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From: panix!mara@cmcl2.nyu.EDU (Mara Chibnik)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: synonyms
Message-ID: <1991May25.125043.23449@panix.uucp>
Date: 28 May 91 23:48:55 GMT
References: <1991May24.220315.10248@aero.org>
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In article <1991May24.220315.10248@aero.org> mjm@ahimsa.intel.com
(Marjorie Panditji) comments:

>I was a little confused by Mara's article on thesaurus entries.  It was
>interesting to read the entries listed, and I agree with many of her
>comments.  But, in the end, I couldn't tell Mara's opinion on gold digger
>as a synonym for woman (perhaps she wasn't trying to state an opinion
>on it, but I'm still curious).

Well, my opinion is that "gold digger" is *not* a "synonym" for
"woman," but also that what a thesaurus lists is not exactly
"synonyms" anyhow.

I would like to know what else is in the list of terms for "woman"
before I could comment on whether or not "gold digger" belongs
there, and also what is on the list of terms for "man."  That's why
I cited the lists in my thesaurus as exhaustively as I did-- so that
the peculiarities would show up.  If the only entries for "woman"
are wife, mother and gold digger, then the thesaurus is deficient,
even if the only entries for "man" are huband, father and fortune
hunter.  But I wouldn't consider the deficiency to come from gender
bias.

Is that clearer?

As to "vegetarian," even though more women than men may be
vegetarians, I don't believe that most people use the word with any
idea of connoting the sex of the person in question; it's the
dietary choice that is significant.  Whereas with "gold digger,"
although the behavior exists in men as well as in women, the term
applies to women exclusively; men are variously "fortune hunters" or
"gigolos" if they behave in that way.

PS-- I thought it was pretty obvious from the thesaurus that I was
quoting that there *is* gender bias operating.  Even though that's an
old book I doubt things have changed a whole lot since, but I guess
I should at least thumb through a more recent edition to see for
myself.


--
cmcl2!panix!mara          Mara Chibnik        mara@dorsai.com

          Life is too important to be taken seriously.