It all started in December 2020 when mainstream left-wing political website Politico allowed Ben Shapiro (gasp!) to guest-author their flagship newsletter called "Playbook." Progressive millennials at the outlet flipped right out, as you might expect, because we all know Shapiro is a literal Nazi (an Orthodox Jewish one who wears a yarmulke every day, but still).

After that, in March 2021, there was a big kerfuffle over an article about transgenderism that some of the woker staff deemed not "sensitive" enough.

Then, in July 2021, after much progressive weeping and gnashing of teeth, Politico brought in three transgender individuals to lecture their reporters about the "inherent transphobia" in their (left-wing) reporting. Reporters were told that a "neutral" position on transgender issues came from "white, cisgender men," and therefore should be assumed to be inaccurate.

Put all that together, add a new standards editor (Anita Kumar) and a healthy splash of patchouli oil, and what do you get? Politico's updated style guide, implemented in January 2022, which includes a list of banned words and phrases that are off-limits for their writers to use, lest some poor, woke, fragile soul be offended and thus traumatized forever.

Courtesy of Amber Athey at The Spectator, here are the words and phrases banned at mainstream outlet Politico:

• Mankind
• Man-made
• Manhunt
• Crack the whip: unacceptable because of origins in slavery
• Waiter or waitress: server should be used instead
• Biological gender, biological sex, biological woman, biological female, biological man, or biological male
• Illegal immigrant or illegal alien
• Cake walk: "originated during slavery" and thus perpetuates "racist motifs"
• In reference to illegal migration: onslaught, tidal wave, flood, inundation, surge, invasion, army, march, sneak and stealth
• Anchor baby
• Chain migration: this is a term used by "immigration hard-liners"
• Peanut gallery: "the cheapest seats often occupied by Black people and people with low incomes"
• Third-world countries: too "derogatory"

Oh, it does not end there. Politico reporters are also not allowed to say that a transgender person "identifies as" a certain gender, or describe the current situation at the border as a "crisis." The guide also warned reporters to make sure not to portray migrants as a "negative, harmful influence."

Want some more? "Pro-choice" is frowned upon in favor of "abortion rights supporter," and (of course) "pro-life" is outlawed, with "anti-abortion" taking its place. "Late-term abortion" is also a no-no; reporters are told to use "abortion later in pregnancy."

If you're not banging your head against the wall yet, consider the following two paragraphs:

"When describing abortion issues, consider using gender-neutral language like ‘people who seek abortions' or ‘patients who seek abortions' rather than ‘women who seek abortions,' as there are non-female-identifying people who are able to become pregnant.

"Generally, avoid references to a transgender person being born a boy or girl, and opt for phrasing such as ‘identified at birth as boy/girl,'" cautioned the guide. "A person's biology does not take precedence over their gender identity, and such oversimplifications can invalidate the person's current, authentic gender." It also urged reporters to "consider using gender-neutral language like ‘pregnant people' or ‘people using birth control'… as there are non-female identifying people who are able to become pregnant, require reproductive healthcare, etc."

Since we can't get out of here without touching on race, of course, Politico's guide mandates a capital B when writing "black," but, "Unlike Black, white should not be capitalized in any instances."

IN ANY INSTANCES -- GOT IT??

Amazing. As Athey notes towards the end of her piece, "Thanks to the constant complaints by woke staffers, transgender coverage at Politico now reads like pure propaganda rather than well-informed and reasoned reportage."

You might not believe me, but this woke propagandist dumpster fire of an organization was just sold for OVER $1 BILLION.

What a time to be alive.