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From: jdh@hou5g.UUCP (Julia Harper)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: sexist language/bad attitudes
Message-ID: <544@hou5g.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 22-Mar-85 12:21:51 EST
Article-I.D.: hou5g.544
Posted: Fri Mar 22 12:21:51 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Mar-85 03:28:55 EST
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<>
to those who ask:
What kind of bad attitudes could sexist language foster?
Why use 3 words (he or she) when it's more comfortable and easier to use 1?

It is not more comfortable for me to say or hear said "he" rather than 
"they" or "she or he" when referring to an unidentified person with whom 
I may perhaps wish to identify.

It does not put me at ease to know that he is used in sentences all the 
time, causing listeners/readers to imagine a man as they take in whatever 
scenerio is being described.  In fact, using the word "he" actively 
discourages me and others from imagining a woman as the central figure 
in the scene described.  Using "he" fosters the bad attitude of assuming 
men always take active roles.  This attitude has far reaching implications
(such as fostering the attitude that women don't (don't want to or can't)
take active roles).

-- 
Julia Harper
[ihnp4,ariel]!hou5g!jdh