Rosebud
Little One
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2000
- Posts
- 3,517
Is A Computer
An English teacher was explaining to his students the concept of
gender association in the English language. He noted how hurricanes
at one time were given only female names, and how ships and planes
were usually referred to as "she." One of the students raised her hand
and asked, "What gender is a computer?"
The teacher wasn't certain. So he divided the class into two groups:
males in one, females in the other, and asked them to decide if a computer
should be masculine or feminine. Both groups were asked to give four reasons
for their recommendations.
The group of women concluded that computers should be referred to as
masculine because:
1. In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on.
2. They have a lot of data but are still clueless.
3. They are supposed to help you solve your problems, but half the time,
they ARE the problem.
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that, if you had waited a
little longer, you could have had a better model.
The men, on the other hand, decided that computers should definitely be
referred to as feminine because:
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic.
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is
incomprehensible to everyone else.
3. Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for later
retrieval.
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending
half your paycheck on accessories for it.
An English teacher was explaining to his students the concept of
gender association in the English language. He noted how hurricanes
at one time were given only female names, and how ships and planes
were usually referred to as "she." One of the students raised her hand
and asked, "What gender is a computer?"
The teacher wasn't certain. So he divided the class into two groups:
males in one, females in the other, and asked them to decide if a computer
should be masculine or feminine. Both groups were asked to give four reasons
for their recommendations.
The group of women concluded that computers should be referred to as
masculine because:
1. In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on.
2. They have a lot of data but are still clueless.
3. They are supposed to help you solve your problems, but half the time,
they ARE the problem.
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that, if you had waited a
little longer, you could have had a better model.
The men, on the other hand, decided that computers should definitely be
referred to as feminine because:
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic.
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is
incomprehensible to everyone else.
3. Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for later
retrieval.
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending
half your paycheck on accessories for it.
