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Michigan: university publishes list of words banned in schools in 2023

"GOAT" and "inflection point" top the list of 10 words and terms to banish for the new year.

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Lake Superior State University, located in Michigan, has published every year since 1976, a list of words and terms to banish for the new year in both universities and schools. With this method, more than 1,000 terms have been banned, many of them more than once.

This year, ten words and terms will be eliminated with "GOAT" and "inflection point" topping the list.

University officials explained the process to Nexstar broadcaster WJMN a year ago. Anyone can propose a word or term on the university's website that they would like to see banned. The school department then selects those that will be banned.

After reviewing more than 1,500 submissions, the University's judges decided that the first word eliminated would be "GOAT," an acronym for "Greatest of all time."

The second term in the list is "inflection point", which was eliminated because it lost its original meaning as a mathematical term. This second term is followed by "quiet quitting" and "gaslighting" banished for their improper and excessive use.

"Quiet quitting" is used to describe a person who works the bare minimum at their job, and even has the potential to be banished again in 2024 for “ongoing misuse and overuse,” explained Lake University. Instead, the judges recommend the use of "normal job performance."

Terms such as "absolutely", "amazing" and "it is what it is" have been withdrawn in the past, but were chosen again this year for their alleged overuse.

"Does it make sense?" It was included in the list, because according to the judges it should "always make sense."

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