We can probably replace many instances of (s)he or he/she with a singular they. As the Wikipedia article says[1], this is not a recent phenomenon. If using he in a gender-neutral way or in gender ambiguous situations is somehow not politically correct, we should use the word they to replace all instances of he/she or (s)he or he or she where the gender is not important. This is probably the case in over half of our usage of he/she or (s)he or he or she.
Instead of: Barack Obama is the current president of the United States. He was born in 1961.
Say: Barack Obama is the current president of the United States. They were born in 1961.
Fight the madness of people getting mad over gender of pronouns with a greater degree of madness. It is the only way.
I feel like you're making a good argument but have chosen a singularly poor example. Use of "they" is most justified when the gender is unknown. Barack Obama is a very known male.
At some point, we may use "they" for everyone, even if known. But at present, it's not accepted even for cases when gender is unknown.
It's likely better to argue for its usage in unknown cases first before making a case for its usage even when gender is known. The latter is a far more radical proposition.
I agree! But that's a terrible example of it, IMO. Singular they should be used when the gender is unknown or not stated, or at least that's how I use it. It flows rather well in speech too for the most part, but if you know the gender then it causes a bit of cognitive dissonance.
pooper|11 years ago
Instead of: Barack Obama is the current president of the United States. He was born in 1961.
Say: Barack Obama is the current president of the United States. They were born in 1961.
Fight the madness of people getting mad over gender of pronouns with a greater degree of madness. It is the only way.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they
graeme|11 years ago
At some point, we may use "they" for everyone, even if known. But at present, it's not accepted even for cases when gender is unknown.
It's likely better to argue for its usage in unknown cases first before making a case for its usage even when gender is known. The latter is a far more radical proposition.
(I use "they" when gender is unknown".)
ams6110|11 years ago
girvo|11 years ago
cafard|11 years ago
shanusmagnus|11 years ago