Regarding the use of the word "women." I am with you, Charlie. I wonder if seeking gender neutrality does anything at all to affirm the uniqueness of the individual. Will it rid us of inequality, or discrimination?
I do know of a "man" who recently gave birth. It's none of my business and doesn't affect me, so I don't care. I do hope, though, that people in that situation realize that the vast majority of people who say "pregnant women" mean no disrespect to outliers.
The Bulwark is my go to place for staying touch with the most important political issues! Thanks.
About using the word "Women": I think American culture is confusing itself as it seeks to understand by adding categories, subcategories to nouns and verbs--mistakenly believing it's making better sense of things. So we get LGBTQixoeiut and her/she she/her. Modern language is full of obfuscations and pejorative works like "woke." The Quaker book Plain Living by Whitmire has chapter about "Plain Speech." Turns out the Quakers put a lot of emphasis on forthright communication.
Brad Raffensberger also stood up to the illegal action requested by Trump - but he also chose to make the machinations public. Pence deserves credit for ultimately listening to advisors who told him he did not have the right to refuse to count the votes and also for refusing to leave the capitol building so grassley could take over and do what trump wanted - but he had some idea of what was coming (per his security concerns) and he said nothing ahead of time. Had he publicly expressed concerns might there have been stronger barriers and more of a police force in place?
Did you also write about how Justice Sotomayor was targeted? Targeting any judge is out of bounds and one who does should face significant legal consequences.
The Madison (Wis.) paper just did a feature story on a teen trans boy who entered a drag contest—without ever mentioning the obvious. Victor, Victoria in real life. Without the laughs.
I'm going to go right past what I see as the idiocy of torturing language for political purpose -- not to mention its counter productiveness -- and focus on eliminating "women" from the debate on choice, who is really the pro-life group, and how this fight is actually against WOMEN, all of us, to push us back into the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant (which is shorthand for oppressed and abused and dismissed)!
Roe v Wade is about WHO gets to control women's bodies. (LGBTQ will be next but not now.) Who controls women's health choices extends to who controls women's lives, careers and futures. And Old White Men want to do it. They also want to rape and pillage without consequence, let's face it. I survived more than one attempted assault as a teenager and young adult but not by my peers.
So this is a hill for women to die on. Because it rolls back women's rights, which rolls back civil rights, which rolls back human rights, which gives us the Handmaid's Tale America, the wet dream of today's Republicans from Mitch on through.
I read your column daily and watch you on MSNBC. I do not tweet or have apps on my phone. (Hacked twice and I am over 70 and from Fond du Lac!). I have learned quite a bit from my trans stepdaughter and her friends. (Yes, I have been a serious feminist since I was about 5. Growing up in FDL in the 50's will do that to a girl.) "Pregnant people" is the language that I feel most comfortable with and believe is critical to our understanding of what is often vital to trans people and LGBTQ people. Here is an article that I found interesting. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/apr/20/the-dad-who-gave-birth-pregnant-trans-freddy-mcconnell Thanks to whoever is reading this.
Marthanne, thank you for saying this. I confess I am not comfortable with children having sex changes before they are fully matured physically. And I also confess to being tired of what I perceive as tortured language (pregnant people v women, for instance; and "chestfeeding" is simply not a thing!). Your experience can inform my belief, however, and each of us is important and has a part of play in the whole of us, so I thank you for the link and I will read it.
Most of my experience with trans people has been with those who are 18+. I too have some concerns about young children making profound decisions about the rest of their life. I agree, some of the language seems awkward at best. My stepdaughter and her friends are quite strident about their view of the "rest of us" and I think the language they use is often meant to divide more than unify. Yet, I feel certain that my mother, were she still alive, would say the same thing about her hippie daughter.
About the disappearing word “woman” - sometimes things change. For those of us north of 60, sometimes things that younger people treat as very important might seem incongruous. We boomers have been dominant for a long time, like it or not. But our demographic is shrinking in numbers as time marches on. We might already be some kind of minority. Obviously, being gender-neutral sensitive is important to enough people that it is starting to show up in institutions, organizations and media platforms. Just maybe we should let it happen without our approval. In such existential times, there are more important issues.
Every time I hear “vagina owner” I’m reminded of the Wanda Sykes joke about how nice it would be to have a detachable you-know-what because women live with the risk of sexual violence. Unfortunately our privates are not removable nor are they all that we are. Reducing us to body parts and functions is offensive. It’s no better than a Republican calling a woman a vessel for a baby.
