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From: dave@viper.Lynx.MN.Org (David Messer)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.misc
Subject: Re: The nature of wizards
Message-ID: <3975@viper.Lynx.MN.Org>
Date: 11 Oct 90 14:59:20 GMT
References: <1990Oct2.010645.10743@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> <270897A8.6F6C@tct.uucp> <1990Oct3.024824.13060@eng.umd.edu> <270B296A.17D3@tct.uucp>
Reply-To: dave@viper.Lynx.MN.Org (David Messer)
Organization: Lynx Data Systems, Eagan, MN
Lines: 25

In article <270B296A.17D3@tct.uucp> chip@tct.uucp (Chip Salzenberg) writes:
 >[ Followups to comp.unix.misc ]
 >
 >According to russotto@eng.umd.edu (Matthew T. Russotto):
 >>In article <270897A8.6F6C@tct.uucp> chip@tct.uucp (Chip Salzenberg) writes:
 >>>A true wizard is not only well-informed and experienced.  She is also
 >>>gracious and generous.  She patiently answers questions that lesser
 >>>beings might consider to be too "simple" or even "stupid" to bother
 >>>with.
 >
 >>Why do you use 'she'?
 >
 >A better question is, "Why not?"

To which the answer is:  "To avoid confusing the reader by
using a gender-specific pronoun where proper English usage is
to use a gender-unspecified pronoun, namely 'he.'"

This is a a good example of the damage caused by trying to
change the language to suit a political adgenda -- here we
are totally sidetracked from the point you made about
wizards.
-- 
Spelling is for computers.           | David Messer       dave@Lynx.MN.Org -or-
                                     | Lynx Data Systems  ...!bungia!viper!dave