"Beyond the He/Man Approach"--Wendy Martyna Blog #14

One of the things I found interesting in Martyna's article was the discussion about our ability to identify with a pronoun grouping. She explains that men have an easier time identifying with statements that use a neutral "he" pronoun, and that they are naturally identifying with the specific form of the pronoun. Conversely, women have to think quite differently to be able to identify with "he", and they are more likely to use alternatives, like "person". It's amazing to me that there is such a distinction between using "he" and "person". In my opinion, "person" is far more all-encompassing and respectful of either gender. It's not nearly as cumbersome and doesn't sound as strange as trying to include "his or her". I don't understand why using "person" or "oneself" isn't more widely accepted and used.

I'm beginning to see just how difficult introducing changes in the language would be. Furthermore, just because a formal change is made or gender-neutral terms are introduced doesn't mean that people will start using them. I imagine that many people are so conditioned to use the terms they use that a big change would be just about impossible. As an argument in the article pointed out, people use pronouns in the generic and specific form so many times throughout the day. It would be extremely difficult to be conscious enough of one's usage to make a lasting change.