I'm sorry the existence of gender nonconforming people is such an inconvenience for you, but trans men do in fact get pregnant and give birth. A doula friend (down here in Texas, no less) has helped several through their pregnancies. To say nothing of people who, while biologically female, do not identify as either gender. Even certain intersex people (which is itself a biological condition, not a chosen identifier) can have healthy pregnancies.
And trust me, I get that anti-abortion legislation is both targeted at and directly harmful of women, in particular, in a way that it behooves advocates to actually name and address. But the phrase "only women get pregnant. Only women give birth to babies," is factually untrue. Biological sex ≠ gender. Gender is a social construct. Please schedule a meeting about it with Tim if you're still confused.
I do not plan to watch any of the 1/6 committee stuff. I am not a member of their target audience. I do not plan to ever vote for another Republican unless circumstances undergo a sea change of some sort. I already know hat pieces of shit they are--either actively or by enabling others.
I am already angry and depressed enough that I do not need more of that.
It will be interesting to look at tomorrows comments.
WRT Language: My recommendation to a lot of these idiots is to leave the English language alone. It will develop naturally and find ways to express the things that need to be expressed. Policing language has never worked particularly well. As an English teacher and rhetorician I tend to "police" language with my students, but it is often just me trolling them... because it is fun and entertaining (and educational). My policing efforts are futile (and I know going in that they are) because usage is what it is--it develops organically. That is how good has come to mean well and how can has come to mean may.
WRT Pence: He quietly supported all kinds of crap for 4+ years and actually follows his oath at the end when it becomes apparent that there isn't actually any legal way to overturn the election. Bravo?
Shockingly, that is what the vast majority of people do... and then what the few who follow along will do when it doesn't catch on.
Too many tempests in teacups about this stuff that gets blown out of proportion by social media even though essentially NO ONE is going to get on board. It is like some sort of weird clown show that people take WAY too seriously. This includes the Bulwark.
What I feel more strongly about is that when talking about abortion, we say “women and girls.” “Women” implies adults. In Texas today, there are 11-12 year old GIRLS now forced to carry a pregnancy by rape to term. Forced pregnancies for children. Children. What kind of society does that?
Regarding the use of the word "women." I am with you, Charlie. I wonder if seeking gender neutrality does anything at all to affirm the uniqueness of the individual. Will it rid us of inequality, or discrimination?
I do know of a "man" who recently gave birth. It's none of my business and doesn't affect me, so I don't care. I do hope, though, that people in that situation realize that the vast majority of people who say "pregnant women" mean no disrespect to outliers.
The Bulwark is my go to place for staying touch with the most important political issues! Thanks.
About using the word "Women": I think American culture is confusing itself as it seeks to understand by adding categories, subcategories to nouns and verbs--mistakenly believing it's making better sense of things. So we get LGBTQixoeiut and her/she she/her. Modern language is full of obfuscations and pejorative works like "woke." The Quaker book Plain Living by Whitmire has chapter about "Plain Speech." Turns out the Quakers put a lot of emphasis on forthright communication.
Brad Raffensberger also stood up to the illegal action requested by Trump - but he also chose to make the machinations public. Pence deserves credit for ultimately listening to advisors who told him he did not have the right to refuse to count the votes and also for refusing to leave the capitol building so grassley could take over and do what trump wanted - but he had some idea of what was coming (per his security concerns) and he said nothing ahead of time. Had he publicly expressed concerns might there have been stronger barriers and more of a police force in place?
Did you also write about how Justice Sotomayor was targeted? Targeting any judge is out of bounds and one who does should face significant legal consequences.
The Madison (Wis.) paper just did a feature story on a teen trans boy who entered a drag contest—without ever mentioning the obvious. Victor, Victoria in real life. Without the laughs.
I'm going to go right past what I see as the idiocy of torturing language for political purpose -- not to mention its counter productiveness -- and focus on eliminating "women" from the debate on choice, who is really the pro-life group, and how this fight is actually against WOMEN, all of us, to push us back into the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant (which is shorthand for oppressed and abused and dismissed)!
Roe v Wade is about WHO gets to control women's bodies. (LGBTQ will be next but not now.) Who controls women's health choices extends to who controls women's lives, careers and futures. And Old White Men want to do it. They also want to rape and pillage without consequence, let's face it. I survived more than one attempted assault as a teenager and young adult but not by my peers.
So this is a hill for women to die on. Because it rolls back women's rights, which rolls back civil rights, which rolls back human rights, which gives us the Handmaid's Tale America, the wet dream of today's Republicans from Mitch on through.
