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From: jcp@osiris.UUCP (Jody Patilla)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Letter Salutations
Message-ID: <715@osiris.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 19-Mar-86 10:55:18 EST
Article-I.D.: osiris.715
Posted: Wed Mar 19 10:55:18 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 30-Mar-86 07:48:42 EST
References: <286@spp3.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Johns Hopkins Hospital
Lines: 22

> As long as we're talking about non-sexist language, are there any
> suggestions on how to open a letter to someone whose gender you
> don't know?  I became curious while sending out resumes and finding

> Dear Mr. Smith:
> Dear Ms. Smith:
etc.....

	After working in an office where everyone from the director down
to the lowliest clerk (me) was female and getting all our mail addressed
to "Dear Sir" (pretty damned irritating after awhile) I have taken to
addressing all my correspondence of this nature to "Dear Gentlefolk".

(and what is this nonsense about women being less offended about being
called "Mr." than men about being called "Ms." ? Now that *is* a ridiculously
sexist attitude !)

-- 
jcpatilla
..{seismo,allegra}!umcp-cs!aplcen!osiris!jcp 

"Makes your bread dance and your cakes sing doo-dah !"