Xref: utzoo uw.general:2036 comp.edu:3742 Newsgroups: uw.general,comp.edu Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!mks.com!dave From: dave@mks.com (Dave Till) Subject: Re: Inclusive language... Date: Mon, 29 Oct 90 16:09:53 GMT Message-ID: <1990Oct29.160953.29852@mks.com> Organization: Mortice Kern Systems, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Distribution: uw Reply-To: dave@mks.com (Dave Till) References: <1990Oct27.165810.4278@watdragon.waterloo.edu> <1990Oct27.185050.23933@watserv1.waterloo.edu> In article <1990Oct27.185050.23933@watserv1.waterloo.edu> tom@mims-iris.waterloo.edu (Tom Haapanen) writes: >Dave Hare writes: >DH> Linda Carson recently posted an exposition on the effects and costs of >DH> sexual stereotyping in language. It was very clear and well stated, >DH> and concluded with: > >LC> It takes an effort to strip sexual stereotyping from language. But it's >LC> not rocket science, folks. It's important, and it's worth the effort. > >DH> This, I submit, is the major problem that women face in trying to attain >DH> equality: Men insist on being the arbiters of what is important to women. > >All right, so maybe Brad can't decide, nor can Naji, nor me. But does Linda >represent all women? Do we know how most women feel about this issue? Has >anyone ever done any surveys with any sort of statistical validity? Why does it matter? If some women are offended by the use of "he", why not choose another form of phrasing? It's not hard to do. -- --Dave Till, Mortice Kern Systems Inc., 35 King Street N., Waterloo, Ont., Can. Internet: dave@mks.com UUCP: ..!uunet!watmath!mks!dave "You can only drive down Main Street so many times." -- Max Webster