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[scatterheart]

This is just something I was thinking about while browsing the flist, and I realized that I know about most, but not nearly all of you. So for future reference, please tell me:

Poll

For those who are as "awake" as I am right now: This is about how you want people to refer to you, not about the sound of them or anything. Just in case that wasn't clear

Comments

[scatterheart]

*shrugs* I personally am not offended by using gendered pronouns to refer to persons whose gender you don't know, and I'm not going to use those words in German, where they sadly don't fit (the man/frau thing is different, imho, since "man" there does not actually have any male connotations, making the use of "frau" pretty unnecessary). However, as someone who does not feel they fit into either gender, and thus is acutely aware of just how present gender and all prejudices and stereotypes pertaining to it are in everyday life, it bugs me how much meaning just a simple "she" or "he" carries, and what difference it can make in the way you are treated (obviously it's not quite that easy outside of writing, but that's not what I was getting at so much, since this is about adressing people on LJ).

Not the words are important, it's the context they are used in which matters.
In general, I agree. However, with traditions that are so deeply ingrained like binary gender, new and maybe "provocative" words are needed just to throw people off, make them realize that wait, the whole "he" and "she" thing should not be taken for granted. And sure, right now those words are barely known outside circles where they already are accepted, and in an ideal world, this discussion wouldn't even be necessary, but sometimes you need to change the little things in order to bring about the bigger things. Do you know what I'm getting at?

As for "that's just the way language grew" - all language came from somewhere, and neologisms are introduced all the time. Why should we stop trying to find more accurate words, just because some concepts are traditional?

Maybe I'm the villain in this case here
There's no villain here, everyone's entitled to their opinion. I don't share yours, obviously, but as long as you don't, like, start calling me "Mädel" just to spite me, that's fine. ;)