the 1950s, but that Verbum Publishing thought it was okay to publish such racist texts in 2002 and 2013 is incomprehensible, she says.

– When I came to the sentence that he was transformed into a white man, I felt it like a punch in the stomach, says Halvor Moxnes, professor emeritus of theology.

Literary scholar Kari Løvaas argues that the book was written “in a racist age” – but that the publisher should write a “contextualising preface” to avoid offending the country’s students, rather than stop selling the book altogether.

The fact that older works are either censored or not reprinted at all is not unique to Lagerlöf’s works, but is now almost standard procedure when allegedly sexist or racist passages are found – with Femböckerna, Pippi Långstrump and Ture Sventon being just three of countless such examples.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/tech/microsoft-criticized-for-politically-correct-language-review/

Tech

Microsoft criticized for politically correct language correction tool

Cultural revolution in the West

Published 4 November 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Words like “mom” and “dad” are examples of words that the Inclusiveness Checker would like the Office Word user to replace.
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Microsoft’s Inclusiveness Checker language tool, in its Office Word software, has sparked debate about the tech giant’s role in regulating word choice and language management. It flags terms and expressions with the aim of suggesting “inclusive alternatives”, which critics say is a form of censorship.

Since its introduction five years ago, the Inclusiveness Checker has become part of Microsoft Word and other programs such as PowerPoint and Outlook.

The tool is designed to detect words with possible gender, age or cultural nuances in meaning, and then suggests alternatives that are considered more inclusive.

Users can choose to disable the feature, but when it is enabled, it will suggest, for example, “parental leave” instead of “maternity leave” and “postal worker” instead of “postman”.

The feature has been heavily criticized by free speech activists who see it as an interference with linguistic freedom. Toby Young, head of the UK-based Free Speech Union, warns that the feature is reminiscent of a dystopian future similar to that in George Orwell’s novel 1984.

– It’s as though there’s a censor in your computer scolding you for departing from politically correct orthodoxy, says Young.

Musk: “Microsoft now scolds you”

Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk has also expressed opposition to the tool. Musk states that he was recently flagged by the feature when he typed the word “insane“, and questions whether Microsoft is now trying to dictate users’ language choices.

– Microsoft Word now scolds you if you use words that aren’t “inclusive”, he comments.

The checker is currently only available to customers who subscribe to the Windows maker’s $7 a month Microsoft 365 subscription plan.

The Inclusiveness Checker is part of a broader trend of tech companies introducing “inclusive language” features, which critics say pose a risk to both freedom of expression in general and self-determination in personal writing.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com