Re: The myth of sexist language

[Don K Pierstorff <dkp -at- IX -dot- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

In <1995Aug11 -dot- 080100 -dot- 1112 -dot- 44339 -at- software -dot- rockwell -dot- com> "Starr, Mike"
<Mike -dot- Starr -at- software -dot- rockwell -dot- com> writes:

>I would probably state it "You can open your personal file by..."

>Mike Starr
>mike -dot- starr -at- software -dot- rockwell -dot- com
> ----------
>From: Jean D. Ichbiah
>To: Multiple recipients of list TEC
>Subject: Re: The myth of sexist language
>Date: Thursday, August 10, 1995 4:35PM


>In article <408nki$abp -at- nnrp3 -dot- primenet -dot- com> callie -at- writepage -dot- com
(Callie)
>writes:

>>Instead of writing "Each user can open his personal file by ..." I
would
>>probably write "A user's personal file can be opened by ..."

>>Callie

>In a previous posting, I was mentioning this horrible trend to use
>the passive form and here you are with an example.

>This is very much germanic style "es wird getantzt"
>(literally, "some dancing is going on").  Avoiding any mention of the
>subject so that nobody ever knows who is really doing the thing.

>I  worry that if this kind of speech becomes commonplace it will have
an
>influence on the way people act: avoiding responsibility, letting the
thing
>happen without ever knowing who decided.  <snip>   <snip>
> <snip>
>Jean Ichbiah
--------------------------
    Maybe using the passive voice is part of the victimology
fad. Nobody wants to act because acting causes blame. And *certainly*
no one wants the blame. That's why we get memos saying, "The disk
has been erased," and "The documents have been misplaced." I think
Jean's on to something: The passive voice is used more and more (with
fewer and fewer reasons) because we ourselves are becoming more and
more passive, also with fewer and fewer reasons.

But of course, my goodness, I could be wrong.

Regards,  Don Pierstorff, who doesn't use the verb "feel"
              when he means "believe."