Re: Re[2]: women and men (was Re: Hey, take it easy!)

[MONETTE DENISE P 678-3843 MACA <dmonette -at- ARL -dot- MIL>]

At the risk of getting the flame from you know where, I have decided to
join in this discussion (his/her or sie/hir).

This discussion came up in undergraduate classes and now it surfaces once
a semester (and lingers) in graduate classes.

I understand that this is a very dear subject to many people; however, I
also feel that we are beating it to death.  All this talk of changing
words or creating new ones is ridiculous IMHO.  I am perfectly
comfortable using he and she and finding ways to write gender out of
text, but I refuse to make up words for ones that I am perfectly
comfortable with.

I understand also that women fought and are still fighting very hard to
create and maintain equal rights, but I think it is time to end the
fight.  I am having a tough time trying to say what I want to say without
offending all of you, but I think that women have been gaining in
equality and I think that the younger generation doesn't feel the need to
keep up the fight.  We are experiencing what women have tried so hard to
work for.  Some of the outcome is good, and some isn't so great.  We have
jobs that pay equal to men in comparable fields (if not, it is
getting better all the time), we have management positions, we are well-
educated, independent people who can fend for ourselves.  On the other
hand, most of us don't have a lot of time to spend with our families because
we need our jobs to survive.  And I kind of like chivalry.

All I am trying to say is I don't think that the current use of he and
she offends the majority.  I just think that the people that it does
offend are more vocal about it.  I don't have a problem being a woman or
a part of mankind.  I didn't even know that it was a problem until I was
a senior in college (almost 30 years old); therefore, I think that
because people need something to fight for they have picked a cause, but
I also think that there are more worthwhile causes out there.

Have a great weekend!!!!

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* Denise Monette        Technical Writer/Editor   dmonette -at- arl -dot- army -dot- mil*
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