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Subject:Re: women and men (was Re: Hey, take it eas From:"Dave L. Meek's User Account" <dave -at- DISC-SYNERGY -dot- COM> Date:Sat, 19 Nov 1994 16:53:56 -0800
Ever since PC goose-stepped its way onto the American scene, the
chronically-offended have squandered innumerable hours wailing
and gnashing their collective teeth over trivial concerns.
The generic "he" conjures neither male nor female images to my
mind--probably because the generic "he" is *generic*. The
kindest thing I can say about those offended by the generic "he"
is that they need professional help. They apparently believe that
"he" can mean only one thing. I wonder what they do when they
read the word "bow." Do they assume that "bow" can only be
a ribbon tied into a knot? Or that it can only be the front part
of a ship? I hope they realize it can be both of those and more.
I have read claims that sexism is responsible for relegating
"chairwoman" to relative obscurity. But I think the real answer
is that "chairman" flows better than "chairwoman." Sexism is not
the culprit. "Chairperson" is the worst-sounding of them all.
Not only that, it serves no purpose. It's hard to be gender-free
when you say, "Chairperson Sally Jones." And why would a woman
*want* to hide her gender, anyway? It's not something to be
ashamed of.
The terms "womyn," "herstory," and others are pure nonsense. Are
we to change "hispanic" to "herspanic?" How do we handle
"menopause?" Does that term now refer to hesitant Irish males?
And what about "person?" Doesn't it contain the dreaded male
bias in "son?" (Oops--now there'll be a headlong rush to
obliterate "son" from every word. And then "sun," since it sounds
the same.)
If the PC-fascists try hard enough, they can eventually make
English a complete impediment to communication.
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Dave Meek "It takes a big man to cry,
but it takes an even bigger man
to laugh at that man."
-Jack Handy
