Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Don't make me use a pronoun



  1. This is a very interesting analysis - I am sure this explains a lot on how people gender me. What I still don't understand is the *insistence* in gendering someone, especially when they are ambiguously gendered, and especially when they don't have to. As in your story, the nurse could have said "that person is in room X" and avoid referring to him as "she." My favorite example is when ordering food - they can say "what would you like to eat?" but instead they have to say "what would you like to eat SIR/MA'AM" as if that title were obligatory.

  2. This makes total sense to me! I admit that I don't have a lot of knowledge in this area, but I think I'd be in a position similar to the nurse's - I wouldn't know which pronoun to use at first either. I think someone should only take offense to the use of the wrong pronoun if it persists after being corrected.

    Also, it is ingrained in us to use the pronouns "he" and "she" - trying to change that (at least at this point), is futile. We have been taught that to call a person by a gender-neutral pronoun (it), dehumanizes that person. To a lesser extent, so does saying something like "that person" or some such. Unfortunately, our culture has evolved so that gender-language (and just male/female) assigns more humanity to a person, whereas gender-neutral language removes it to some degree.

    Further, (to address the sir/ma'am comment) establishments want their clients/customers/patients/etc to feel welcome, honored, or some other state that will make them associate a positive feeling with said establishment, so they'll come back. (Thus the sir/ma'am thing).

    Just some thoughts. :)