A More Inclusive Language
"We would like humanity to be described in a more inclusive way that doesn't sound as if it has forgotten half of us."
January 03, 2019 at 02:00 PM
2 minute read
I have a few comments on the commentary published on December 26, “Reflections on Fair Speech.”
This part was just offensive: ”The Committee recommends that the word 'housewife' not be used. Instead, say 'homemaker.' This may well be nicer, but there are no men 'homemakers.' Have we queried them? Men 'work from home'; they are 'semi-retired'; they are 'working on their learned treatise.' They are never 'homemakers,' who change diapers and run to the market.”
It is simply untrue that men do not stay home and take care of their children. Never? Welcome to 2018. Welcome to the 21st Century. See Linda DiProperzio, “Stay-at-Home Dad Survival Guide,” Parents.com; AoM Team, “So You Want My Job: Stay-at-Home Dad,” Art of Manliness (Oct. 16, 2018).
A few other points that I can't help but comment on. The author claims, without support, that English speakers think that being called a “chairman” is perfectly suitable, while being called a “chair” is an affront to the English language, since a chair is a piece of furniture. As a woman, I do not think that being called a chairman is perfectly suitable, and since English has a plethora of words with multiple meanings, the fact that a “chair” is ALSO a piece of furniture means nothing to me. I'd venture a guess that if I took the time to do some research, I'd find that “chairman” was being shortened to “chair” because Americans shorten words all the time and not just because of the gender issue.
I have no idea what point the author was trying to make with her statesmanship/diplomacy discussion, but I will say that I doubt Margaret Thatcher and Angela Merkel would agree that they were/are not diplomatic.
Finally: “The Committee surely is aware that the word 'man' encompasses woman if used at the right time and in the right place”yes, but the point is that we don't want it to. We would like humanity to be described in a more inclusive way that doesn't sound as if it has forgotten half of us.
Zara Friedman is an appellate court attorney with the Unified Court System. The views expressed in this letter are her own.
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