Sexist Words and Gender-Neutral Language
Speaking of Hillary Rodham Clinton who appeared CBS’s Sunday Morning today insisting she could not see any possible circumstances where she would run for president in 2004:
It has become very popular in recent decades for feminists to attack the use of words like fireman, congressman, chairman or any other words that might imply that certain professions or attributes belong exclusively to men. Gender-neutral words have become the politically correct alternative and so we often hear words like firefigher, representative or chairperson.
It’s interesting that while attacking gender specificity in desirable professions, I’ve never heard the feminists call for similar substitutions for terms like “con man” or “hit man.” Our language leaves us at a loss for terms describing women who engage in conduct associated with fraud and organized crime; implying that women could not possibly engage in such activities, which is just like suggesting that they could not be a congressMAN, a chairMAN, or a fireMAN.
If you can think of any other negative terms that are exclusively associate with the term “man,” please leave a comment.
| Go to Home - Most Recent Posts