Regarding John Gear's Inaccurate Post

["Vollbach, Elizabeth" <evollbach -at- LOGICON -dot- COM>]

     I'm embarrassed that John Gear may have given those of you on this
     list who are from outside the U.S. the wrong impression about the way
     women are thought of and treated here.  I found this description
     offensive because it is saying that women here are stupid enough to
     live this way.  I couldn't like men, let alone fall in love with one,
     if they were really this way.  We women in the U.S. are not only not
     stupid, we are historically known to fight loudly against what John
     Gear says is the state of the sexes in the U.S.  We wouldn't put up
     with that for a minute, and we don't.

     All this talk about politically correct speech/writing is, in my view,
     silly.  You're either a good writer, or you aren't.  A good writer
     will, of course, refer to the sexes correctly.  But a good writer also
     should not have to be afraid to write something because it *might* be
     misconstrued by someone as politically incorrect.

     The other day I replied to an email that one of the (female) analysts
     sent to ask if I needed such and such from her.  I told her no, I had
     it all taken care of.  Remember, please, I am female, also.  In an
     attempt at humor, I said, "Don't worry your pretty little head about
     it."  Granted, you may not think that's funnny, and maybe it wasn't
     sensitive to her feelings.  But, hey, I'm female, so I thought it was
     safe to say.  But, boy, did I get a nasty email from her in return for
     saying that her head was pretty and little.  I was astounded.  That's
     not the way it was meant.  But I'll sure never do that again; I'm
     afraid.  Yet, I used the same figure of speech with my boss a few days
     before this, and she thought it was funny.  Oh, heck, you just never
     know, I guess.

     Is this also a problem outside the U.S., that writers not only have to
     be sensitive about sexual references, some people also force them to
     be overly sensitive?

     Beth Vollbach
     evollbach -at- logicon -dot- com