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Path: utzoo!linus!wivax!huhn
From: huhn@wivax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.motss
Subject: pronouns
Message-ID: <19117@wivax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 19-Jan-84 21:09:44 EST
Article-I.D.: wivax.19117
Posted: Thu Jan 19 21:09:44 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Jan-84 02:48:09 EST
Sender: huhn@wivax.UUCP
Organization: Wang Institute, Tyngsboro, Ma.  01879
Lines: 23

I can contain myself no longer.  I read someones suggestion to stop
refering to one who is gay as "he".  Being female I support this
suggestion.  Nothing makes me quit reading something faster than
the repeated assumption that the unknown third person is always
male.  BUT... It is an awful choice to use the plural.  That is
even worse.

The proper third person generic pronoun is one.  The reason our
language sounds sexist is because for some odd reason, we dropped
some (useful) pronouns from general usage.  For instance, when
was the last time you, or anyone you know used the second person
familar (thee) rather than the second person formal (you).  My
guess it was about 350 years ago as a reaction to
the friends.  But that's only
a guess.  In any case, the way to correct the situation is to
return to correct usage....one....., NOT to compound the error.

I've spent several weeks using one wherever I had previously used
he or (the clumsy) he/she.  Surprisingly, it isn't too bad.  The
only situation that jars the ear is refering back to a noun within
the same sentence. (e.g. The user turns on the terminal, then one .....)
Other than that, one would be surprised how many times one can work
the third person generic pronoun one into one sentence.