[debian-devel dropped] Hi Lyno, don't be discouraged by this thread, it's always good to have feedback, and sometimes fun have these silly threads. Here's my silliness.
Jiri Baum wrote: > > Hello Lyno Sullivan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > > > Writing is something I like to do so I can provide small feedback > > there. I recommend you change "guy" to "person". > > Of course, you realize that "person" is *not* an equivalent > replacement for "guy"? It has a totally different colouring. I see that in many contemporary American (another form of slander, as if no Latin America nor Canada existed) tv programs girls address each other as 'guys'. > I agree that gratuitous sexism should be avoided, but I refuse to > mar my penmanship for it. Pointed avoidance of slander is equal, albeit more refined, slander. We could even raise the stakes by using hu<some gender neutral expression here> or wo<some gender neutral expression here> . > Also note that while "he" has a gender-neutral meaning, the same > thing cannot be said for "she". So if you take the advice of > switching pronouns chapter-by-chapter, not only is it very jarring > for the reader, it's also *more* sexist than using "he" throughout. Obviously politically correct language carries with it all the original sexist, racist, etc. meanings and adds additional overtones of protecting the helpless and changing the words so the insult is not recognized. (IMHO) > > See <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/Files/26.html> for a nice little > > how-to on avoiding sexist language. > > So, how do you say "man-made" about something that is neither > synthetic, nor manufactured, nor machine-made? (Say, something > hand-carved out of wood.) Eg: "man-made tools have re-made man". You are assuming, I see, that man - in either meaning - is not a machine. I think that programs and documentation are another example of things not really synthetic, manufactured, nor machine-made. > > I don't know the best way to handle it, but I think a paragraph in > > your Guide and a URL, on "Non-sexist Language" would be very > > appropriate. > > I'd avoid that title entirely. Perhaps mention it in a generic "don't > assume cultural assumptions" paragraph, of the kind you see in usenet > FAQs (eg, avoid local idioms such as "he's dreaming"). I second this. In recognizing the issue we become vulnerable to it. We can always tackle this document by document, where needed. t.aa -- hispanic / herspanic / theirspanic cultural heritage choose whatever applies