I read your column daily and watch you on MSNBC. I do not tweet or have apps on my phone. (Hacked twice and I am over 70 and from Fond du Lac!). I have learned quite a bit from my trans stepdaughter and her friends. (Yes, I have been a serious feminist since I was about 5. Growing up in FDL in the 50's will do that to a girl.) "Pregnant people" is the language that I feel most comfortable with and believe is critical to our understanding of what is often vital to trans people and LGBTQ people. Here is an article that I found interesting. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/apr/20/the-dad-who-gave-birth-pregnant-trans-freddy-mcconnell Thanks to whoever is reading this.
Marthanne, thank you for saying this. I confess I am not comfortable with children having sex changes before they are fully matured physically. And I also confess to being tired of what I perceive as tortured language (pregnant people v women, for instance; and "chestfeeding" is simply not a thing!). Your experience can inform my belief, however, and each of us is important and has a part of play in the whole of us, so I thank you for the link and I will read it.
Most of my experience with trans people has been with those who are 18+. I too have some concerns about young children making profound decisions about the rest of their life. I agree, some of the language seems awkward at best. My stepdaughter and her friends are quite strident about their view of the "rest of us" and I think the language they use is often meant to divide more than unify. Yet, I feel certain that my mother, were she still alive, would say the same thing about her hippie daughter.
As a friend and I used to say, "kicking and screaming we will be pulled into the 21st century."
About the disappearing word “woman” - sometimes things change. For those of us north of 60, sometimes things that younger people treat as very important might seem incongruous. We boomers have been dominant for a long time, like it or not. But our demographic is shrinking in numbers as time marches on. We might already be some kind of minority. Obviously, being gender-neutral sensitive is important to enough people that it is starting to show up in institutions, organizations and media platforms. Just maybe we should let it happen without our approval. In such existential times, there are more important issues.
Every time I hear “vagina owner” I’m reminded of the Wanda Sykes joke about how nice it would be to have a detachable you-know-what because women live with the risk of sexual violence. Unfortunately our privates are not removable nor are they all that we are. Reducing us to body parts and functions is offensive. It’s no better than a Republican calling a woman a vessel for a baby.
I'm sorry the existence of gender nonconforming people is such an inconvenience for you, but trans men do in fact get pregnant and give birth. A doula friend (down here in Texas, no less) has helped several through their pregnancies. To say nothing of people who, while biologically female, do not identify as either gender. Even certain intersex people (which is itself a biological condition, not a chosen identifier) can have healthy pregnancies.
And trust me, I get that anti-abortion legislation is both targeted at and directly harmful of women, in particular, in a way that it behooves advocates to actually name and address. But the phrase "only women get pregnant. Only women give birth to babies," is factually untrue. Biological sex ≠ gender. Gender is a social construct. Please schedule a meeting about it with Tim if you're still confused.
That video is ape supremacy.
I do not plan to watch any of the 1/6 committee stuff. I am not a member of their target audience. I do not plan to ever vote for another Republican unless circumstances undergo a sea change of some sort. I already know hat pieces of shit they are--either actively or by enabling others.
I am already angry and depressed enough that I do not need more of that.
It will be interesting to look at tomorrows comments.
WRT Language: My recommendation to a lot of these idiots is to leave the English language alone. It will develop naturally and find ways to express the things that need to be expressed. Policing language has never worked particularly well. As an English teacher and rhetorician I tend to "police" language with my students, but it is often just me trolling them... because it is fun and entertaining (and educational). My policing efforts are futile (and I know going in that they are) because usage is what it is--it develops organically. That is how good has come to mean well and how can has come to mean may.
WRT Pence: He quietly supported all kinds of crap for 4+ years and actually follows his oath at the end when it becomes apparent that there isn't actually any legal way to overturn the election. Bravo?
Yay he met the bare minimum standard!!!!!!
Weeks ago: Women were called women.
Now: People with vulvas.
I'm hearing this a lot. I will simply disobey this order.
Shockingly, that is what the vast majority of people do... and then what the few who follow along will do when it doesn't catch on.
Too many tempests in teacups about this stuff that gets blown out of proportion by social media even though essentially NO ONE is going to get on board. It is like some sort of weird clown show that people take WAY too seriously. This includes the Bulwark.
What I feel more strongly about is that when talking about abortion, we say “women and girls.” “Women” implies adults. In Texas today, there are 11-12 year old GIRLS now forced to carry a pregnancy by rape to term. Forced pregnancies for children. Children. What kind of society does that?