Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ora!ora!daemon
From: wp6@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Walter Pohl)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Girls, girls, girls
Summary: the "girl" thing yet again.
Message-ID: <1990Sep14.013429.2765@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
Date: 14 Sep 90 01:34:29 GMT
References: <1990Aug27.193416.19394@tc.fluke.COM> <24693@megaron.cs.arizona.edu> <6290@emory.mathcs.emory.edu> <11927@chaph.usc.edu>
Sender: ambar@ora.com (Jean Marie Diaz)
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I've not read soc.feminism long, but something tells me that the issue
of "woman" vs. "girl" is one that's been beaten to death.  But since
it's come up...

I think the crux of the matter is that people have the right to
control what they are called.  You have a right to decide what your
name is, and you have a right to decide what words are used to
describe you.  Many women object to "girl," since it implies
adolescence.  If you notice, the term "girl" is used for women much
older than the term "boy" is.  There are counterexamples, of course,
such as "good ole boy," but in general, women are referred to as
"girl" when men are referred to as "man" or "guy."

But it doesn't really matter why, does it?  If Kim wants to be
referred to as "woman", then why should insist on referring to her as
"girl"?

A similar argument holds for "oriental".  I have friends who are
Asian- American who want to be referred to as "Asian-American" and not
"oriental", and I should respect that.  (In that case, I believe the
reasoning is that the word "oriental" has gotten connotations like
that of "exotic", when of course, to themselves Asians and
Asian-Americans are normal, and it's others who are a little weird.
Also, who really refers to anyone as "occidental"?)
	

					Walt Pohl
		"alt.walt?  It has a certain ring to it, no?"