18 ms·

it isn't a guy and it uses it/its pronouns.

by easrng 4y ago

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
ripdog 4y ago
What? "It" identifies as an inanimate object? This neopronoun thing really is getting absurd.
- tbossanova 4y ago
  Absurd? Maybe, but I’d hate a life without any absurdity.
- tsimionescu 4y ago
  I agree with you on this, but I feel a need to note that "it" refers to non-persons, not just inanimate objects. It's perfectly normal to refer to animals as "it", and it is also quite common to use it for babies (and even more common for fetuses). Not that this makes it any less weird to ask to be referred as "it", mind you.
  - ripdog 4y ago
    Thanks for the correction, you're quite correct.
  - jupp0r 4y ago
    I've also seen it being used to refer to aliens. What's wrong with letting people choose their pronouns?
    - tsimionescu 4y ago
      Letting people choose whether to be referred to as men, women, or neutral (perhaps using neo-pronouns or singular them/they) is perfectly fine. But re-purposing existing words with other meanings is not. And "it" has a very specific meaning, one that just doesn't apply to conscious adult people. If I asked to be called "the object" that would not be a reasonable request, anymore than asking to be referred to as "it". And particularly for "it" and other objectifying language, it has the huge problem that it makes other people uncomfortable. Especially those who overhear without being aware of your preference (imagine sending an email to a new client with text like "in my absence, contact my colleague X, it will assist you, it is an expert").
arp242 4y ago
This is downvoted, but the homepage really does say "hello i am maia arson crimew (it/she)". I'd feel uncomfortable referring to anyone as "it" though, as there are some connotations with that :-/
- kazinator 4y ago
  Why do we only get to choose our pronouns? I want to choose my prepositions: in, up and above. Also, my conjunctions are: however, moreover, and whereupon.
  - _cenw 4y ago
    Because we already arbitrarily assign different pronouns to different people, usually based solely on their appearance, and there is no harm in letting people pick which type of gendered (or less gendered, in the binary sense) association they'd rather have.
    - yencabulator 4y ago
      There's an easier fix for that, instead of having to memorize everyone's "unique" preference (xy/xor/xeps), change the language to avoid the issue. "They" for everyone is the only logical evolution. My native language doesn't have a he/she differentiation..
      - mrguyorama 4y ago
        You don't have to memorize shit. When you refer to someone and they tell you "I prefer pronoun X" just use that pronoun for the rest of the interaction. If you interact with them regularly or they are important to you somehow, you will remember, the same as you remember a pet name or nickname or screenname. If you forget and interact with them again they will remind you. They will likely not be angry if you forget occasionally, and using their chosen pronouns will please them and endear them to you. They only get hurt if you obviously do it on purpose. It's literally identical to the concept of learning someone's name, yet humans largely don't have a problem with that.
kristofferR 4y ago
Guys doesn't refer to men anymore, it's now a neutral word that can refer to both genders.
- greenhorn360 4y ago
  So how many guys have you slept with? It's not neutral but guys like to pretend it is.
  - peteforde 4y ago
    This is a genuinely clever reply. I do wonder what a linguist would suggest about these two uses, though. English is a language in which context often changes outcomes.
    - refurb 4y ago
      It’s clever if you’ve never heard of context.
      - lightmyst 4y ago
        It's not clever if you've never heard a joke.
  - Chris2048 4y ago
    It's neutral referring to groups, not individuals. If you approach a group and say "How are you guys?" it doesn't imply an all-male group.
  - mst 4y ago
    Depends which register of english. If I'm in a mixed group down the pub I won't at all be surprised if somebody (usually female) walks up to the table and says "hey guys" as a greeting, intending to include male, female and enby members of said group. If I'm on the internet I'm not going to try and use "guys" as gender neutral because I fully expect I'd be misunderstood by a decent percentage of people reading if I did. So I wouldn't say people are necessarily pretending, it's entirely possible they're just used to it being neutral and forgetting that for a bunch of people it very much isn't. That's socially though - when talking about people I've slept with, I acknowledge I'd expect people to read 'guys' as only referencing the male-identified ones. Though I'm more likely to use 'dudes' for that purpose myself, because confusion around 'guys' can go in both directions.
pelasaco 4y ago
Interesting to see in which prison "it" will land

it isn't a guy and it uses it/its pronouns.

