It's a proposal in play at Oxford and I write quite a bit so I wonder how it works. They're going to make use of ZE mandatory so have a ball with that. (RT: Unisex: ‘He’ & ‘she’ become gender-neutral ‘ze’ at Oxford University)
If Bill and Sue are in the room and ze walks out the door then who the hell left? The people at Oxford say this isn't for PC but you know already it's PC to the Moon. The question is whether it's good PC or even useful.
There are many times I lament the absence of a good substitute for HE and SHE and, for example, Elizabeth Carmichael, the pioneer with this groundbreaking research, had only this to say when ze spoke at the Symposium for the Grand Poobahs.
In that context it works but I'm still screwed for trying to identify who walked out the room unless I use the name but it seems no alternative if I adhere to the policy.
Whether any of this makes any difference to a termite in Timbuktu, I don't really know. People say it's needed for equality but I question that as it may be obsessive whitewashing of something which really isn't dirty when the manifestation is in behavior and it's rarely difficult to discern whether someone is writing in some sexist manner.
In some ways I do agree with the pronoun but I don't believe it obviates the others. There are times when being forced to identify the sex of the subject is a stupid nuisance so the pronoun is an excellent response to that. I don't see it solving all problems, however.
Computer programming is one of the least-discriminatory pursuits in which one can engage when the only question is 'can you do it?' I've had friends with extreme physical challenges and yet programmed like maniacs. You can't see who is doing it and it doesn't even matter.
In one example, a woman was exceptionally good at systems performance so she was in high demand but she also wouldn't go into the lunchroom because They were in there. No-one was ever able to draw who or what They were. It didn't matter, tho. If she kept cranking out those stats, we would keep Them in the lunchroom.
No, I am not kidding (larfs). She was far from the only loon. Systems programming draws all sorts.
Sudden epiphany: I should have asked her if I could escort her to lunch. It seems so damn obvious now. I don't mean as a pickup line as it wasn't that kind of situation but rather for security.
We want that for everything in which the only conditions are can you do it, can you hack it, etc. That's all about fairness but the pronoun is all about language and they aren't necessarily the same thing.
Maybe I will try this as I go along to see if it finds useful application. I have reservations but there are times when I want such a pronoun. We shall see.
If Bill and Sue are in the room and ze walks out the door then who the hell left? The people at Oxford say this isn't for PC but you know already it's PC to the Moon. The question is whether it's good PC or even useful.
There are many times I lament the absence of a good substitute for HE and SHE and, for example, Elizabeth Carmichael, the pioneer with this groundbreaking research, had only this to say when ze spoke at the Symposium for the Grand Poobahs.
In that context it works but I'm still screwed for trying to identify who walked out the room unless I use the name but it seems no alternative if I adhere to the policy.
Whether any of this makes any difference to a termite in Timbuktu, I don't really know. People say it's needed for equality but I question that as it may be obsessive whitewashing of something which really isn't dirty when the manifestation is in behavior and it's rarely difficult to discern whether someone is writing in some sexist manner.
In some ways I do agree with the pronoun but I don't believe it obviates the others. There are times when being forced to identify the sex of the subject is a stupid nuisance so the pronoun is an excellent response to that. I don't see it solving all problems, however.
Computer programming is one of the least-discriminatory pursuits in which one can engage when the only question is 'can you do it?' I've had friends with extreme physical challenges and yet programmed like maniacs. You can't see who is doing it and it doesn't even matter.
In one example, a woman was exceptionally good at systems performance so she was in high demand but she also wouldn't go into the lunchroom because They were in there. No-one was ever able to draw who or what They were. It didn't matter, tho. If she kept cranking out those stats, we would keep Them in the lunchroom.
No, I am not kidding (larfs). She was far from the only loon. Systems programming draws all sorts.
Sudden epiphany: I should have asked her if I could escort her to lunch. It seems so damn obvious now. I don't mean as a pickup line as it wasn't that kind of situation but rather for security.
We want that for everything in which the only conditions are can you do it, can you hack it, etc. That's all about fairness but the pronoun is all about language and they aren't necessarily the same thing.
Maybe I will try this as I go along to see if it finds useful application. I have reservations but there are times when I want such a pronoun. We shall see.
5 comments:
I am so tired of hearing this.
Who cares if it is Bill or Sue left or who Bill or Sue used to be
Or who Bill or Sue will be.
If they call themselves Bill or Sue and Sue leaves Bill is left
If Bill leaves then Sue is left.
Why is it so important for the world to know how they changed, ate changing or want to change .
I dont care
So sit down shut up and live your lives as Bill or Sue or any incarnation in between I dont need or want the details.
Only when you decide to force the details upon me do I comment so enjoy your life and quit wearing in on your sleeve.
In writing it matters because I need the right pronoun when it also identifies someone but its absence is a drag in situations in which I often use s/he. That sucks but it also sucks for me using he as that does the same thing in it maybe misidentifies the person. It's not so much for me about political correctness but rather accuracy.
I'm not sure what to do with the last part. This one just popped up on the news and some interest for writing. Beyond that, not much.
I thought "it" was already gender neutral.
I read the article as "He and She" not as another gender neutral term
That one does work but maybe they regarded that one as too amorphous when it could be animal, mineral, etc. Bringing this over from German worked in some ways because it threw out gender for articles in 'der, die, das' and it doesn't matter to me for political correctness but rather It's a pain to remember which ones are which.
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