Prompted to correctness. . .

According to information hitting the newspapers, Microsoft is offering a feature to prompt the unwoke to be more sensitive and more inclusive.  Apparently the feature in Word will suggest alternatives to those who do not realize they are being offensive in their writing.  Surely, this feature had me in mind.  I am exactly the kind of guy who does not pay attention to such things.  Some of the examples below are so much milder than what I have transgressed.

The line Neil Armstrong uttered when he stepped on the Moon — “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” — is deemed problematic by the software, which suggests changing “mankind” to “humankind” or “humanity”.

The children’s cartoon Postman Pat also fails the inclusivity test, with the software preferring “mail carrier” Pat or “postal worker” Pat.

The software also offers to tweak Billy Paul’s 1970s hit Me and Mrs Jones to a more modern Me and Ms Jones, while Barry Manilow’s infamous Lola in the song Copacabana might more appropriately be referred to as a performing artist rather than a showgirl.

Other words to change include “headmaster” (Word suggests “principal”), “master” (“expert”), “manpower” (“workforce”) and “heroine” (“hero”).

Microsoft has decided to hasten the change toward a more "inclusive" culture.  The Word feature will warn users when they have inadvertently (or deliberately) used offensive phrases or words.  It is a gentle prod, to be sure, a purple line appears under the unwoke copy the software gods think “implies bias” and suggests alternatives better in line with an enlightened point of view.  Among the offensives this new software looks for are age bias, cultural bias, gender specific language, sexual orientation bias and socioeconomic status.  I mighty need the age bias one as it seems that I am frequently mistaken for being an old man.  Nobody wants that.

Again, the simple point, is that when people are not changing fast enough to suit the modern mindset, the progressives in charge of our technology have supplied tools of the trade to hasten our compliance with more contemporary values.  Ah, the good news here is that the feature can be switched off.  I only wish it were that easy to switch off the nagging voices of discontent who are behind such innovations.  In the end, what troubles me most is not the feature but the idea that the marketplace and specifically the technology companies that seem to run America are in charge of what is right and what is wrong.  It is not a new idea -- from the software billionaires to the social media giants, these folks have always believed that they knew and do continue to know best.  It seems that the silent majority in America (in you can recall such an ancient term) has surrendered itself to these self-appointed gurus of political correctness.  It won't be long, then, until the feature will be joined by other censors which cannot be shut off.  If Word goes woke, so will you -- whether you want to or not.