4 ms·
Do you feel the same way about generic he? It too has a long history.
by bradleyjg 5y ago
Do you feel the same way about generic he? It too has a long history.
- roelschroeven 5y agoYes, generic he can be used in the singular as well.
- vidarh 5y agoIt is clearly valid. I personally don't care if others use "he" as a generic, but seeing at some people don't feel included when it is used, I increasingly use "they". Not least when I don't know someones preference, because I consider the most inclusive option to be the most polite.
- bradleyjg 5y agoI don’t feel included by they.
- vidarh 5y agoYou objectively are, and in the choice of who to care about that means I have absolutely no interest in catering to people upset that others are included.
- bradleyjg 5y agoThere’s no difference objectively between generic he and generic they. Both cover everyone. You just prefer one to the other. That’s fine, so do I.
- vidarh 5y agoThere is an objective difference between generic he and generic they: In many contexts you can not tell whether the "he" was intended to be generic or not.