AP Style: Stop Using 'The' - It's 'Dehumanizing'

Brittany M. Hughes | January 26, 2023
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Lest you get lazy and find yourself assuming the English language has been butchered enough, and that leftists may start leaving well enough alone, behold: the latest “offensive” term in our everyday vernacular: the.

As in, the word, “the.” An innocuous and common word used to denote a noun. 

And also, apparently, the French? Hang with me here - I'll explain...or try to.

According to the latest AP style recommendation as blasted out on Twitter, “the” is now an offensive and “often dehumanizing” term we should all drop, particularly when referring to groups of people.

“We recommend avoiding general and often dehumanizing ‘the’ labels such as the poor, the mentally ill, the French, the disabled, the college-educated,” the AP explains. “Instead, use wording such as people with mental illnesses. And use these descriptions only when clearly relevant.”

Now, obviously, “the French” is clearly dehumanizing - but not because of the use of the article “the.”

Related: San Fran Committee Proposes Paying $5 Million Per 'Eligible' Black Resident in 'Reparations'

But somehow, characterizing homogenous groups together in general by use of the word “the” is “dehumanizing” to the AP - even though "the" conveys literally the same meaning as stating “people with,” given that both phrases refer to persons sharing a commonality.

While the tweet itself has gotten more than 11,000 "likes" and counting, thankfully, at least a few people called out the idiocy of THE AP's stance.

This is literally THE dumbest thing I’ve read this week - and given that I’ve written about a fat bearded dude who thinks he’s a girl, California wanting to hand out $5 million reparations checks, and a “queer prom” mixing prepubescent children with legal drinkers and handing them all condoms, that’s saying something.

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