ze/zir/zirs and xe/xem/xyrs

[JDragon]

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville drew widespread derision last week for publishing a pronoun usage guide that asked students and professors to add the gender-neutral descriptors ze/zir/zirs and xe/xem/xyrs to their vocabularies. Conservatives accused the university of encouraging political correctness run amok, and the left accused the right of callous, lazy disregard for the feelings of transgender students.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/12/she-is-not-welcome-on-campus.html

This 'gendering' or rather 'degendering' is nothing new, in Germany, there is a female professor of Gender studies. She does not want to be called a female professor ('Professorin') but instead, she wants the suffix 'x'. She wants to be called 'Professx'.

 

[in the]

If I had a transgendered friend in real life, I would have no problem calling him/her by one of those two pronouns that my friend preferred. I also will use the pronoun of how someone is dressed. But I absolutely refuse to go full Tumblrtard and use these fake pronouns.

The University of Tennessee had to backpedal big time when it sat by and watched the Diversity Department issue this memo, doing anything they could to justify their existence. It was stupid, and the backlash isn't "conservative" in nature, at least not politically. A lot of people on the left find this type of thinking extremely bizarre, even though it all stems from the political left.

 

[rpn453]

Only if she shaves her head completely bald and confines herself to a wheelchair.

 

[EndlessCritic]

Frankly, I don't understand the utility of having gendered language to begin with. Singular and plural is fine, but male/female? Who fucking cares. Seems as arbitrary as white/non-white, or old/young.

English obviously is one of the least gendered languages. Other languages of course assign genders for every fucking noun.

 

[SovietMusic]

Fuck all that noise. I'll use the biologically correct pronouns. This "movement" is a full on parody at this point.

 

[Lead]

It's almost like Miss and Mrs. How are you suppose to know until you get it wrong? I prefer to avoid them altogether and use very plain/neutral terms when addressing a person. I remember at college walking up to the maintenance guy at the gym and asked him a question and he got super pissed I did start with "excuse me sir"

 

[spin]

I'm sure that will catch on

 

[Lead]

Frankly, I don't understand the utility of having gendered language to begin with. Singular and plural is fine, but male/female? Who fucking cares. Seems as arbitrary as white/non-white, or old/young.

English obviously is one of the least gendered languages. Other languages of course assign genders for every fucking noun.

When you are telling someone a story, it can help at times to distinguish each person. If a guy and girl are involved, the story is still easy to say with he and shes. It's just a quick way to narrow a reference down usually 50%.

 

[These Two Hands]

Fuck all that noise. I'll use the biologically correct pronouns. This "movement" is a full on parody at this point.

Dude, shut the fuck up before Axl Braun hears you... nobody needs to see that...

 

[EndlessCritic]

When you are telling someone a story, it can help at times to distinguish each person. If a guy and girl are involved, the story is still easy to say with he and shes. It's just a quick way to narrow a reference down usually 50%.

But male/female is arbitrary.

We could also arbitrarily have pronouns that distinguish between younger/older just as easily. In fact, it makes way more sense to use age for inanimate objects than gender.

 

[Lovestorm]

Those pronouns sound like something you'd hear in sci-fi.

The only compromise that humanity should make for the orc hordes is to refer to them as 'it' rather than he/she.

 

[Lead]

But male/female is arbitrary.

We could also arbitrarily have pronouns that distinguish between younger/older just as easily. In fact, it makes way more sense to use age for inanimate objects than gender.

There are far more times you are able to distinguish he/she rather than older/younger. There are far more situations where you wouldn't know off the top of your head who is the older out of the two you're referring to. I guess we do have sir and madam though.

 

[Thurisaz]

The only compromise that humanity should make for the orc hordes is to refer to them as 'it' rather than he/she.

I heartily agree.

 

[CableandThanos]

I am dissapoint

4 pages in and JVS, dochter , or speakhandsforme

Have not come in and said that this has nothing to do with the left wing and that this is not real and just a figment of conservatards imaginations.

 

[JDragon]

The thing is, if someone I personally know and like suddenly wants me to adress them as XYZ, well, then I will probably call them XYZ out of respect. But expecting others to do that?