by easrng 4y ago

it isn't a guy and it uses it/its pronouns.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

ripdog 4y ago

What? "It" identifies as an inanimate object? This neopronoun thing really is getting absurd.

tbossanova 4y ago
Absurd? Maybe, but I’d hate a life without any absurdity.
tsimionescu 4y ago
I agree with you on this, but I feel a need to note that "it" refers to non-persons, not just inanimate objects. It's perfectly normal to refer to animals as "it", and it is also quite common to use it for babies (and even more common for fetuses). Not that this makes it any less weird to ask to be referred as "it", mind you.
- ripdog 4y ago
  Thanks for the correction, you're quite correct.
- jupp0r 4y ago
  I've also seen it being used to refer to aliens. What's wrong with letting people choose their pronouns?
  - tsimionescu 4y ago
    Letting people choose whether to be referred to as men, women, or neutral (perhaps using neo-pronouns or singular them/they) is perfectly fine. But re-purposing existing words with other meanings is not. And "it" has a very specific meaning, one that just doesn't apply to conscious adult people. If I asked to be called "the object" that would not be a reasonable request, anymore than asking to be referred to as "it". And particularly for "it" and other objectifying language, it has the huge problem that it makes other people uncomfortable. Especially those who overhear without being aware of your preference (imagine sending an email to a new client with text like "in my absence, contact my colleague X, it will assist you, it is an expert").

arp242 4y ago

This is downvoted, but the homepage really does say "hello i am maia arson crimew (it/she)". I'd feel uncomfortable referring to anyone as "it" though, as there are some connotations with that :-/

kazinator 4y ago
Why do we only get to choose our pronouns? I want to choose my prepositions: in, up and above. Also, my conjunctions are: however, moreover, and whereupon.
- _cenw 4y ago
  Because we already arbitrarily assign different pronouns to different people, usually based solely on their appearance, and there is no harm in letting people pick which type of gendered (or less gendered, in the binary sense) association they'd rather have.
  - yencabulator 4y ago
    There's an easier fix for that, instead of having to memorize everyone's "unique" preference (xy/xor/xeps), change the language to avoid the issue. "They" for everyone is the only logical evolution. My native language doesn't have a he/she differentiation..
    - mrguyorama 4y ago
      You don't have to memorize shit. When you refer to someone and they tell you "I prefer pronoun X" just use that pronoun for the rest of the interaction. If you interact with them regularly or they are important to you somehow, you will remember, the same as you remember a pet name or nickname or screenname. If you forget and interact with them again they will remind you. They will likely not be angry if you forget occasionally, and using their chosen pronouns will please them and endear them to you. They only get hurt if you obviously do it on purpose. It's literally identical to the concept of learning someone's name, yet humans largely don't have a problem with that.

kristofferR 4y ago

Guys doesn't refer to men anymore, it's now a neutral word that can refer to both genders.

greenhorn360 4y ago
So how many guys have you slept with? It's not neutral but guys like to pretend it is.
- peteforde 4y ago
  This is a genuinely clever reply. I do wonder what a linguist would suggest about these two uses, though. English is a language in which context often changes outcomes.
  - refurb 4y ago
    It’s clever if you’ve never heard of context.
    - lightmyst 4y ago
      It's not clever if you've never heard a joke.
- Chris2048 4y ago
  It's neutral referring to groups, not individuals. If you approach a group and say "How are you guys?" it doesn't imply an all-male group.
- mst 4y ago
  Depends which register of english. If I'm in a mixed group down the pub I won't at all be surprised if somebody (usually female) walks up to the table and says "hey guys" as a greeting, intending to include male, female and enby members of said group. If I'm on the internet I'm not going to try and use "guys" as gender neutral because I fully expect I'd be misunderstood by a decent percentage of people reading if I did. So I wouldn't say people are necessarily pretending, it's entirely possible they're just used to it being neutral and forgetting that for a bunch of people it very much isn't. That's socially though - when talking about people I've slept with, I acknowledge I'd expect people to read 'guys' as only referencing the male-identified ones. Though I'm more likely to use 'dudes' for that purpose myself, because confusion around 'guys' can go in both directions.

pelasaco 4y ago

Interesting to see in which prison "it" will land