Did you know the State Department has a "Chief Diversity Officer?" Me neither. The State Department's Chief Diversity Officer John Robinson tells us in the latest issue of Slate Magazine that such plain English terms such as "hold down the fort," "handicap," and "rule of thumb" are offensive.
Hold down the fort is not some "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" reference. It seems to have originated in a hymn written by a preacher who served under William Tecumseh Sherman in the Civil War. Sherman used the expression in ordering men to hold a position while his forces advanced elsewhere. As far back as Elizabethan England, Handicap was a gambling game where players would hide their hands in their caps during the wagering. The term applied to the disabled is of twentieth century origin and has nothing to do with begging with the cap in hand, as the esteemed Mr. Robinson would have us believe. Even Snopes has dispelled that rumor. And rule of thumb is not at all related to the size of a stick to beat your wife. Woodworkers have used the thumb as a measurement as far back as we can trace. Indeed the word for thumb and inch are similar and derived from the same root in many Romance languages.
Now, speaking for the millions of us who are pretty sure we have Indian ancestry, although I really can't prove it - but you should see a photo of my grandma and her dad - I think Chief might be offensive. I always thought the Air Force was on shaky ground with the Indian headdress regalia surrounding the Chief Master Sergeants. So perhaps Mr. Robinson needs to come up with another title.
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