"Making Changes: The Debate on Sexist Language" by Deborah Cameron Blog #12

I agree with many of the arguments presented in Cameron's article. I'm not surprised that there are more insults readily available for women as opposed to men. In my opinion, it's a lot more common for women to be ostracized in general. Another thing that stands out to me is the "terms of endearment" often used by men to address women. I'm sure that many men do not mean disrespect when they refer to a woman as "Dear" or something like that. I worked through college at a coffee shop, and many men, especially seniors, would call me dear or hunny. Generally, I found it to be friendly, because I worked in more of a friendly environment, serving people. However, there were instances that I've experienced these types of terms where they have not been in friendliness. When a man is referred to as "sir" but then a woman is referred to as "sweetie", it does communicate disrespect. That person is communicating an entirely different level of respect toward the man, and is placing him on a "higher level" than the woman. It's interesting to see that woman are often infantilized and devalued by our language.