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'A pathetic joke': Internet slams California university's decision to ban the word 'field'

Calling the change a determinant in supporting inclusivity and anti-racist social work, USC’s Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work shared a letter on Twitter

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The University of Southern California’s school of social work, has announced a decision on bringing change to its curriculum by no longer using the word “field”, motivated by the idea of following an 'anti-racist' methodology. The institution finds the word problematic, referring to its origin being rooted in slavery, and has now replaced the usage of the word 'field' with 'practicum'. However, the institution has been receiving a lot of criticism for the decision.

Calling the change a determinant in supporting inclusivity and anti-racist social work, USC’s Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work shared a letter on Twitter on January 9. “This change supports anti-racist social work practice by replacing language that would be considered anti-Black or anti-immigrant in favor of inclusive language. Language can be powerful, and phrases such as ‘going into the field’ or ‘field work’ maybe have connotations for descendants of slavery and immigrant workers that are not benign,” the letter stated.

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In the letter, USC said, “We are committing to further align our actions, behaviors, and practices with anti-racism and anti-oppression, which requires taking a close and critical look at our profession — our history, our biases, and our complicity in past and current injustices.”

However, social media users unwelcomed the university's 'woke' decision to become more inclusive. 

One user tweeted, "This is just a fancy way of revealing that the organization is overstaffed," and another wrote, "Important stuff. Making the world better one canceled phrase at a time."

"It’s not with merit, and worse than virtue signaling. They believe they’ve been anointed to consciously change the culture, which they aren’t capable of doing. And even any perceived or fabricated success will have devastating consequences, which they will blame on others," a user wrote.

A user opined, "I have always had mad respect for USC but after this decision, these are no longer my thoughts."

"Eroding our vocabulary will NOT reduce the likelihood of misunderstanding or conflict; it only serves to impede our ability to effectively communicate. Those behind these initiatives know this well. Wake up folks," someone remarked while another user penned, "This letter has all the buzzwords. Many higher education institutions have become a pathetic joke."

Someone mocked the decision and wrote, "What should we be calling fields now? Plots of land? And must we now rename Springfield, St.Martin’s in the Field, Sheffield, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Mansfield & Macclesfield, etc etc.? Absurdity abounds everywhere now, but this is more than absurd, it is insane."

"That's the silliest thing I have heard in a long time," another user chimed in on Twitter.