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From: jmsellens@watmath.UUCP (John M Sellens)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: A Small Victory; Not at All
Message-ID: <12080@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Mar-85 20:57:21 EST
Article-I.D.: watmath.12080
Posted: Wed Mar 20 20:57:21 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 21-Mar-85 02:27:36 EST
References: <824@druxo.UUCP> <269@mhuxr.UUCP> <825@druxo.UUCP>
Reply-To: jmsellens@watmath.UUCP (John M Sellens)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 24

In article <825@druxo.UUCP> nap@druxo.UUCP (ParsonsNA) writes:
>Marcel Simon (response)
>> Wait a minute. Are you saying that the use of 'he' and 'she' instead of the
>> grammatically incorect, ambiguous 'they' promotes domestic violence??????
>
>Sigh...  No.  Sexist language (using "he" when "she or he" is meant; always
>putting "he" before "she") tends to promote domestic violence because of
>the attitudes it fosters.

Hmmm....  "Sexist language tends to promote domestic violence".

Do you have any research/evidence/etc. to back up your claim?  I don't
remember ever seeing any, and frankly, I doubt that there is any.

Actually, I don't remember seeing anything showing or suggesting that
"sexist language" i.e. using "he" when one means "she or he" or "s/he"
(my personal favorite, but a touch informal) fosters bad attitudes, but I
may have missed something ...

John

p.s. I'm not saying that "he" or "she" is better than "she or he", but I'm
unconvinced that it is worse, and it sure is a lot simpler to use one word
rather than three.