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Path: utzoo!watmath!watrose!cmgiuliani
From: cmgiuliani@watrose.UUCP (Carlo)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Animal Sexist Language
Message-ID: <6742@watrose.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Apr-84 19:08:34 EST
Article-I.D.: watrose.6742
Posted: Fri Apr 20 19:08:34 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Apr-84 02:24:13 EST
References: <313@teldata.UUCP>, <7578@watmath.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 23

Sophie asks what makes "us" tick?  Why do "we" object to proposals to change
the default use of male pronouns and male generic nouns?  Do "we" feel 
threatened by such proposals?

The quotes used above indicate that I am not quite sure what "we" I am 
identifing myself as a member of, but I thought I would risk it.

Answer:  I don't think the choice of default/generic gender is important.

         I don't object to proposals to use a different default. Go ahead.
         But I grew up with these defaults built into me and I will object 
         to any attempt to make *me* change my usage, unless you can convince
         me that there is a good reason for it.

         I will not feel threatened by any such proposals unless the proposals
         include measures to force me to change my usage.  Then I will feel
         threatened with respect to things like freedom of speech.

As far as your usage of generic/default gender is concerned, that is *your*
freedom of speech.  And if you convince enough people to change, then I'll
probably end up going with the flow.

                    Carlo @ the U of Waterloo