NYT Crossword Puzzle Accused of Being Sexist, Offensive
The answer to 31D is "harem."
6.29.2016
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Even The New York Times' crossword puzzle isn't safe from charges of sexism.
The famous puzzle is coming under fire for using the word "harem" as an answer to one of its questions.
In Tuesday’s crossword puzzle, the Times alluded to the harem’s historical role, with a clue describing it as a “decidedly non-feminist women’s group.”And that little joke has some people outraged. People on Twitter denounced the clue as “hateful,” “clueless,” and somehow dismissive of victims of sex slavery.
It's not immediately clear why the word "harem" is offensive. Ruth Graham at Slate explains that the crossword puzzle authors are too white and too male.
“[O]f the 47 most recent constructors for the Times, just 11 are female,” Graham complains. “The author of today’s puzzle is male, and so is [puzzle editor Will] Shortz. The constructors are also overwhelmingly white.”
She goes on to point out the track record of offenses for the NYT puzzle: “In 2012, the answer ILLEGAL was clued with: ‘One caught by the border patrol,'” she says. “The offensive use of illegal as a noun set off a brouhaha that made its way to Univision. In 2013, a national puzzle syndicate apologized for using the clue ‘Shylock’ for the answer JEW. And in November, Shortz issued a mea culpa for the clue ‘Exasperated comment from a feminist.’ Answer: MEN.”
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