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Microsoft Word has added a "woke" feature that issues warnings when words are written that aren't "inclusive" in nature.
The software was brought to light by X owner Elon Musk who stirred up a debate on whether or not Microsoft is attempting to push a societal narrative through its software programs.
"Microsoft Word now scolds you if you use words that aren't 'inclusive'!" Musk wrote on X.
His post was accompanied by an image that showed when a user had entered the word "insane," the word received an "inclusiveness" warning. The software recommended a word change on the grounds that it "implies mental health bias."
Additionally, the software presents "perspective" warnings to its users, suggesting alternative viewpoints if their input fails to conform to Microsoft's desired standards.
In another image that Musk shared, the software had issued a warning to "consider a different perspective."
The new feature, which was first developed in 2022, provides suggestions for references related to the following biases: age, culture, handicap, gender, race, socioeconomic status, mental health, and sexual orientation. It must be manually enabled by the user through Word's "editor" settings. It also recommends substituting gendered pronouns, gender-specific terminology, and ethnic slurs with other words or phrases, according to Newsweek.
It suggests steering clear of gender-specific pronouns and phrases like "mankind" in order to avoid stereotyping.
"Don't use slang, especially if it could be considered cultural appropriation, such as 'spirit animal,'" Microsoft said in an article about the new feature, the outlet reports.
Elon Musk's comment section underneath the initial post was flooded with comments in which users repeatedly wrote the word "insane."
"That's insane," said Dave Rubin.
"That's insane! Oops," David Sacks said.
"Insane," wrote ALX.
Republican presidential candidate and tech billionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy also weighed in and said: "The best way to control the mind of a society is to control its language first."
The software was brought to light by X owner Elon Musk who stirred up a debate on whether or not Microsoft is attempting to push a societal narrative through its software programs.
"Microsoft Word now scolds you if you use words that aren't 'inclusive'!" Musk wrote on X.
His post was accompanied by an image that showed when a user had entered the word "insane," the word received an "inclusiveness" warning. The software recommended a word change on the grounds that it "implies mental health bias."
Additionally, the software presents "perspective" warnings to its users, suggesting alternative viewpoints if their input fails to conform to Microsoft's desired standards.
In another image that Musk shared, the software had issued a warning to "consider a different perspective."
The new feature, which was first developed in 2022, provides suggestions for references related to the following biases: age, culture, handicap, gender, race, socioeconomic status, mental health, and sexual orientation. It must be manually enabled by the user through Word's "editor" settings. It also recommends substituting gendered pronouns, gender-specific terminology, and ethnic slurs with other words or phrases, according to Newsweek.
It suggests steering clear of gender-specific pronouns and phrases like "mankind" in order to avoid stereotyping.
"Don't use slang, especially if it could be considered cultural appropriation, such as 'spirit animal,'" Microsoft said in an article about the new feature, the outlet reports.
Elon Musk's comment section underneath the initial post was flooded with comments in which users repeatedly wrote the word "insane."
"That's insane," said Dave Rubin.
"That's insane! Oops," David Sacks said.
"Insane," wrote ALX.
Republican presidential candidate and tech billionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy also weighed in and said: "The best way to control the mind of a society is to control its language first."
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