Vince Pinto Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 The word is Chairman, not Chair Man, so it can be used equally by both male and female executives. It describes a position, not a sex. Nobody seems to mind a single word for male and female Senators, Congressman, Presidents, Secretarys, Judges, Lawyers, Doctors, Nurses etc., so why single out a few words just because they contain "man". What next? Change Human to Huperson or Humanity to Hupersonity or Manual to Personual? Sheesh! And I'm pleased to see Hollywood often using the word Actor to describe male and female artistes. There. I vented. Thank you. I'll go take my medication now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Sorry Vinny, "Congresswoman" is already in full swing here. "Secretary" has been replaced by "Executive Assistant." (Groan...) What's most annoying to me is the word "Hispanic" when used to refer to a Mexican national. Even the Mexicans don't get it. I was sitting down with some friends in downtown Guadalajara one night and broached the subject with them. "What do I refer to you guys as, Mexicans or Hispanics?" "Huh?" "I mean, if I was in the U.S., and I called you a Mexican, I'd be called a bigot." "I am a Mexican and I am proud to be a Mexican. Why would I try to hide my identity?" If only the "enlightened" Gringos would ever figure it out. Sigh..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhgtyre Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 I guess the problem with Mexican comes into play when you are refering to someone who isn't from Mexico. I do agree, however, that we are being pushed in an idiotic direction. I really hate the idea that a word is bad. A word is just a collection of letters that represent a concept. That concept can be variable dependant upon usage. This makes it ridiculous to label a word as good, bad, or indifferent. A word by itself is nothing. -ld Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 [heaviest-rant-mode-imaginable on] Oh god, don't get me going on PC!! (e.g., the "ladies" vs. "women" war I just had with some, uh, women in a local group.) Jeez. It's focusing on all the wrong aspects of things, really. I don't particularly mind "Congresswoman" but let's not make a galactic case of every word that comes close to that kind of thing. I also don't mind "Madame President" or "Madame Chairman" (notice I used "-man" ) as it applies a sensible honorific to a generic form of address... but doesn't go over the edge into niggling and embarrassing absurdity! Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!! [/heaviest-rant-mode-imaginable off][for the moment] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianH Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 I guess the problem with Mexican comes into play when you are refering to someone who isn't from Mexico. I do agree, however, that we are being pushed in an idiotic direction. That is EXACTLY the problem, but I think it was started with non-Mexican hispanics (prob. in Califuzkinfornia) when calling any non-Mexican hispanic "Mexican" offended them, because at the time there was a bad social impression on the Mexican immigrants. "Excuse me, but I'M NOT A MEXICAN!!!!" "Excuse me, but how the f$%k can I tell????" I guess "we" had to do something about that, so "we" had to come up with a new PC term....HISPANIC. (Like what the hell does that really mean, anyway?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 I'll take Hispanic over Latino. Cripes, darn few "Latinos" speak Latin and their European ancestors were from Spain, not Italy. Then again, I don't think a whole lot of "Hispanics" trace back to Hispaniola or the Antilles islands. I have to question why someone would try to come up with a label for "Genetic descendants of North/Central/South American natives and Spanish settlers." As to the gender thing, it irks me that the English language has not come up with gender-inclusive pronouns and I always have to write "his or her," "he and she," and "he or she." Against all that is right and just, the language seems to be going in the direction of using plural "their," "them," and "they," which is unacceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Why do "we" as a society feel compelled to label everything/everyone? This sucks. I have no problem at all with someone wanting to embrace their heritage. That is cool. Just don't expect me to figure out that heritage by an external examination in under 0.2 seconds and address you appropriately. Same goes for sexual orientation. ARGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
down0 Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 I've actually heard "Madam Chair". In my job, you cannot use the term "trainee" (someone decided it was derogatory), you have to use "developmental". PC will be the death of the english language.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 And "developmental" isn't derogatory? I would much rather be called a trainee! Where I work they just make up these weird titles, usually several words long and then make an acronym out of it. So it is alphabet soup city most of the time and I can't keep them straight. Then they get all grumpy at me because I called them a XYZ instead of an ABC. My response is usually "well, bite me". Cheers! Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Developmental? LOL! That sounds like someone who should be wearing a drool bib and riding the short bus, not learning a trade or profession. The correct term would be Apprentice. Speaking of PC speech, what city in America has the most manholes.......................San Francisco of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Pinto Posted December 31, 2002 Author Share Posted December 31, 2002 There used to be a time when the word "gay" meant "cheerful and lighthearted". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Yeah, tell me about it. My dear old 90+ year Granny used to say to me, "You were always such a gay young boy" Usually in front of the most embarrassing audience possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhgtyre Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Grannies say the queerest things! My mother in law always used "light in his loafers" to refer to homosexual men. Now that IS a queer turn of phrase. Okay, I'm done now. -ld Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianH Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 And Vince's friends go out for some "fags". (smokes) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 When I wuz a kid I often heard the term "limp-wristed"... (I guess they weren't shooters, now were they...?...). And living in North Beach [san Francisco] at the time, half the people on the street were that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 Loading the language is just another attempt by those who would be kings (ok, queen) to brow beat we individuals into servitude. jhgtyre- "light in the loafers" I love that one man! I worked with an engineer one time, and I guess he set his saddle a little sideways. The boys on the crew finally decided the best way to describe him was "festive". He met a couple of the guys for a beer after work one night......... and orderd a White Zinfindel..... HOLY TO-LEDO!!! Now, I realize that this may not mean much where you come from. But in the Rocky Mountain oil patch, it's the same as sayin' "hands off girls, the big lug's with me". "Light in the loafers", yeah, that described him pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 vince, you old guys (3qt) know about frank sinatra, right? i don't think he would like being referred to as "the chair person" do you? lynn jones (Edited by lynn jones at 2:53 pm on Jan. 1, 2003) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 "Well, there's naught as queer as folk." - The Full Monty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 I once received a lecture on P.C. language from a homosexual woman who took issue with the term "candy-a$$" and explained its nature and that of pansy and others. Yikes. Basically, I was wrong for derogatorily describing a male as effeminate and there was no correct way to describe him as such without offending all homosexuals on Earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 How horrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Criminy-gee-whiz!... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Sig Person, Shooter Person, Pat as Da Person its just silly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 You got THAT right!! (Every Lady can be a Woman, but not every Woman can be a Lady...!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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