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Re:A backlash against gender ideology is starting in univers... by cheeseomlit on Wednesday June 23, 2021 @04:00PM (#27609373)
A name is not an intrinsic trait of a person, it's a legal abstraction. Your name has no meaning outside of it's designation as a name and you can change it at any time. 'Mike', 'Michael', and 'Michelangelo' all mean the same thing- it's just an arbitrary word used to identify a person. 'Him' and 'Her' on the other hand are not arbitrary and do not mean the same thing, they refer to directly observable biological traits that cannot be changed.
Re:A backlash against gender ideology is starting in univers... by karpierz on Wednesday June 23, 2021 @04:11PM (#27609564)
How do you tell if someone is a 'him' or 'her'? What are the criteria you use to make that decision, and why are they immutable?

(Please don't say XY chromosomes, you don't do a genetic test on everyone you meet.)

Re:A backlash against gender ideology is starting in univers... by cheeseomlit on Wednesday June 23, 2021 @04:33PM (#27609938)
We can tell instinctively based on a whole slew of traits, within a split second of looking at a person your brain identifies their sex whether you want to or not. Skeletal structure alone is a dead giveaway.
Re:A backlash against gender ideology is starting in univers... by karpierz on Wednesday June 23, 2021 @05:08PM (#27610395)
So if your brain instinctive recognizes someone as a "her", they're a "her"?
Re:A backlash against gender ideology is starting in univers... by jhgb on Wednesday June 23, 2021 @07:35PM (#27611959)
Human brains seem really good at these things, just like they're good at for example recognizing faces. Perhaps it has something to do with evolutionary pressure for our survival?
Re:A backlash against gender ideology is starting in univers... by freemint on Wednesday June 23, 2021 @10:26PM (#27613176)
These ability also differ (or can be influenced) by culture so ... I wouldn't make any universalist claims based on human perception.
Re:A backlash against gender ideology is starting in univers... by blindmute on Wednesday June 23, 2021 @06:33PM (#27611402)
Yes.
Re:A backlash against gender ideology is starting in univers... by frumper on Wednesday June 23, 2021 @04:59PM (#27610273)
We use our best judgement. In my experience it's most often confused in babies because it can be difficult to tell at times. I do not get upset when they say my son is adorable even though I don't have a son. I accept the spirit of their comment and try to politely correct them with something like: Thank you, she loves to flash a good smile. Then I go on my way.
Re:A backlash against gender ideology is starting in univers... by jlawson on Wednesday June 23, 2021 @04:56PM (#27610234)
A him is someone who was born with a penis.

A her is someone who was born with a vagina.

The very, very few people who don't fit clearly into either of these categories (intersex) are exceptions and can be handled on a case-by-case basis.

They are immutable because their reproductive role is immutable. A her can never impregnate. A him can never gestate.

(Either can choose not to perform their particular ability, or lose the ability to do so, but that doesn't change the meaning of these words.)

Re:A backlash against gender ideology is starting in univers... by munk-a on Wednesday June 23, 2021 @07:07PM (#27611705)
Some hers can never gestate, specifically barren ones, does that make them not hers?
Re:A backlash against gender ideology is starting in univers... by jlawson on Tuesday June 29, 2021 @02:16PM (#27679651)
I answered that for you already in my OP. But try this:

If a car is broken down, is it no longer a car?

Does it become an airplane?

Re:A backlash against gender ideology is starting in univers... by kyleee on Wednesday June 23, 2021 @11:23PM (#27613581)
Nope, but it is sad when such a person wishes to have a child
Re:A backlash against gender ideology is starting in univers... by freemint on Wednesday June 23, 2021 @10:30PM (#27613198)
Her can impregnate at our current tech level. Without any gene editing the resulting baby will be always female though.

As for him gestating I encourage you to read more Sci-Fi.