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From: mccolm@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: 'he' vs 'they' vs 'one'; a third opinion
Message-ID: <5193@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 3-May-85 19:04:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.5193
Posted: Fri May  3 19:04:23 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 7-May-85 07:30:16 EDT
References: <304@mhuxr.UUCP>
Reply-To: mccolm@ucla-cs.UUCP (Eric McColm)
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 24
Summary: 

>The following extracted from William Safire's "On Language" column
>in the Sunday New York Times Magazine (4/28 issue):
>
>	One of two ways. The easiest way is to remember the phrase 'the male
>	embraces the female' and to stick with words like 'mankind' rather
>       than the labored 'humankind'.

But resort to these sorts of catchy but (in my very left-wing-nut view)
unfair and possibly degrading rules is exactly what we should be trying
to get rid of.  Let us not, through omission, create the impression that
all achievements are performed by men, or that affairs of the human race
concern men first and women second, if at all.

>	The other way, if you happen to be chatting with Betty Friedan, is to
>	recast the sentence: 'All of us should watch "our" pronoun agreement'.
>	Avoid the his/her problem by changing the subject person to people...."

"Let us all speak correctly and fairly, and partake of no stereotypes in
 our speeches, as long as anyone's watching."  No, sorry, I disagree.

We should either be fair to women in language, or consistent in our
hypocricy.
				      -Eric McColm
Shade and sweet water...              ...!ucla-cs!mccolm