23 ms·

I don't understand why you would use the pronoun she in a context where the pronoun them and they would be wholly appropriate.

organsnyder 7y ago
It's become standard etiquette/respect/decency to use the pronouns preferred by the subject. Yes, it's an adjustment for us "old" folks over ~30 or so, but it gets easier with exposure and mindfulness.
- celticmusic 7y ago
  hmmm, I wonder if a trans person would agree...
  - organsnyder 7y ago
    I haven't done any formal polling, but all the trans people I know prefer to be addressed by the pronouns of their choosing.
    - celticmusic 7y ago
      what if the author is writing about a trans person, which preference takes precedence? Did the author imply trans students don't exist when choosing to use a gender-specific pronoun to describe the student body?
      - organsnyder 7y ago
        I'm not understanding what the difficulty is. Always use the pronouns preferred by the person the pronouns are referring to. After that, basic grammar rules apply.
        celticmusic 7y ago
        You fully understand the difficulty, stop gaslighting (I mean that seriously). We have two ideas that are inherently at odds with each other. That the speaker gets to choose the pronouns that are appropriate and that the listener gets to choose the pronouns that are appropriate. words have meaning. she and they mean different things, and using she when they is more appropriate is problematic for all the reasons that have been implied here. Do boys not exist as students? trans students aren't a thing? The pronouns they and them are literally meant to be gender-neutral, they are the appropriate pronoun to use in this article. Stop trying to defend the incorrect usage of the English language, because when you do so you find yourself feigning ignorance to try and gaslight people. There was at one time a movement against using he as a gender-neutral pronoun. Great. Stop using she as well. If they/them is acceptable for trans people, it's acceptable for authors.
        adwn 7y ago
        > You fully understand the difficulty, stop gaslighting (I mean that seriously). Please don't do that here. Personal attacks like these only hinder rational, factual discussion.
        celticmusic 7y ago
        not even the person I was responding to treated that as a personal attack. --- edit: ugh, you two are sad. THAT was a personal attack. Asking someone to stop gaslighting is as personal an attack as asking someone to use a preferred pronoun. Imagine not spinning up a tangent on whether or not asking for someone to stop gaslighting is a personal attack or not.
        organsnyder 7y ago
        A chose to not respond as if it were a personal attack (though that doesn't mean I didn't interpret it as one).
        organsnyder 7y ago
        Huh... first time I've been accused of gaslighting. I am realizing that I completely misinterpreted your initial comment, however—sorry about that. I was interpreting your comment as discussing a pronount referring to a specific individual rather than a generic person. I also would use "they" in that context, though alternating he/she can also work. Sorry about the confusion (really).
      - adwn 7y ago
        > what if the author is writing about a trans person The author of the article in question isn't writing about trans persons in particular; you're trying to create a problem where there is none. > Did the author imply trans students don't exist No. Neither did the author imply that boys don't exist by using the pronoun "she". Only an intentionally uncharitable reading would lead one to that conclusion. Again, you're trying to create a problem where there is none.

organsnyder 7y ago

It's become standard etiquette/respect/decency to use the pronouns preferred by the subject. Yes, it's an adjustment for us "old" folks over ~30 or so, but it gets easier with exposure and mindfulness.

celticmusic 7y ago
hmmm, I wonder if a trans person would agree...
- organsnyder 7y ago
  I haven't done any formal polling, but all the trans people I know prefer to be addressed by the pronouns of their choosing.
  - celticmusic 7y ago
    what if the author is writing about a trans person, which preference takes precedence? Did the author imply trans students don't exist when choosing to use a gender-specific pronoun to describe the student body?
    - organsnyder 7y ago
      I'm not understanding what the difficulty is. Always use the pronouns preferred by the person the pronouns are referring to. After that, basic grammar rules apply.
      - celticmusic 7y ago
        You fully understand the difficulty, stop gaslighting (I mean that seriously). We have two ideas that are inherently at odds with each other. That the speaker gets to choose the pronouns that are appropriate and that the listener gets to choose the pronouns that are appropriate. words have meaning. she and they mean different things, and using she when they is more appropriate is problematic for all the reasons that have been implied here. Do boys not exist as students? trans students aren't a thing? The pronouns they and them are literally meant to be gender-neutral, they are the appropriate pronoun to use in this article. Stop trying to defend the incorrect usage of the English language, because when you do so you find yourself feigning ignorance to try and gaslight people. There was at one time a movement against using he as a gender-neutral pronoun. Great. Stop using she as well. If they/them is acceptable for trans people, it's acceptable for authors.
        adwn 7y ago
        > You fully understand the difficulty, stop gaslighting (I mean that seriously). Please don't do that here. Personal attacks like these only hinder rational, factual discussion.
        celticmusic 7y ago
        not even the person I was responding to treated that as a personal attack. --- edit: ugh, you two are sad. THAT was a personal attack. Asking someone to stop gaslighting is as personal an attack as asking someone to use a preferred pronoun. Imagine not spinning up a tangent on whether or not asking for someone to stop gaslighting is a personal attack or not.
        organsnyder 7y ago
        A chose to not respond as if it were a personal attack (though that doesn't mean I didn't interpret it as one).
        organsnyder 7y ago
        Huh... first time I've been accused of gaslighting. I am realizing that I completely misinterpreted your initial comment, however—sorry about that. I was interpreting your comment as discussing a pronount referring to a specific individual rather than a generic person. I also would use "they" in that context, though alternating he/she can also work. Sorry about the confusion (really).
    - adwn 7y ago
      > what if the author is writing about a trans person The author of the article in question isn't writing about trans persons in particular; you're trying to create a problem where there is none. > Did the author imply trans students don't exist No. Neither did the author imply that boys don't exist by using the pronoun "she". Only an intentionally uncharitable reading would lead one to that conclusion. Again, you're trying to create a problem where there is none.