Choose Your Words Carefully: A Guest Post

Here is some feedback we received this morning from a Korner reader. We appreciate this level of scrutiny and deeply regret that our kontent, which is intended to liberate, would serve instead to disempower. It is profoundly helpful to get a wake-up call like this every once in a while to challenge us to meet and exceed the highest standards of quality. In the end, we are better off for this sort of examination. It is essential that we acknowledge our responsibility as highly visible Kreationists and not fall into the trap of lazy, reckless ways of presenting ourselves. Take note:

Dear Kreation Krew,

I write today to address a concern about a casual, problematic use of language on The Kreation Korner. Your most recent post ("Video Korner," dated July 20, 2014) mentions an ostensibly female individual referred to only as "sometime muse Mrs. Peebles." This figure isn't even granted the privilege of a first name. Rather, her identity is defined only by her relation to Chris Peebles--who happens to be male. Moreover, as the only other description we receive of her is that she is a "sometime muse," we get the troubling sense that Mrs. Peebles' only function is to occasionally inspire a man. I would have expected more from the usually thoughtful Kreation Korner than to employ language that deprives a woman of her agency and an identity all her own. As one of the world's leading makers and distributors of Kreative Kontent, you ought to respect the power of words and be careful not to allow them to be used as vessels for oppressive patriarchal attitudes.

Sincerely,

Jamie S.
Palmyra, NJ