4 ms·

EU calls to ditch "gendered language" such as "no man's land" – Gript

5 points by vinnyglennon 3y ago

mdrzn 3y ago
Maybe it's because I'm already 30something and I "believe" the Douglas Adams quote [0] but I don't understand the need for this kind of changes. Most Europeans languages also ARE gendered languages, for example "the chair" is female in Italian, while "the couch" is male. Should we also remove all gendered prefix and go the route english went, with a generic "the"? [0] https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/39828-i-ve-come-up-with-a-set-of-rules-that-describe https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/39828-i-ve-come-up-with-a-s...
- deleted 3y ago
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jruohonen 3y ago
Most of these seem sensible enough, provided that someone really is offended by them and believes that equality can be achieved by language manipulation. But then there are some great ones that should be censored too but which go beyond my understanding, among these are ditsy, frumpy, shrill, hysterical, and mastermind.
- WaitWaitWha 3y ago
  > Most of these seem sensible enough, provided that someone really is offended by them and believes that equality can be achieved by language manipulation. How far are you willing to implement this based on someone's presumed offence?
  - jruohonen 3y ago
    > How far are you willing to implement this based on someone's presumed offence? I am not sitting in the committee, mind you. But I have no problems writing "he or she", although I would find it difficult and emotionally (sorry, empathetically) exhaustive to write "assertive and enthusiastic fireperson" instead of "bossy and emotional fireman" in order to avoid wrongthink. Note also that in Finnish we have no gendered pronouns, although it seems a similar tendency is ongoing also here; they already have those "sensitivity readers" (a.k.a. censors) in some publishing houses. I don't understand their function because every publishing author surely knows how to avoid truly offending words. And what makes all this hilarious and sad is that at the same time you have social media filled with true vile, including everything from death to rape threats.
Ekaros 3y ago
[flagged]
- teleforce 3y ago
  Not sure why you are being down voted by just mentioning your honest observation of this nonsensical trend. I've heard that some people get offended by someone who's referring and calling a third person he or she, rather the political correct of 'that person'. I like your suggestion about the usage of X, and it's not unlike Malcolm X. The main difference is that Malcolm using it for the right reasons, but not the lame excuse of not hurting or being insensitive to another gender.

5 points by vinnyglennon 3y ago

Maybe it's because I'm already 30something and I "believe" the Douglas Adams quote [0] but I don't understand the need for this kind of changes. Most Europeans languages also ARE gendered languages, for example "the chair" is female in Italian, while "the couch" is male. Should we also remove all gendered prefix and go the route english went, with a generic "the"? [0] https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/39828-i-ve-come-up-with-a-set-of-rules-that-describe https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/39828-i-ve-come-up-with-a-s...

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

jruohonen 3y ago

Most of these seem sensible enough, provided that someone really is offended by them and believes that equality can be achieved by language manipulation. But then there are some great ones that should be censored too but which go beyond my understanding, among these are ditsy, frumpy, shrill, hysterical, and mastermind.

WaitWaitWha 3y ago
> Most of these seem sensible enough, provided that someone really is offended by them and believes that equality can be achieved by language manipulation. How far are you willing to implement this based on someone's presumed offence?
- jruohonen 3y ago
  > How far are you willing to implement this based on someone's presumed offence? I am not sitting in the committee, mind you. But I have no problems writing "he or she", although I would find it difficult and emotionally (sorry, empathetically) exhaustive to write "assertive and enthusiastic fireperson" instead of "bossy and emotional fireman" in order to avoid wrongthink. Note also that in Finnish we have no gendered pronouns, although it seems a similar tendency is ongoing also here; they already have those "sensitivity readers" (a.k.a. censors) in some publishing houses. I don't understand their function because every publishing author surely knows how to avoid truly offending words. And what makes all this hilarious and sad is that at the same time you have social media filled with true vile, including everything from death to rape threats.

Ekaros 3y ago

[flagged]

teleforce 3y ago
Not sure why you are being down voted by just mentioning your honest observation of this nonsensical trend. I've heard that some people get offended by someone who's referring and calling a third person he or she, rather the political correct of 'that person'. I like your suggestion about the usage of X, and it's not unlike Malcolm X. The main difference is that Malcolm using it for the right reasons, but not the lame excuse of not hurting or being insensitive to another gender.