Posted on 06/10/2003 11:52:42 AM PDT by presidio9
Edited on 06/10/2003 11:57:39 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
When, in 2001, New York voters were asked to amend the state's 226-year-old constitution to make it gender-neutral there was, as would be expected, some fervent opposition.
Led by conservative and religious forces, they claimed there was already an implied inclusiveness to words like "man," "mankind," "he's" and "his," and that, if anything, such a change would be purely symbolic - a gesture that added up to little more than political correctness stretched to its limits. At its best, the move was pure "foolishness," as the Rev. Duane Motley of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms put it, and at its worst it represented "the feminizing of our society."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
What's the problem?
No Reverend... You must refer to ours as "The Gelded Age!"
Because it is unnessessary politically correct nonsense.
Like naming french fries freedom fries?
I think it would be beneficial to have the wording changed to reflect today's language. I can't see a reason to oppose such a thing, anyway.
Why yes, it is as silly as that.
Exactly. Will changing "Mankind" to "Personkind" make women any more equal to men or make language any less confusing? Of course not. Most secure women that I know spend no time worrying about this.
Some of the more radical feminists object to the "son" in person, because they believe it contains a subconscious bias.
While it won't "increase equality", it is a message about the attitude of the state. I think it helps in some way to update the language, and even assuming it does not.. it doesn't hurt. I wouldn't waste time opposing such an effort.
"Most secure women that I know spend no time worrying about this."
Well then I hope most men spend no time worrying about the change.
It's the message sent. That's why they wasted time on the "freedom fries" garbage. In this case, I think the message makes more sense and as such I don't oppose it.
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