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RE: Gender neutral - any new developments in your neck of the woods?
Subject:RE: Gender neutral - any new developments in your neck of the woods? From:"Sean Brierley" <sbri -at- haestad -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 3 Mar 2003 11:46:12 -0500
Similarly, people get distracted about other words. For example, "you
can't use FrameMaker to create online help because it has 'BOOK' files
and is linear, not random access."
Nonesense. The use of those terms limit nothing. For example, when you
decide to write a help system, do you write all the topics onto slips of
paper, throw all the topics into a hat, and pick the order you write
them in at random? How did you randomize the order in which you wrote
the topics onto the paper? When you begin the topics, do you open a tool
and write in a data file--of whatever size--from the beginning to the
end or do you write the middle of your topic first? Then, when it comes
to editing that help system later on, how do you randomize your approach
to editing that content?
Nope. People often put their own artificial constraints on the words
they use and then limit themselves by those constraints. The trick is to
get your information across efficiently and with the fewest red
herrings, and to be productive in the way that best meets your
environment without constraining yourself artificially.
-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Brierley
Because "he" is standard language usage for someone of unknown gender.
"She" will attract focus and applause from those who think using "he"
degrades women and "she" will attract a pause from the rest who will
rightly assume you are trying to make a point. Most folks would read
right past "he" and not pause to think that you are treating women
unfairly by the use of the masculine pronoun.
I use the plural, "they," but my employer frowns on the plural-singular
mismatch and most others play with an annoying combination of "he/she"
and
"his/hers."
Of course, were I writing an op-ed political piece, maybe I'd take your
approach and use "she."
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