Re:I want to get into startups, but I don’t know where to start
by a8da6b0c91d on Wednesday March 05, 2014 @05:17PM
(#7350340)
In English the male pronoun is the generic and has been for centuries. Every time somebody misuses she/her as the generic I'm knocked into a moment of confusion wondering who this sudden specific chick is.
Let's cut the crap; when people write she/her/womankind for the generic it's about PC. It's not standard English.
Re:I want to get into startups, but I don’t know where to start
by scarecrowbob on Thursday March 06, 2014 @12:10AM
(#7352012)
"In English the male pronoun is the generic and has been for centuries. "
Well, so has treating women like second class humans, but hopefully we can overcome that, too, no? Languages live... yes it is about acknowledging difference, but so what?
"Every time somebody misuses she/her as the generic I'm knocked into a moment of confusion wondering who this sudden specific chick is."
I was at the barber in my tiny Texas town today... you should have heard their comments when "his husband" came over the TV audio... they were shocked, too.
Re:I want to get into startups, but I don’t know where to start
by codr on Wednesday March 05, 2014 @06:51PM
(#7350837)
> "In English the male pronoun is the generic"
Indeed.. and that's the problem.
The times, they are a changin!
Re:I want to get into startups, but I don’t know where to start
by mitochondrion on Wednesday March 05, 2014 @08:26PM
(#7351230)
Sorry, but why is that at all a problem?
It's often much easier to write and read pronouns, and it is my opinion (though far from an accepted truth) that alternating him/her when contextually appropriate is less clunky than using the him/herself construction.
As a writing instructor, I personally have no problem with "himself" being used in a broader, non-gendered construction... and for the same reason have no problem with a similar usage of "herself", though as I say, opinions vary.