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From: cy5@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Conway Yee)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Wordprocessists not typists?
Message-ID: <1990Aug10.161511.8576@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
Date: 10 Aug 90 16:15:11 GMT
References: <1990Aug09.224407.29847@csuchico.edu>
Sender: news@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (The Daily News)
Reply-To: cy5@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Conway Yee)
Organization: Columbia University
Lines: 26

In article <1990Aug09.224407.29847@csuchico.edu> franz@csuchico.edu (Fran Holtsberry) writes:
>Some folks are taking offense at being called typists
>in this day and age of word processing.
>If a person who types is called a typist,
>what is the official designation for a person
>who does word processing?
>This is a serious request, Some university documents
>are on hold until we work this out.

This appears to be another attempt to propagate Newspeak.  The word typist
adequately describes the function of someone who uses a word processor to
type documents.  The only difference is the tool used: a word processor vs.
a typewriter.  The important thing is the function of the person, not the
tool used.  Thus, the invention of a new word serves merely to confuse
not clarify the situation.

New words should be invented when a clear need arises.  For instance, the
word "astronaut" was invented when the need for a descriptor was needed
for someone who travels in space.  The name of the tool used to achieve
space travel was not changed.  Both the toys that have been used for centuries
and the machine built to carry the astronauts were called "rockets."  The
fact that the size and the capacity of the rocket increased by many orders
of magnitude did not change nature of the rocket.  Thus, a new descriptor
was not required.

					Conway Yee, N2JWQ