If you’ve been like me, and knew there was something ‘off’ about woke-speak which goes even deeper than the fact it’s confusing, misleading, and creates a cover for duplicitous behaviour, Sarah Henderson will spell it out for you in this chat we have in the YouTube video below.
I was one of the many midwives who excoriated the Midwifery Council with feedback for the first version of this document. This revised version is really no better. They seem to think that by reluctantly adding in a couple of "women" they have placated us. Not me. A heap of crap smells no differently just because you spray it with air freshener.
Thanks Katrina, another great article. These 'types', use the language of confusion in the hope they confuse. They can't bring themselves to say the care of mother and baby is what counts. I do wonder what they'd do if they were faced with two planes when flying.
One plane is flown by a pilot and crew are trained to fly the plane and passengers safely and securely and with utmost skill each and every time. The other is flown by a diverse group with ways of knowing who identify a different way each day.
It already has. Overseas, a baby died when the mother presented to ED with abdominal pain, but because she was listed as a man in her medical notes, no one thought to check if she was in labour. By the time this became obvious, the full-term baby had died. And all the shite "research" into male lactation is just medical experimentation on newborns who can't consent.
Yes quite. Although they're well - established grifters now, so they'd no doubt pick option A and bump it up to first class to round it off - *pretending* to have 'ways of knowing' (in NZ this is code for 'I am Māori too now') is exhausting work, after all. One needs a vino and a hot towelette after all that saving the indigenous. Disgraceful behaviour, and as you say, deliberately confusing language.
NZ actively recruits overseas midwives to fill the gaping holes in staffing. When I sent the first version to a midwife friend overseas, her response was she asked if all government documents here were only written for Maori speakers.
thank you for your brave and necessary work. my four kids were all delivered at home by superstar midwives many years ago. i still have my hand typed home birth guide. this midwifery council are a bloody disgrace.
An atrocity. Imagine in Canada if they wrote in French and some French/English hybrid. Neither professional nor meaningful. I hope you get to vote out the people who failed to perform their duty to women and babies.
Very good point. Although our commonly-spoken English Kiwi vernacular is dotted with Māori words, documents which need to be widely and easily understood should be a bit more circumspect with how and where they're used. There are Māori who aren't keen on their language being commonalised by the Public Service and other bodies, for a variety of reasons, but which I won't presume to explain here for them.
The French Académie has a horror of such things. English is so widespread that I imagine for the Māori it helps people forget that certain words are theirs if it is used casually in English.
I was one of the many midwives who excoriated the Midwifery Council with feedback for the first version of this document. This revised version is really no better. They seem to think that by reluctantly adding in a couple of "women" they have placated us. Not me. A heap of crap smells no differently just because you spray it with air freshener.
Good analogy :-)
Very interesting. I want woman and baby language to continue.
Thanks Katrina, another great article. These 'types', use the language of confusion in the hope they confuse. They can't bring themselves to say the care of mother and baby is what counts. I do wonder what they'd do if they were faced with two planes when flying.
One plane is flown by a pilot and crew are trained to fly the plane and passengers safely and securely and with utmost skill each and every time. The other is flown by a diverse group with ways of knowing who identify a different way each day.
That’s exactly the type of thing this mis-use of language will lead to.
It already has. Overseas, a baby died when the mother presented to ED with abdominal pain, but because she was listed as a man in her medical notes, no one thought to check if she was in labour. By the time this became obvious, the full-term baby had died. And all the shite "research" into male lactation is just medical experimentation on newborns who can't consent.
Yes quite. Although they're well - established grifters now, so they'd no doubt pick option A and bump it up to first class to round it off - *pretending* to have 'ways of knowing' (in NZ this is code for 'I am Māori too now') is exhausting work, after all. One needs a vino and a hot towelette after all that saving the indigenous. Disgraceful behaviour, and as you say, deliberately confusing language.
NZ actively recruits overseas midwives to fill the gaping holes in staffing. When I sent the first version to a midwife friend overseas, her response was she asked if all government documents here were only written for Maori speakers.
thank you for your brave and necessary work. my four kids were all delivered at home by superstar midwives many years ago. i still have my hand typed home birth guide. this midwifery council are a bloody disgrace.
Same...I had midwife assisted homebirths in 79 and 81.
home births rock🎉🎉🎉
This was so wonderful to be able to just talk about this, thank you so much Katrina, and for keeping me on track! I hope we can do it again ❤️❤️🥰🥰
An atrocity. Imagine in Canada if they wrote in French and some French/English hybrid. Neither professional nor meaningful. I hope you get to vote out the people who failed to perform their duty to women and babies.
Very good point. Although our commonly-spoken English Kiwi vernacular is dotted with Māori words, documents which need to be widely and easily understood should be a bit more circumspect with how and where they're used. There are Māori who aren't keen on their language being commonalised by the Public Service and other bodies, for a variety of reasons, but which I won't presume to explain here for them.
The French Académie has a horror of such things. English is so widespread that I imagine for the Māori it helps people forget that certain words are theirs if it is used casually in English.
That may well be true.