Re:A Critique of the Open Letter Calling for the Removal of RMS
by KingOfCoders on Wednesday April 07, 2021 @05:32AM
(#26722339)
Exactly.
Well ... no. People are called Baker because some ancestor was a baker. Then over time the link from the name to the occupation got lost.
Just as we might have "derive[d] pronouns from that" but are currently on the same way as with "Baker" - removing the word from it's physical beginnings.
Then in the end words are a tool and not a thing by their own - as evidenced that you can hardly read a 500 year old text - including your pronouns, that were different back then.
If it helps - at least one party - communication to use different/new pronouns, this is where language will go.
Re:A Critique of the Open Letter Calling for the Removal of RMS
by junon on Thursday April 08, 2021 @11:38AM
(#26740137)
Being a baker is not a physical trait.
Names, however, are not. We've learned names are not connected to any physical trait, and thus we process and store them differently.
Expecting the entirety of humanity to simply "unlearn" language is a huge stretch - especially for those with gendered languages (English is not a gendered language).
Further, the fact that pronouns "hurt" trans people is largely subjective - there is a very large portion of the trans community that would disagree with that assertion.
Words are words. Perhaps we should stop placing as much weight in them, fullstop.