 

[FinalFight]

Huh?

lol, im sitting her thinking the same thing.

Spoiler

 

[bufetadanacara]

Fuck all that noise. I'll use the biologically correct pronouns. This "movement" is a full on parody at this point.

Yes. We need to stay standing up to things like this.

 

[rpn453]

Those pronouns sound like something you'd hear in sci-fi.

The only compromise that humanity should make for the orc hordes is to refer to them as 'it' rather than he/she.

I'm willing to go with 'Pat' as well.

 

[klnOmega]

Yes. We need to stay standing up to things like this.

You won't even be able to stand in a restroom when universities ban urinals and vertical peeing because they trigger men with vaginas in genderless restrooms.

 

[SuperLuigi]

English already has a neutral gender pronoun -"it".

 

[M3t4tr0n]

Huh?

 

[robotsonic]

Frankly, I don't understand the utility of having gendered language to begin with. Singular and plural is fine, but male/female? Who fucking cares. Seems as arbitrary as white/non-white, or old/young.

English obviously is one of the least gendered languages. Other languages of course assign genders for every fucking noun.

Languages aren't purely logical constructs, nor are they meant to be so your point makes no sense. If you want to go talk to someone in binary go the hell ahead.

 

[Great Angus]

. She wants to be called 'Professx'.

Who does she think she is? Charles Xavier?

 

[Zer]

ze/zir/zirs

I've straight matrixed dis shit

 

[glennrod]

Fucking idiots, the lot of them. with all the problems going on in the world, all the strife, suffering and misery going on..., it makes me want to throw up thinking about it

 

[klnOmega]

Frankly, I don't understand the utility of having gendered language to begin with. Singular and plural is fine, but male/female? Who fucking cares. Seems as arbitrary as white/non-white, or old/young.

English obviously is one of the least gendered languages. Other languages of course assign genders for every fucking noun.

I did quite a bit of reading on the history of gender in languages a while back. I encourage you to look it up, its pretty interesting. Its also interesting how different cultures associated different objects with gender. Like in a lot of African languages, their word for The Sun is masculine, but most european languages, like Icelandic, have it as a feminine noun.

 

[LucasWithLidOff]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/12/she-is-not-welcome-on-campus.html

This 'gendering' or rather 'degendering' is nothing new, in Germany, there is a female professor of Gender studies. She does not want to be called a female professor ('Professorin') but instead, she wants the suffix 'x'. She wants to be called 'Professx'.

Changing the world from the comfy, protected world of academia. What a true revolutionary.

 

[OldGoat]

But male/female is arbitrary.

We could also arbitrarily have pronouns that distinguish between younger/older just as easily. In fact, it makes way more sense to use age for inanimate objects than gender.

Obviously society decided differently.

 

[Jjunk]

Someone has to put a stop to this nonsense

 

[oleDirtyBast4rd]

Languages aren't purely logical constructs, nor are they meant to be so your point makes no sense. If you want to go talk to someone in binary go the hell ahead.

Laughed

 

[klnOmega]

Fucking idiots, the lot of them. with all the problems going on in the world, all the strife, suffering and misery going on..., it makes me want to throw up thinking about it

Its the ultimate irony that the only people whining about "privilege" are college students in overpriced American universities.

No one seems to realize that first-world privilege is much, much, much bigger privilege than any white, straight, cis, or other privilege they cry about.

 

[klnOmega]

Also, at the university I work at, I've noticed faculty starting to put "preferred pronouns" underneath their names in email signatures.

 

[glennrod]

Its the ultimate irony that the only people whining about "privilege" are college students in overpriced American universities.

No one seems to realize that first-world privilege is much, much, much bigger privilege than any white, straight, cis, or other privilege they cry about.

It's all a big heap of bullshit. these cans are "brave", "courageous", and people who think they are idiots are "bigots".., they deserve shit for being the most feeble minded disgraces for human beings..self entitled, mentally ill wastes of DNA. I have no pity for them if they get bullied at all

 

[Tigerknee]

PC is completely out of control

 

[scrubido]

Only if she shaves her head completely bald and confines herself to a wheelchair.

Outstanding.