Using she/her as 3rd person neuter singular

[renard_ruse]

What is up with this? See it more and more on Biasipedia, sorry, I mean Wikipedia and elsewhere. Now, I've been watching videos of legal tutorials and they are frequently doing this. WTF? These same people who have demanded "inclusive" and "gender neutral" language for the past 40 years are now themselves using pronouns that are openly exclusionary? And doing it with a straight face, like its the most natural thing in the world. This is beyond hypocrisy.

 

[renard_ruse]

In English, we have several ways to express 3rd person neuter singular. We have the historic way which is use he, him, etc, to refer to both sexes. This is NOT exclusionary because everyone always knew it included both sexes.

This is in line with the grammatical tradition in most western languagues, including nearly all the Latin derived languages. Neuter he and him were NEVER exclusionary and nobody prior to the hippie/radical era of the 1960s/70s even thought twice about it.

However, due to bitching and complaining from radicals and femanists of that era, demands were made that people use more obviously neutral pronouns. Thus, the neuter "they/them" started to be used by many. Others who objected to this on grammatical grounds, instead encouraged use of the dual "he-she" and "him-her." The pro "they" side disagreed saying that was cumbersome. Never-the-less, there were three legitimate ways to express 3rd person neuter singular in common use, all of which were defensible on some ground:

1. He, him - historic and traditional. Never meant to "exclude" anyone, was always understood to include both sexes.

2. They, them- new circa 1970s

3. He-she, him-her- new circa 1970s

In fact, using she and her is the ONLY option that actually excludes people linguistically. In nearly all western languages, she is traditionally only used for females and not for neuter. Yet, this is now what more and more writers, academics, and professors are doing. Of the four possible options, its the only one that actually is exclusionary.

 

[Snugbug]

When you say neuter all I think about is chopping off balls and cutting out ovaries. I know technically you're using it correctly, but yeah....

 

[sigh]

Your culture is dying, renard. Sucks, doesn't it?

So is mine, of course, but it doesn't keep me up at night.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

What is up with this? See it more and more on Biasipedia, sorry, I mean Wikipedia and elsewhere. Now, I've been watching videos of legal tutorials and they are frequently doing this. WTF? These same people who have demanded "inclusive" and "gender neutral" language for the past 40 years are now themselves using pronouns that are openly exclusionary? And doing it with a straight face, like its the most natural thing in the world. This is beyond hypocrisy.

In English, we have several ways to express 3rd person neuter singular. We have the historic way which is use he, him, etc, to refer to both sexes. This is NOT exclusionary because everyone always knew it included both sexes.

This is in line with the grammatical tradition in most western languagues, including nearly all the Latin derived languages. Neuter he and him were NEVER exclusionary and nobody prior to the hippie/radical era of the 1960s/70s even thought twice about it.

However, due to bitching and complaining from radicals and femanists of that era, demands were made that people use more obviously neutral pronouns. Thus, the neuter "they/them" started to be used by many. Others who objected to this on grammatical grounds, instead encouraged use of the dual "he-she" and "him-her." The pro "they" side disagreed saying that was cumbersome. Never-the-less, there were three legitimate ways to express 3rd person neuter singular in common use, all of which were defensible on some ground:

1. He, him - historic and traditional. Never meant to "exclude" anyone, was always understood to include both sexes.

2. They, them- new circa 1970s

3. He-she, him-her- new circa 1970s

In fact, using she and her is the ONLY option that actually excludes people linguistically. In nearly all western languages, she is traditionally only used for females and not for neuter. Yet, this is now what more and more writers, academics, and professors are doing. Of the four possible options, its the only one that actually is exclusionary.

https://media.giphy.com/media/10hfegXGKVRVNm/giphy.gif

http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/small-violin.gif

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/0d/44/6c/0d446c157dafa51254575ceb138b3fb7.gif

pauvre Renny.

 

[Lunation]

This is the stupidest thing ever to get mad about.

 

[Hypoxia]

This is the stupidest thing ever to get mad about.

Yeah, well, consider the source.

The dissatisfied can switch to a language with either finer or rougher gender distinctions in pronouns. Suomi has many. Cobol has none. Your choice.

 

[Lunation]

Yeah, well, consider the source.

Oh, is she* easily offended?




*Using she here as neutral, as I don't know the OP's gender, and it will piss her off.

 

[SelfTawt]

I'm roliing with 'Shim' if it becomes necessary for me to ever consider 'correctness'
to the marco degree.

 

[Hypoxia]

Oh, is she* easily offended?




*Using she here as neutral, as I don't know the OP's gender, and it will piss her off.

Careful there. Tell a 9-year-old girl she looks like a boy and she'll call you a fuckin' idiot. On your TV cameras. If you're an InfoWars 'reporter'. Just avoid such constraints and you'll be OK. Unless she's armed. And accurate/

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

When they can get you to the point that you will believe and accept anything in order to appear reasonable, then you will accept and believe the most unreasonable things.


This is not just The Road to Serfdom, but the road to Nuremberg...


Now, please feel free to use any pronoun you want to.


For now...

 

[Liar]

This just in; things change sometimes.

 

[Raziel83]

Yeah, well, consider the source.

The dissatisfied can switch to a language with either finer or rougher gender distinctions in pronouns. Suomi has many. Cobol has none. Your choice.

Suomi/Finnish has no gender distinctions.

 

[Hypoxia]

Suomi/Finnish has no gender distinctions.

You're right. I lied. I was too lazy to look up a good example. I confess. Shoot me now.

 

[Snugbug]

You're right. I lied. I was too lazy to look up a good example. I confess. Shoot me now.

Han shall be shot at dawn

 

[Hypoxia]

Han shall be shot at dawn

Can't wait that long.

It's now or never.

Do I feel lucky?

 

[Snugbug]

Can't wait that long.

It's now or never.

Do I feel lucky?

Han shall get a running start