I didn't expect this, but I agree with every word she writes.
A lot of very valid criticisms can be levelled against a lot of contemporary feminist thinking. In fact, sometimes it can be so absurd it becomes great comedy. But the idea that it is acceptable for half the population to be linguistically invisible is, I think, contemptible.
Just imagine what that must be like, not least for girls and young women, as they develop a sense of themselves becoming adults. The idiocies of post-modern feminism shouldn't blind us to the appalling injustice suffered by women in western society for most of our history.
If you can't imagine it, read about it.
UPDATE: Whoops - credit omitted. I saw this via Dillow.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Feminism and the English Language
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2 comments:
The inability to distinguish a masculine pronoun from a male referrent is surely just a result of Californian propaganda or lousy education. It's an example of people looking to take offence, and of a displacement activity where the trivial has energy expended on it while the importannt is neglected. I cite the experience of a female colleague who really objected to our employer wasting God knows how much on lame-brained feminist rewording while letting a senior male grope his way around his female underlings. Bah humbug.
I was recently a jurist. After talking for a time about the verdict we decided to elect a "leader". Since I had made the suggestion I asked one of the woman who had been speaking if she wanted to be foreman. She said "no way", so I asked the woman next to her. At this point a young woman said "It's foreperson not foreman". Thus proposing two women and no men counted for nothing, but using the word foreman meant I was a sexist pig.
I'm inclined to agree with trivial changes like firefighter. They may even be better. However some of the claims are hysterical. Herstory for example.
DO you think the following quote intended to celebrate the achievement of all people on the earth or merely the male half?
"That's one small step for (a) man; one giant leap for mankind"
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