For many years I have been using WaniKani and this is the first time I’ve come across a political mnemonic. The Lv. 21 vocabulary “可能性” uses gender identity theory to explain the word. Please see below:
The possible (可能) range of gender extends beyond two options. It means there’s a possibility to identify with many different gender identities.
This mnemonic is inappropriate for a language app. It asserts a specific ideological view - that gender extends beyond two options - as a baseline fact. Not everyone agrees with this worldview, and many of us find it to be a departure from biological reality.
I ask that mnemonics be kept politically neutral. I’m here to learn Japanese, not to have a specific social agenda pushed into my study routine. This is a simple and fair request from a paying customer who would prefer the content remain focused on linguistics.
No it’s not “just a mnemonic”. It’s part of what you pay for. You know as well as anyone that the person who wrote this mnemonic knew exactly what they were doing, yet you love to feign ignorance
Hey, I get it. My family is from a society of only believing in ‘biological’ genders and I grew up in such an environment.
You should ignore these mnemonics just like I ignore my family when they push their ‘only two genders’ beliefs. Everyone is then happy.
WaniKani sometimes uses some very weird and sometimes controversial mnemonics for shock-value. Because the theory is that you’ll be more likely to remember them.
As already suggested, simply create your own mnemonic and you don’t have to read that ‘political agenda’ ever again
I find it hilarious and ironic that people who complain about special snowflakes are the same people who cry and want to ban the first thing they don’t like.
可能性
It’s level 21.
WK have made a very obvious mnemonic using the kanji definitions of the 3 components parts to make the vocabulary word easy to remember.
I can’t think of a better one but if you prefer to throw a (political) negation into the mnemonic, that might serve its language learning purpose too.
So if you feel you have to agree with everything on the mnemonic, you didn’t have problems with the mnemonics that suggested jeans are an appropriate unit to measure population, that tacos alone are a way to survive the winter and that shouting Waaaaaa is a means to improve understanding?
Even if you don’t believe trans people exist, I would suggest your outsized reaction to this mnemonic not aligning with what you think is real is an indication that you’re bringing the politics yourself
I am going ahead and locking this thread as I do not foresee any good or productive discussion to come further from this. and once again I would to like cast a reminder about Goal 1 and Goal 2 of these forums.
