An Inconvenient Lie, Secrets in Language by Louise Gouëffic, 2010, shows the ‘theory of man’ false and language imposing it as Truth a source of injustice and violence harming both genders. Bias embedded in language led to the patriarchal subjugation of both genders as well as to worldwide conflict, wars, prostitution, crime, and other evils. The price of one lie is the loss of many truths™ The author proposes a theory of inclusiveness with true-to-reality symbols and names benefiting both genders. She puts fairness, justice and equity back in language to show that both genders have sufficient minds to be the foundation of rationality that the millions of years of evolution created before patriarchy. Symbol-making in language closely resembles the process in evolution making the transfer of information possible. "Louise Gouëffic's An Inconvenient Lie is a must read for all of us concerned about our planet and what it means to be a member of our species today. "Enough is enough" she says. Her detailed analysis of our symbols shows how, and with what consequences, our language has advanced the interests of only one-half of the species: patriarchy. The other, "fem" is made absent, invisible, less than equal, an appendage, a plaything. Gouëffic exposes these mind games in order to reveal what is at work and to make present these absences. Only when we all learn to think for ourselves, she argues, will we have the basis for a more equal and genuine society." Susan L. Robertson, Professor, Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol; Coordinator, Globalization and Europeanization Network in Education; Coordinator, Centre for Globalization, Education and Societies, and Editor, Globalization, Societies and Education. |